Millennials with families are one of the fastest-growing groups of members at Baldwin EMC, but they're but they're tough to engage, as the Summerdale, Alabama-based electric cooperative and many other co-ops have found.

“It's a demographic that's hard to reach, because it's a very busy phase of life for them," said Kim Frank, Baldwin EMC's manager of communications and public relations. “So, we invited them to the table."

The co-op created the Community Leadership Council to connect with this key part of its membership. Now ramping up for a third session, the program is looking for its next cohort of members in the 30- to 45-year age group to participate in a series of four interactive sessions designed to boost understanding of the co-op's business model.

The number of millennials moving onto Baldwin EMC lines has shot up by 15% since 2020. The co-op averages 250 to 300 service orders each month, and many of those requesting new service are first-time co-op members.

“They moved from areas served by a municipal or investor-owned utility, and surveys showed they considered themselves as a customer rather than a member of the co-op," said Mark Ingram, vice president of corporate services and public relations.

“We saw this as an opportunity to educate them on the cooperative difference. The way we communicate with this age group must respect their preferences and might be totally different than the way we communicate with other generations."

After a delayed start because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Leadership Council hit full stride in 2023. The two-hour sessions kick off with an introduction to co-ops and Baldwin EMC, followed by a tour and discussion of engineering and operations. The third session focuses on financials and economic outlook, and the program wraps up with a discussion with CEO Hunter Robinson.

Applicants must demonstrate past community involvement and share the co-op's vision “for improving Baldwin County and helping it grow and prosper," Ingram said.

Title company partner Jenny Buck, one of the 16 council participants, is a past chairperson of the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and is involved in local schools. A lifelong co-op member, she admitted she knew little about Baldwin EMC.

Buck applied to expand her professional network and because “I've always been a curious person, and I like to know how things work. Plus, I always like to create goodwill in the community. It was beneficial all the way around to join the program."

She came away with a deeper appreciation for the co-op's balancing act of keeping the lights on at the lowest possible cost.

“We're experiencing tremendous growth with subdivisions popping up on every corner, and it's an enormous undertaking providing power to a county that's growing as fast as ours," Buck said. 

The co-op learned some lessons about reaching this group of members. Social media and community engagements articulate the difference between co-ops and other utilities. And because “community engagement resonates with this group," Ingram said, the co-op, already heavily involved in the area, has ramped up communications about its local presence.

It's also promoting past successes, including Operation Round Up, which has distributed more than $7 million to nonprofit organizations, schools, scholarships and other local needs—which few participants knew about.

“They said, 'Wow! You're touching every part of this county!' That's the goal of a cooperative. Leaders in this community formed us, so it's important to give back to the local community," Ingram said.