Operation RoundUp

It’s a charitable program designed to provide financial assistance to local nonprofit organizations and community projects.

Palmetto Electric Cooperative (South Carolina) created Operation Round Up in 1989. Since that time, this program has been adopted by more than 200 electric cooperative's nationwide, 37 of those in Minnesota.  

Co-op members can voluntarily participate by “rounding up” electric bills each month to the nearest dollar.  What is most rewarding about the concept of Operation Round Up® is that it is an extension of the concept of neighbor helping neighbor that built our electric cooperative over 75 years ago

The average member donation with be around 50 cents per month, or $6 per year, while the maximum annual contribution possible is $11.88 per year. (This would only happen if your bill was rounded up by 99 cents for 12 months in a row) Your contributions to Operation Round Up® are tax deductible and will be shown on your billing statement.

This program is designed to “round up” each electric bill to the nearest dollar and use the additional change to fund the Operation Round Up® program for charitable giving purposes. Although the individual change is a small amount, when combined with other participating co-op members, the potential impact could make a substantial difference in our communities.

The money is placed in a separate Trust account and applications are accepted quarterly from not-for-profit organizations looking to receive a grant from the Trust.

The Operation Round Up Trust Board oversees charitable giving through Operation Round Up. The Trust Board is comprised of five members appointed by Beltrami Electric Cooperative's Board of Directors. The Trust Board is responsible for reviewing applications and dispersing funds to local community organizations and projects. The Trust Board members volunteer their time and receive no pay or compensation for serving on the board. The directors have staggered three-year terms.

The Trust Board will evaluate and distribute grants within the following giving categories:

Community Service
Education & Youth
Economic Development
Environment

A list of the administered funds will be featured periodically in the monthly member newsletter, Northern Lights, and on our website. There will also be an annual report for the Trust Fund. Until the funds are distributed, they will be held with the Beltrami Electric Cooperative Trust Account.

Examples of grants for funding would be local fire department equipment, youth and school groups and activities, local arts and education, senior citizen groups and many other various community programs and projects.  Grants will not be going to large charities, they will stay in our community, for the benefit of our community.

Participation in the program is voluntary.  We realize that not everyone is willing or able to participate in the program. You may opt-out of the voluntary program any time by contacting us at (218) 444-2540 or toll-free (800) 955-6083 or by completing the form below.

Operation Round Up Opt-Out Form

One should contribute only if they want to join other cooperative members in a community development effort AND only if they feel they can afford to contribute an average of $6 per year. Through a cooperative and unified program, members will have a means of donating to worthy causes, and, through Operation Round Up, the small change of individuals can add up and make a big difference for our area. Together, we can do some wonderful things for our local communities.