Engaging Younger Members in Your Co-op (Co-op Foundations Series, Vol. 5 Deeper Dive)

Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops

Younger members are often the hardest to reach. Many are juggling full-time work and raising young kids. They are also more likely to rent, which can make membership less clear. Yet they are voters, volunteers, and future board candidates, just like other members, and a co-op runs best when its meetings and board reflect members of every age.

This Deeper Dive helps boards and staff assess where they stand and choose a first step toward engaging younger members. The short version works as a quick discussion starter. The full version adds a worksheet, a one-page action plan, and deeper questions a board can work through together.

Key Takeaways

Implementation Considerations

• Member Buy-In: Progress is hard to show without data. Co-ops that do not track attendance or election turnout by age will need a baseline before they can measure results.
• Staffing or Technology Requirements: Most tips are low cost, but creating content for several social platforms takes staff time. Mobile bill pay and text alerts are often available through a co-op's existing billing vendor.
• Time-Sensitive Information: Social media platform rankings by age come from Pew Research Center's 2025 data and may shift as usage changes.

• CIN_DD_Engaging_Younger_Members_in_Your_Co-op_Short_Final.pdf10 KB
• CIN_DD_Engaging_Younger_Members_in_Your_Co-op_Final.pdf70 KB