Capital Credits & Other Benefits of Being a Member Owner
As member owners, many Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative members received checks or had sizeable credits applied to their August bills. The funds were part of the $7.3 million in capital credits Golden West returned to its members in 2020.
For some, the funds offered welcome relief during the pandemic.
“You have no idea how much it helped,” said one cooperative member. “I know it wasn’t thousands of dollars, but in my household, it might as well have been.”
Golden West follows the classic definition of a cooperative of working together for a common good. As an internet or telephone subscriber today, you are a member owner of the cooperative. October is National Cooperative Month.
You are served and rewarded.
Being rewarded with capital credits is one benefit of being a member owner in the cooperative. Golden West provides the telecommunication services rural South Dakotans want and need. After investing into the co-op, Golden West returns a portion of its surplus revenue back to its member in the form of capital credits.
You have a voice.
As a member owner, you can also participate in the organization. The Golden West service territory is organized into districts with elected representatives who are accountable to the members. The representatives shape how the co-op can better serve you and your communities.
Companies that are privately held or publicly traded can experience changes in direction based on the desires or demands of outside investors, shareholders or owners and ownership groups. As a cooperative, every Golden West member can vote regarding these types of significant activities.
Your communities are supported.
As a local cooperative, Golden West supports its members beyond the services it provides. Like you, Golden West supports its neighbors. Golden West employees live and work here, too, and may be your friend and neighbor.
As a local organization, Golden West has unique insight into where help is needed most. The co-op has donated thousands of dollars to local hospitals and health care facilities, provided funds for youth activities such as baseball fields and playgrounds, and supported community celebrations and local philanthropic causes. Golden West believes in doing good, not just doing well.
As a company, Golden West provides a connection from South Dakota to the world. As a co-op, the organization provides a different kind of connection. Either way, we’re everywhere people connect.
