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Operation Round Up®

The Mission

The mission of the Operation Round Up® program is to provide financial resources to support, improve or advance communities, organizations, charities and worthy causes or events, throughout MEC’s service area.

Introduction

There are seven cooperative principles that are the backbone to MEC’s daily operations. One of these core principles is Concern for Community, which is why MEC’s Board of Trustees voted to adopt the Operation Round Up® charitable-giving program in 2021.

Operation Round Up® (ORU) is a national program, that’s been serving rural communities for over three decades. Since its inception in 1989, ORU has been adopted by 260 electric cooperatives, and has generated $50 million in charitable donations.

Small Change. Big Difference.

By simply rounding monthly bills to the nearest dollar, members can make a significant group impact. Every penny that is donated, will be pooled together to help local organizations and communities address unmet needs for youth, education, public safety, health, community and emergency services.

To impact the greatest number of people, communities and organizations, and in an effort to give the Operation Round Up® program the best possible head-start, MEC auto-enrolled members into the program, on June 1, 2021. On average, participating members can expect to donate $6 per year, and at most, $11.88. Members are always welcome to donate additional funds to the program, by calling the office.

Program donations are tax deductible. A year-end donation total will be located on January statements, for all ORU participants.

Opt Out

Operation Round Up® is voluntary and MEC fully supports a members’ decision not to participate. In March 2021, we began a three-month campaign, inviting members to opt out, pre-launch. If members missed this window, they are able to opt out, at any time, by visiting our office, calling 406.541.4433, emailing billing@meccoop.com or logging into “SmartHub” and opting out.

Upon request, the Cooperative will offer a full refund to any member whose bill was rounded-up without their prior knowledge or understanding of the program.

ORU Board

The Operation Round Up® program is run by a board of seven MEC members (one representative per district). This board will run independently of MEC’s member-elected Board of Trustees. The ORU Board is listed by district, below:

District 1 – Sonia Shearer, Vice Chair/Secretary
District 2 – Don Stout
District 3 – Matt Ulberg, Chair
District 4 – Caitlin Williams
District 5 – Jon Kimble
District 6 – Jim Lindquist
District 7 – Debbie Lester, Treasurer

Pictured Left to Right: Don Stout; Jon Kimble; Jim Lindquist; Debbie Lester; Sonia Shearer; Matt Ulberg. Not Pictured: Caitlin Williams.

All member donations will be placed into the Operation Round Up® Trust Fund. Each quarter, the ORU Board will meet to review and score applications, to determine which organizations, events and causes, would benefit from these funds the most.

Apply for Funding

To be considered for funding, interested parties must submit an online application. All applications will be compiled and reviewed by the ORU Board on a quarterly basis. At the end of each quarter (in January, April, July and October, respectively) the ORU Board will meet mid-month to complete this process. This means, applicants need to apply at least one quarter prior to when funds are needed. Each organization may only receive one donation per year.

View Operation Round Up® Donations

Please note: applications may be prioritized or deferred based on the immediacy of the request.

Funding may be used to:

This list is a guide and is not comprehensive.

Help local schools, organizations and communities with limited resources, which will improve educational opportunities or economic development;
Assist local community youth organizations and activities which promote good citizenship for strong, healthy communities;
Aid local community and emergency service providers in their efforts to improve the quality of life for our neighbors;
Promote the health, wellness and safety of our communities and members;
Meet the quarterly goals set by the ORU Board at the beginning of each quarter.

Funding may not be used for the following:

This list is a guide and is not comprehensive. The ORU Board may reject any applications that don’t support MEC’s mission or ORU’s quarterly and/or annual goals.