Share
In our community and around the world, member-owned cooperatives make a difference.
Cooperatives are created to fill community needs.
These needs could be anything from housing and electricity to health care, telecommunications, banking or insurance. Community-owned utilities formed Pioneer, originally named Ruralite Services, in 1956 to provide communication support.
Our shared cooperative principles guide Pioneer Utility Resources and keep us focused on our mission:
We serve so you can shine.
Here’s how Pioneer, a not-for-profit communications cooperative based in Hillsboro, Oregon, follows seven co-op principles to support our members:
1. Voluntary and open membership
We call our members Utility Pioneers. To join our co-op, a utility must be a not-for-profit entity and subscribe to at least one Pioneer service. Co-op membership isn’t required to work with us, but it has great benefits!
2. Democratic member control
Co-ops are democratically controlled, with each member having one vote. Members elect co-op leaders.
3. Members’ economic participation
Co-ops provide services “at cost” and remain not-for-profit. Money left over after expenses belongs to members. By 2026, Pioneer had returned $4.3 million in co-op member credits.
0
community-owned utilities, broadband providers and state associations have received
0
in co-op member credits since 1956.
4. Autonomy and independence
Co-ops put member needs first. Period.
5. Education, training and information
Co-ops keep utility members and employees up-to-date on issues to help them effectively manage the co-op and thrive. We do this on our award-winning blog, podcasts, case studies and eBooks. We also provide training at regional and national conferences to strengthen utility communicator storytelling skills.
6. Cooperation among cooperatives
Co-ops support each other. Mutual support helps cooperatives improve services, bolster local economies and deal more effectively with community needs. We team up with other cooperatives and industry groups and actively work to find ways to build stories together.
7. Concern for community
Co-ops exist to strengthen the communities we serve. For many co-ops this means involvement in service organizations and community efforts within a specific geographic area. At Pioneer, a co-op with members spread across the nation, YOU are our community. To build the stories of rural broadband providers and community-owned utilities nationwide, Pioneer supports several national industry-related non-profits, including:
Our storytellers join expeditions such as the Washington Youth Tour and NRECA International efforts to help tell our members’ stories.
-
BlogThis spring, Mike Teegarden made a long-awaited trip to Guatemala with a crew of lineworkers to bring power to the small rural village of Ventura. Learn more about the project, a partnership between NRECA International and Oregon Empowers, and Mike’s personal experience capturing pictures of both the crews and villagers.
April 26, 2023 at 12:00 am
Pioneer’s staff also steps up, often with matching co-op dollars, to send funds to utility employees impacted by loss after a natural disaster.
-
NewsA month after a devastating flood in Central Texas, the Kerr County community clears debris and rebuilds, fueled by hope and national support. Pioneer staff, with a Sharing Funds grant CoBank, sent $10,450 to the Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country for the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.
-
NewsTo kick off National Cooperative Month, Pioneer Utility Resources announced a partnership with CoBank to donate $15,182 to support co-op families after loss, help international energy development, improve life in rural America and fight human trafficking.
-
NewsPioneer donated $5,000 to the Florida Electric Cooperative Association’s Disaster Relief Fund as part of a national effort to help Utility Pioneers at all of Florida’s impacted electric co-ops recover from Hurricane Ian.
-
NewsPioneer Utility Resources and WordSouth staff raised $7,040 for families, including co-op staff, in the West Kentucky area struck by tornadoes in December 2021.
-
NewsWhen Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana, the storm destroyed power lines and displaced almost 40 co-op employees. To provide much-needed support, the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives activated the statewide association’s hurricane relief fund.
