In April representatives from more than 500 cooperatives in 42 states descend on Washington, D.C. for the first ever “Grassroots Summit.” The co-op leaders met with Capitol Hill staffers to discuss
policy issues, but the primary focus was on engaging co-op members in grassroots and political action.
“Investing time and energy in developing our grassroots today will pay dividends in the future as we face challenges not just on the federal level, but the state and local levels as well” says Randy Dwyer, Director of Grassroots Advocacy for the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (NRECA).
“Consumer-member engagement really determines how well we can get our message across at the state and federal levels” says Kirk Johnson, Sr. Vice President of Government Relations at NRECA. “Without our grassroots advocates communicating with their members of Congress, NRECA would not have nearly as big of an impact on behalf of electric cooperatives. The Grassroots Summit is a tremendous opportunity for us to focus our advocacy efforts in a major election year and hone techniques that will maximize our impact.”
