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Co-op Day

Changing to meet our members' needs

The cloudy skies and brisk chill of the fall air were not enough to break the spirits of more than 300 individuals as they gathered Oct. 10 to celebrate the second annual Co-op Day hosted by Basin Electric, NISC, the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, North Dakota Association of Telecommunication Cooperatives, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Farm Credit Council and Mid-America Credit Union Association.

A sea of lime green co-op t-shirts and bandanas washed over the Grand Theatres when cooperative employees, managers and consumers gathered to hear about the values of cooperatives and the importance they have for the economy of the state. The celebratory atmosphere was underscored by balloons, banners, photos of co-op members, music and topped off with lunch and sugar cookies. The cookies were made by the Geiger family, Capital Electric consumers from Baldwin, N.D.

Ron Harper, Basin Electric CEO and general manager		North Dakota Governor John Hoeven

Attendees heard from North Dakota's cooperative leaders, including representatives from: Basin Electric Power Cooperative, National Information Solutions Cooperative, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Association of Telecommunications Cooperatives, Mid-America Credit Union Association and Farm Credit Services.

Governor John Hoeven spoke about the force behind North Dakota cooperatives and signed a proclamation declaring October Co-op Month in North Dakota.

Stronger Together: At the Rally

Cooperative principles

The second annual Co-op Day gave members an opportunity to share in recognizing the dedication and commitment demonstrated by cooperatives across the nation through their practice of the seven cooperative principles which include:

• voluntary and open membership,
• democratic member control,
• member economic participation,
• autonomy and independence,
• education, training and information,
• cooperative among cooperatives,
• concern for community.

“Committed to Our Communities”
Cooperative businesses generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in income for their communities while also supporting local causes ranging from education to the environment, according to a series of case studies compiled to help mark October as National Co-op Month.

The 20-plus pages of case studies, put together by the National Co-op Month Planning Committee, show that co-ops take a back seat to no other sector when it comes to making economics and charitable contributions to their communities.

Among the highlights:

• Nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives account for as many as 300,000 jobs
  nationwide and a total payroll of more than $8 billion.
• Some 270 local, consumer-owned telecommunications cooperative employ an average of 47 people each and generate more than $2 billion in revenues annually.
• In Minnesota alone, cooperatives of all types generate more than $10 billion in economic activity per year. In New York, credit unions alone contribute $4 billion annually to the economy.

Among community projects highlighted in the case studies:

• East River Electric Power Cooperative, Madison, SD, helped fund an ethanol plant that today adds $50 million to the area’s economy.
• Four credit unions combined to assist low-income New Yorkers with their tax forms, triggering $2.5 million in tax refunds that otherwise would have gone unclaimed.
• An Arizona food co-op formed a recycling program that now includes approximately 100 businesses and was cited as the best in the state.
• A co-op printer in Massachusetts donates 10 percent of its profits to the community in support of causes including labor and human rights, the environment, child development and the homeless.

The case studies are available on the National Cooperative Month Web site at www.coopmonth.coop.

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