POLICY NO. 6

SUBJECT: DONATIONS AND SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

CONTENT:

1. In conformance with the seventh Cooperative Principle of “Concern for Community,” it is appropriate for Washington Electric Cooperative to support the activities of worthwhile non-profit, charitable agencies, educational institutions and other community organizations which enhance the well-being of our members and the communities they live in. The Cooperative also recognizes that our financial and other resources belong to our members, and that such support should not diminish our ability to provide reliable and efficient service at least cost.

2. The Cooperative may offer such support by means which include but are not limited to:

(a) in-kind donations of materials and labor

(b) use of the Cooperative’s newsletter, website and other means of member communication

(d) “good will” advertising in programs and publications of organizations

(e) financial contributions from the Community Fund

3. As a membership organization and as a business, it is in the Cooperative’s interest to be recognized by our members and communities for such support. Accordingly, organizations receiving such support should have an appropriate means for recognizing the Cooperative.

4. The Cooperative shall make every effort to determine that organizations receiving support are financially responsible and supported in the communities they serve. Support shall not be offered to organizations or activities whose purposes conflict with the policies and principles of the Cooperative.

5. Consideration shall be given to assuring that communities and activities throughout the Cooperative’s territory benefit from such support.

6. The General Manager shall be authorized to offer support as described in section 2 above. The following process shall be used for allocating financial contributions from the Community Fund pursuant to section 2 (e):

(a) The amount available annually for financial contributions shall be the amount of capital credit refunds and other funds donated by members and former members in previous years. The Board of Directors may choose to supplement this amount from other sources.

(b) Contributions shall be made only to organizations submitting requests in writing. Such requests shall state the name and location of the organization or activity, the purpose of the contribution, and the means by which the Cooperative will be recognized.

(c) The General Manager, in consultation with a Community Fund Committee appointed by the President and generally composed of the Members & Market Committee, shall make contributions within the limits of the amount determined per section 6(a) and in accordance with sections 3, 4 and 5 above.

(d) While making regular annual contributions to organizations is not precluded by this policy, the General Manager shall also rotate contributions as necessary in order meet the objective of equitable geographic distribution as stated in section 5 above.

7. The General Manager shall annually provide a report to the Board of all donations and support of community organizations made pursuant to this policy. This information shall also be provided annually to the members of the Cooperative.

Responsibility: General Manager

Board of Directors

BOARD APPROVAL: _______________ Attest,_______________________

(date) (Secretary)

Prior Approval: April 15, 1961

October 29, 1976

July 1, 1981

September 1, 1981

September 1993

August 2002

Allocation Guidelines for WEC Donations, as recommended by Members & Markets Committee

Eligibility

Organizations receiving funds shall meet the criteria in sections 3, 4 and 5 of Policy 6. Recipient organizations must either be incorporated as a non-profit or be a unit of local government, or have high level of support in their communities. Contributions will not be made to religious or political organizations or organizations primarily engaged in issues advocacy.

All requests for support shall be in writing.

SUPPORT CATEGORIES

Categories are intended for guidance.

Major sponsorship(s)

One or two sponsorships of organizations or events like a “walk-a-thon,” arts festival/series, or sports team at a higher level. (Major sponsorships could rotate every few years, but WEC would likely wish to establish an association over some period of time with higher level sponsorships.)

Support of regional & local organizations(s)

Support of charitable & community organizations serving significant parts of WEC service territory, through event sponsorship, advertising in their publications, or general donations. Activities may include social services, education, arts and the environment. Depending on the volume of requests and funds available, it is likely that there may be some degree of rotation of contributions in this category in order to comply with section 5 of Policy 6.

Support of special projects

Support of special projects at schools and local communities. This category would tend to support the most local activities. These funds would not be used for support of ongoing local public services, such as fire & rescue. A high level of rotation is anticipated in this category.

Existing activity not included in this allocation: WEC would continue to occasionally sponsor events or buy advertising with organizations it is a member of, or purchase advertising in trade publications. These expenditures are not included in the allocation shown above.

ALLOCATION PROCESS

Policy #6 authorizes the General Manager to make contributions that conform with the policy and are within the spending limit set by the board. Recognizing that some board involvement is desireable in supporting community organizations, the following process will be followed until such time as the board chooses to change it:

The General Manager will each month send to the Community Fund Committee, by email, a summary of all requests received during the month, together with his recommendations, if any, for contributions to be made.
The Community Fund committee members will respond promptly by email regarding the recommendations. Any questions or clarifications that committee members may have will also be addressed by email if possible. The General Manager will then make contributions that are supported by the committee. Any recommendations requiring further discussion can be dealt with at the M & M Committee’s next scheduled meeting.
The General Manager will include in the board packet the summary of requests received, along with contributions approved according to #2 above.

REPORTING AND COMMUNICATIONS

The General Manager will provide monthly reports to the board as stated in the previous section, as well as a year-end summary of contributions at the conclusion of the fiscal year.

A report shall be printed in Co-op Currents within the first six months of each year, which shall inform members about how they may contribute to the fund, and the process for requesting donations. This report shall also list the contributions made the previous year.

In addition to the above-noted report, Co-op Currents will annually profile at least one recipient organization/project.

WEC will use its other communications means (bill messages and stuffer, capital credit verification mailings, website, new member packet and literature at the office) to encourage members to contribute.

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