The association provides national leadership and member assistance through legislative representation before the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch; representation in legal and regulatory proceedings affecting electric service and the environment; communication; education and consulting for cooperative directors, managers and employees; energy, environmental, and information research and technology; training and conferences; and insurance, employee benefits and financial services. Programs are funded through dues and fees.

Two major publications inform and educate members, decision makers and the interested public: Rural Electric Magazine, published monthly, and Electric Co-op Today, a weekly newspaper that reports on activities and views about electric cooperatives and NRECA.

Association Meetings
NRECA’s Annual Meeting is one of the largest national gatherings of cooperative and rural leaders and consumers, often attracting more than 12,000 directors, managers, employees, and cooperative member-owners. In addition to considering and acting upon policy resolutions, delegates receive reports from association officials, hear addresses by key public figures, and attend panel sessions on major issues affecting cooperatives electric utilities and their consumer-owners. Concurrently, the TechAdvantage Conference and Expo provide participants with a close look at state-of-the-art products and equipment required in the day-to-day operation of electric utilities.

The association holds a series of 10 regional meetings throughout the country each fall. At these meetings, electric cooperatives present their concerns and consider issues from the grassroots level in developing national policy. Twelve national membership-elected standing committees are charged with screening and acting on resolutions to be brought before Annual Meeting delegates.

International Programs
NRECA and its member cooperatives administer a program of technical advice and assistance in developing countries around the world. The original purpose of NRECA International Programs was to export America’s model of rural electrification. Since 1962, 250 electric cooperatives have been formed in 14 developing countries. Today these utilities provide electric service to more than 34 million people. In addition, NRECA is currently working in 9 countries to provide technical and management assistance, create cooperatives and other decentralized utilities, administer training programs, and introduce renewable energy programs (wind, solar, hydropower and biomass). International Programs is a self-supporting division with funding from service contracts from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and overseas governments and cooperatives.