It is an organization established by Rayle EMC for the purpose of accumulation and disbursement of funds for charitable purposes in the service area of Rayle Electric Membership Cooperative.

It is a program to generate funds for the Rayle EMC Foundation.

Operation Round Up provides the opportunity and mechanism for Rayle EMC consumers to contribute to worthwhile community projects.

Opportunity: Consumers will be able to use their pocket change, and collectively, make a difference in our communities by supporting needy and worthwhile causes.

Mechanism: Rayle EMC Foundation and consumers’ monthly power bills; consumers will be able to contribute by rounding up their monthly electric bill.

Each month your electric bill will be rounded up to the next dollar. For example, if your electric bill is $92.78, it will be rounded up to $93, and the extra twenty-two cents will go into the Operation Round Up Fund.

Palmetto EMC in South Carolina created the program in 1989 to provide funds to meet the benevolent needs of their communities.

Yes, other individuals or groups can make contributions to the fund.

Simply do nothing if you wish to participate in the program. Your electric bill will be automatically rounded up beginning 01/01/2020.

Simply let us know by calling 706-678-2116 or your district office.

Cooperatives all over the U.S. are involved in this program, and their suggestions were to use the reverse check-off method for reasons of economics and efficiency. Historically, cooperatives have had 80% of their customers participate and 20 % chose not to participate. We think that our customers are just as generous as those in other parts of the country, so we assumed that our level of participation will be about the same. For efficiency reasons, we would prefer to have 20% of the consumers calling to say they do not want to participate then we would have 80% call to say they do want to participate–we’ll handle fewer calls. And, the method will also produce higher participation levels–not that 80% of our customers would not want to participate, but probably a large percentage of them would just never get around to calling us to tell us that they did want to participate. The communities we serve will be the winners.

Yes. Palmetto Electric Cooperative, who founded Operation Round Up, employed three different teams of attorneys to examine the program before they decided to offer it in 1990. Since then, 189 other cooperatives have bought into the program, with each coops’ attorney, including Rayle EMC’s attorney, examining the legalities. Rayle EMC, nor any of the other participating cooperatives, would jeopardize their credibility and good standing by sponsoring a program that is not legal– regardless of the good, it could do.

Participation may be stopped and started at any time.

The Rayle EMC Foundation will have a Board of Directors comprised of five (5) community leaders from throughout Rayle EMC’s service territory. The board of the Foundation will evaluate each application and determine all allocations.

They will serve on 3-year rotating terms.

Interested consumers should contact their local board members, as the board members make the appointments to the board.

The Foundation will accept applications from area organizations and projects whose primary purpose is an improvement in the quality of life for residents in the ten-county territory served by Rayle EMC.

They will be tailor-made to our communities and the needs of each. Some examples of what other cooperatives already participating have allocated money to are:

• $500 to Volunteer Fire Department to help purchase emergency bar lights and sirens for the tanker trucks.
• $1000 to a family after a fire destroyed their home.
• $300 to 4-H Club, paid for materials to repair a building in their “Adopt a Building” project.
• $500 to Public Library to help upgrade computers.
• $3000 to a local food bank.
• $2000 to a local home for abused women.

We are willing to continue as long as it is productive and is helping our communities. However, the amount of participation we receive from our members will certainly be a factor in determining how long Rayle EMC will be involved in Operation Round Up.

No. Rayle EMC will receive no financial benefit from any of the funds contributed to Operation Round Up. All funds contributed will be disbursed back into the communities served by Rayle EMC.

Once a year.

If you want us to we will. However, if you prefer to round up only one, we can do that as well. The choice of how many you wish to have rounded up is yours.

Yes, at any time, by writing a check to the Rayle EMC Foundation. Others who are not Rayle EMC consumers may also contribute to the Foundation.

To help with worthwhile projects and causes within our service area. We are mandated by one of our cooperative principles to support our communities, and the Rayle EMC Board of Directors saw this program as a good way to support individuals and communities, and at very little cost to anyone. Individual consumers will contribute, on average, about 50 cents a month which is less than the cost of a soft drink./

Absolutely. You may stop and start contributions to Operation Round Up at any time.

The amount of money generated by the Foundation will be directly dependent on the amount of participation received from the members of Rayle EMC and any outside contributors who may wish to donate to the Foundation. Hopefully, we will be able to generate in excess of $100,000.00 per year to donate to worthy causes in the communities served by Rayle EMC.

Yes, and your monthly bill will show the amount that is rounded up each month.

Application forms will be available during the last quarter of 2020. Call us and we will mail you one or come by any of our three offices and pick one up.

No. The funds are for local communities in the Rayle EMC ten-county service area, or as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.

None. All the money contributed will be allocated to worthwhile community needs, as directed by the Board of Directors. Rayle EMC will absorb the administrative cost associated with offering this program.

It will depend on the level of participation and the number of funds that will accumulate; other cooperatives participating in Operation Round Up meet monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.

The average will be about 50 cents a month, or $6 a year.

Yes and without hesitation.