The program was started by Palmetto Electric in South Carolina in 1989 as a way for cooperative members to give back to the community. The program has been adopted by rural electric cooperatives across the nation and many Indiana cooperatives already participate in the program. WIN Energy REMC's Operation Round Up program started in May 2013.

One of the cooperative principles is Concern for Community. We feel a strong responsibility to the people in the communities we serve that goes beyond simply providing reliable electricity. One of the most rewarding aspects of Operation Round Up® is that it is an extension of the concept of neighbor helping neighbor that built our electric cooperative. Operation Round Up® helps co-op members reach out to worthy causes in their communities and work together to help others.

Members who wish to participate in the program have their electric bill rounded up each month and those few cents are deposited into a separate fund. For example, if your electric bill for one month is $85.75, the bill would be rounded up to $86.00 and the extra $0.25 would be deposited in the Operation Round Up® fund. The donation averages $6.00 per year per account, the maximum donation per account could be $11.88 per year and is a tax deductible. The rounded up amount will be listed on your statement each month. Bill statements received in January will also have the previous year’s round up total for tax purposes.

The WIN Energy REMC Community Trust, Inc. is a separate entity with its own board of directors who oversee the funds. The directors of the trust are members of WIN Energy REMC and will receive and review applications from organizations requesting funding for charitable purposes and decide how to distribute funds according to the bylaws of the Trust.

The members of the WIN Energy REMC Community Trust Board include:

Gibson County:          Peg Callis

Knox County:             Mary Ann Miller, Chairman

                                   Shawn McDowell

Pike County:               Carol Sutton

Posey County:            Sydney Russler

Sullivan County:          Deann Talley, Vice Chairman

                                    Mike Lueking

Vigo County:                Leslie Stultz

Any organization within the WIN Energy REMC service area can apply for funding. Individuals are not eligible to apply. Funds will not be used to pay utility bills or any type of political contributions. 

Projects that could be considered include community service, economic development, education and youth programs, environmental projects, emergency assistance and disaster relief. These are only examples, funding is not limited to these items. The WIN Energy REMC Community Trust Board will determine where funds are distributed.

A list of distributed funds will be featured periodically in the Indiana Connection magazine, as well as on our website. Prior to funds being distributed, the donations will be placed in a separate account called WIN Energy REMC Community Trust, Inc.

Yes, each account will be rounded up, but if you would like only one of your accounts rounded up, you can choose to opt out the other accounts.

Yes, the rounded up amount will be calculated from your actual billed amount, not the budget amount.

All member accounts that are not opted out will be included in the program. If you choose to opt out you must notify us in one of the following ways: call our office at 800-882-5140 or contact us here. You may opt out or back in at anytime in the future if your situation changes. (Please note all government funded accounts will be automatically opted out.)