Supporting Community Initiatives for Member Utilities

NTC SUPPORTS CONSISTENT OUTREACH FOR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES

Strategic partnerships are key to overcoming education outreach barriers for member utilities

The guiding principle of electric co-ops to be small and responsive to their communities can also result in limited funds and resources for community education programs. This presents obstacles to initiating, expanding, or consistently offering educational programming, especially in the rapidly changing landscape of clean energy and the energy transition.

Utility members often encounter obstacles that include:

• Rural reach
• Staff limitations
• Limited budget resources
• Barriers to member communication

By creating strategic partnerships that collectively pool resources and create consistent yet flexible programming that can respond to members local needs and resources, electric co-ops can support their utility members in overcoming these obstacles.

An NTC partnership is a proven model for assisting electric co-ops in supporting their members community outreach initiatives. By employing creative engagement strategies, targeted outreach methods, and innovative approaches to educational programming and implementation NTC’s strategic partnerships with electric co-ops can:

• Increase member communication
• Consistently deliver energy literacy education
• Inspire sustainable energy efficient behavior within member communities

Perhaps most vital in considering school programs for community initiatives - energy education can serve as a springboard for building a career pipeline in energy-related fields. Inspiring students to explore the diverse job opportunities available in the energy sector is a powerful way to nurture the next generation. This not only meets the growing demand for skilled professionals in the industry but also ensures a local workforce that is passionate about their unique community and the energy needs within it.