What changes are you making to your member outreach efforts?

Answer: At Carroll White REMC, one of the important priorities that we identified in our recent strategic plan with our board of directors is member engagement. We created a new member engagement plan and went to work on new and creative ways to have more outreach to members. We started with a new electronic format to welcome new members. They receive a specific email from us in each of the first five months of receiving service. We also went to work to find ways to communicate with our members, as everyone receives information in different ways. For some members our traditional monthly magazine still fits their needs; for others, it’s our website; and for some, it’s our Facebook and Twitter pages. One new outreach tool we created is a podcast named Carroll White REMC News & Notes, which we publish on our website, Spotify and iTunes accounts. We’ve finished 19 episodes so far and are gaining traction. We are also learning to use SmartHub marketing in more effective ways. To date, nearly 55% of our 15,000 members have a log-in for SmartHub, and many of those are active on their account, especially the free mobile app. For some services, such as planned maintenance outages or various notifications, we use our integrated voice response system. It takes a coordinated effort and different methods to have successful outreach to our members in this time of ever-changing technology. All of our departments contribute and work well together to make outreach successful at Carroll White REMC.

Answer: The challenge for rural cooperatives has always been meeting the member where they go for information. We have found that roughly 20% of our members do not regularly access the internet. The same percentage is exclusively online and prefer only digital media. With UEC’s outreach efforts, we attempt to connect on a personalized level with our message, which means adapting the story to the chosen channel (i.e. print, social media or website). One change recently implemented is the increased use of video across our platforms. Scripts can be revised to feature stories and images pulled from footage allowing multiple uses for the same efforts. Our members have reacted very positively; interest in the videos has been overwhelming, and we have received great feedback from our members and community partners. Connecting with your audience requires that an organization first gets to know what their members’ interests are. In recent years, UEC has had a strong focus on member feedback, taking part in the National Survey on the Cooperative Difference and other surveys through Touchstone Energy. These surveys provide us valuable insights, suggestions and areas of focus to enhance our outreach efforts. By utilizing these tools, UEC is ensuring our members have a direct line to share their thoughts and influence our outreach efforts.

Answer: As our membership changes, so do their needs and expectations of their power provider. At Medina Electric Cooperative, we are adapting to meet those needs to enhance our member identity and experience through key initiatives. We’ve learned many members prefer digital notifications during their experience with us. This includes integrating text and email outage notifications and appointment reminders for staking jobs. But in our always-on world, we’re also keenly aware of the need to balance digital with other outreach formats for a personal touch. We are reimagining our new member experience with a welcome packet, giving something tangible to remember the co-op, our services and our commitment to the community. Additionally, we constantly strive to empower our members with the knowledge of their energy use, conservation tips and the power to have more control of their monthly bills. We recently added consumer analytics for our residential members to meet this initiative. For member engagement, we are committed to meeting members where they are by participating in community events such as festivals, parades, rodeos and more. These efforts will help us connect with members on a personal level and foster a stronger sense of community within our co-op. Overall, these initiatives are designed to enhance our communications, provide valuable insights and actively engage with our members, ensuring a more connected and informed membership.

Answer: Cherryland has a long history of robust member outreach and communication efforts. Our team works tirelessly to reach our members across various platforms and to make sure that members are receiving information in the way they prefer. When I took over as CEO last year, we redesigned our CEO communications. Like many co-ops, we were very magazine-centric, with the monthly manager’s column serving as the main link between the CEO and the membership. Now, we release a package of content around every message that includes a video where I discuss the topic in a way that is optimized for social media, the written column, which is also released as an interactive blog post, and a podcast. I also record a short monthly podcast to share highlights from our board meetings. In just one year, we’ve doubled the reach of our CEO messages with this approach. I think members respond to transparency and authenticity. So what works for me may not be an exact fit for another CEO, but the takeaway is to find ways that are comfortable and authentic. Our members are inundated with glossy, overproduced and corporate communication. When co-op leadership reaches out to them with raw, authentic messaging, it cuts through the noise and lays the groundwork for building the strong relationships that have sustained our organizations over the last 90 years.

Answer: At EnergyUnited, we developed The EnergyUnited Way, which is a daily commitment by every team member to Be Safe, Be Secure, Be Present and Be Member-Focused. What this means is we answer every member call in 14 seconds or less. We write a personal response to every member comment or concern from Google, social media, our website and mailed letters or notes. We respond to outages more quickly and safely than surrounding electricity providers, at least according to our members. Our linemen spend time talking with members who need repairs or have power issues. At least weekly, we receive feedback from members with compliments for work that our crews in the field or our member support team provides. We communicate throughout the week via our website, social media and email on topics members want to hear. In addition, we recently digitized our service rules and regulations to ensure members can search from any electronic device, and the document uses our website's translation tool to share the information in numerous languages. We also added two new online applications for members use: the EnergyUnited Foundation application to assist those with housing, utility or humane needs; and the interconnection agreement application, which increased ease of use for our employees and members. Our entire EnergyUnited team is empowered to serve, deliver and engage our members and our communities, and these changes have made a difference.