Cooperatives are created to meet community needs and make life better for members. Since 1964 October has been celebrated as National Cooperative Month!

As a communications co-op, Pioneer was built to share the story of Utility Pioneers (that’s you!). To help celebrate National Cooperative Month, we have free resources and ideas to tell your story cooperatively.

Tools to Explore Co-op Merits 

How often do you tell your staff and consumers about the merits of cooperation? We created a  print and social media campaign focused on the theme “Explore the Merits of Cooperation.” It’s a chance to tell your cooperative story, starting with the seven co-op principles we all share.  

The campaign includes both print and digital storytelling tools: 

Print (InDesign files provided): 

• Full page ad 
• Half page ad 
• Flyer for the office or community spaces 

Social: 

• “Explore the Merits of Cooperation” video, sample post  
• “Driven by members” image, sample post 
• “Committed to Community” image, sample post 

Pioneer Social subscribers get access to additional campaign videos and sample posts. Not a member yet? Learn how Pioneer Social helps you grow brand.

Make sure you tell your co-op story on your website. Then, add your logo and URL to the campaign materials and share your co-op story. 

Download “Explore the Merits of Cooperation” campaign:

Wear Principles with Pride 

To get our staff excited about working at a cooperative for other cooperatives, Pioneer gives each employee a Co-op Month shirt. This year’s shirt mirrors the “Explore the Merits of Cooperation” theme, with all seven principles listed on the back. These shirts pop up in team meetings, at conferences we attend and in the office regularly. It’s a simple but powerful way we not only share, but WEAR our principles. 

We are big fans of cooperation. HUGE fans. But when we redesigned our website, we left out a critical piece of content: the seven co-op principles. 

Our focus on exploring the merits of cooperation this fall gave our team the chance to see the oversight and not only fix it, but also help tell the story of how we follow these shared principles. Instead of a simple list of principles, we share how Pioneer turns our founding beliefs into everyday actions. Maybe the idea will inspire you, too. 

Shop Co-op 

One of the best ways to get staff excited about working for a cooperative is through food and cooperative-sourced gifts. To celebrate National Co-op Month in October, we have a list of co-op food brands to help you stock your staff breakroom with local and national food treats created through cooperation. Be sure to tell staff how electric and telecommunications co-ops are part of this amazing story, too!

Want more ideas?

We love sharing ideas and resources to help our members celebrate the power of cooperation. We showcase ideas from your peers each week on “The StoryConnect Podcast,” produce eBooks on rate increases, podcast production and outage communication and write about the latest communication trends and resources on our best practices blog. For more ways to share your story with staff and consumers, visit pioneer.coop/inspiration. 

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