October’s traditions of football, leaf peeping, Halloween, and all things pumpkin spice include the annual celebration of Cooperative Month — a month dedicated to recognizing the vital service that cooperative businesses deliver to local economies and communities across the United States.
The designated month is an opportunity for co-ops to educate their members on the unique structure and purpose of co-ops: They are owned and operated by their members, who share in both the benefits and the profits of the business.
The cooperative business model operates in diverse sectors including agriculture, finance, housing, and, of course, energy. Colorado alone is home to 22 electric cooperatives. Collectively, they serve nearly 1.5 million electric customers in territories that cover more than 70% of the state’s landmass.
To celebrate Cooperative Month last year, Highline Electric Association rented out the theaters in Julesburg and Holyoke and invited members to a two-part movie series. Photo courtesy of Highline Electric.
Co-ops are founded on principles of democracy, equality, and cooperation. By focusing on member needs rather than maximizing profit, co-ops ensure that economic power is evenly distributed and that resources are used to benefit members and communities. Co-ops are guided by seven cooperative principles including voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, and concern for the community.
Co-op Month is more than a celebration; it also serves as a reminder of the power of community and the importance of business models that prioritize people over profits.
LOCAL CO-OPS LEAD
Highline Electric Association is all in during Cooperative Month; last year it rented out the theaters in Julesburg and Holyoke and invited members to a two-part movie series, showing Hotel Transylvania 1 and 2. This year, the Holyoke-based co-op is offering promotional coupons for local pumpkin patches throughout October. Highline’s Member Services Specialist Jessie Heath said the idea is to offer some fall fun to co-op members while encouraging them to support local businesses.
October is a great time to increase overall awareness and information about co-ops, but Colorado’s electric cooperatives serve their communities in caring and creative ways year-round.
GCEA hosts a popular event Coffee with Your Co-op. Members get free coffee and can talk to GCEA representatives about rebates, net-metering, and the co-op’s EV loaner program. Photo courtesy of GCEA.
“In 2021, Highline started volunteering to work the community concession stand at the Phillips County Fair,” Heath said. “Proceeds from this go to the local food banks and pantries in Phillips County.”
On the Western Slope, Gunnison County Electric Association invites members to Coffee with Your Co-op and other events throughout the year. At these events, the co-op provides information about ways members can electrify to reduce carbon emissions while saving money. Members learn how the co-op’s programs work, including community solar, net-metering, rebates, and GCEA’s electric vehicle loaner program.
GCEA’s Member Relations Supervisor Alliy Sahagun shared that members appreciate the chance to learn new ways to save money and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Our co-op is run by people who live in our community, so when we hold events in various parts of our service territory, members love to come out and see us because we are their neighbors and friends,” she said.
In San Isabel Electric’s service territory in southern Colorado, Communications Manager Paris Daugherty said that one of its unique and most popular outreach efforts is the co-op’s food trailer.
“We bring the food trailer to different locations throughout the warmer months and serve free hot dogs,” Daugherty said. “There’s no agenda, just sharing some delicious hot dogs with members and a chance to talk to people from the co-op face-to-face about anything they’d like.”
Morgan County REA’s members are treated to a member appreciation picnic every June at the co-op’s headquarters in Fort Morgan. Along with the draw of great food, members get to visit their cooperative, and see safety demonstrations and electric vehicles on display; they also have a chance to take home a door prize.
“We have had increased attendance every year,” Communications Director Maddie Pollart said. “People love the chance to come eat, catch up with friends, and check in with their local electric cooperative.”
BEYOND THE DESIGNATION
Colorado’s electric co-ops have been essential to their communities for nearly a century. In an ever-changing world, they naturally continue to grow and evolve. Yet the co-op commitment to equity, member control, and service to the community remains constant.
“Morgan County REA’s history and the history of this area are woven together,” Pollart said. “Many MCREA employees are also members of the communities we serve. The small-town values that make our area special are the same values that make up the cooperative model.”
THE SEVEN COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLES
The cooperative business model is governed by a set of seven key principles. They were originally compiled by Charles Howarth, a founder of the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers — an early co-op for laborers — in England in 1844. Learn more about the meaning behind each principle at CREA’s website: crea.coop/our-mission/7-co-op-principles/
Mary Peck is a freelance writer based in Northern Colorado and enjoys sharing stories of rural communities.