Getting Started: Tools for Mapping & Planning

Essential reading:

• KFTC's REC Organizing Flow Chart (Source: Kentuckians for the Commonwealth)
  Description: This document offers a series of questions to help folks that want to get started organizing for cooperative reforms. It is specific to KY co-ops, but is a great starting point for organizers in any region.

Suggested reading:

• Northern Plains' REC Scorecard (Source: Northern Plains Resource Council)
  Description: A Montana-specific 4 page resource sheet that details timelines of annual meetings, cooperative values principles, and a report card detailing transparency and democratic organizing practices within different cooperatives.

• MN Local Energy Project Scorecard (Source: CURE)
  Description: A scorecard for 44 electric co-ops in Minnesota including what information is available on the co-op websites. 3 Key Takeaways: 80% don't post info on how to vote, 77% don't post dates for board meetings, 75% don't post board member contact information.
  

• Co-op Utility Resource Worksheet (Source: Clean Energy Works / We Own It)
  Description: This spreadsheet is a good resource for beginning research on RECs. It provides a list of questions to ask, resources to help locate the answers, and a template to enter the information.
  

• Governance Scavenger Hunt (Source: We Own It)
  Description: This document outlines a number of questions for RECs that can be used as a scorecard or even an interactive group activity for folks looking to learn about their RECs and/or how to organize members.
  

• Northern Plains' Co-op Fast Facts (selected responses to governance scavenger hunt) (Source: Northern Plains Resource Council)
  Description: This folder contains sample fact sheets from two Montana co-ops with a map and info about board and rates. There is also a rate comparison for Montana RECs and a link to articles from co-op publications (see more on this in the REC influence on state and federal policy topic area).
  

• Energy Savings Action Center (Source: Appalachian Voices)
  Description: The Energy Savings Action Center is an online tool where advocates and members of electric cooperatives in the Appalachian region of Tennessee and North Carolina can: (1) learn what an electric cooperative is, what it means to be a member, and the rights and responsibilities of membership; (2) learn what clean energy policies and programs their electric co-op offers; (3) access resources and information on clean energy programs and other co-op best practices; and, (4) take action to advocate for reform or new programs beneficial to the membership.
  

• Power to the People: Fueling the Revolution for Energy Justice (Source: NAACP)
  NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Program, units, branches, and state conferences are leading the way in energy justice. We are at the forefront, fighting for community-owned solar, anti-fracking bills, local hire provisions and MANY more initiatives that create clean air, clean energy, and economic justice for all. NAACP will end corporate greed in non-renewable, toxic energy that poisons frontline communities and will take the power – both utility power and social power – back to the people where it belongs.

• State Electric Co-op Map Files (Source: We Own It)
  Description: Provides links to publicly available state GIS shapefiles of rural electric co-op territories and links to PDFs of electric co-op territories for every state.