What are the benefits of NREDA membership?

People - NREDA’s approximately 300 individual members are a virtual Who’s Who of electric and telephone cooperative and economic development professionals.

Networking: Members take pride in their willingness to share expertise and information with peers.

Personal and Professional Development - Leadership, participation, and recognition opportunities on committees, at the Annual Meeting, and on the Board of Directors.

NREDA Annual Conference - NREDA’s national conference offers insightful speakers, education sessions, mobile classroom tours, networking opportunities, and fun. (NREDA Annual Conferences offer CEcD, EDFP, and CKAE approved credits.)

NREDA Continuing Education - Participate in FREE webinars and other educational seminars providing you with emerging and thought-provoking ideas on rural economic development.

Community Forum - Members are able to reach out to other NREDA members for feedback/advice that will benefit you and your organization.

Membership Directory - Members utilize the online directory with listings of NREDA member contact information, cross-referenced by state, organization, and areas of expertise.

Publications – News Brief Newsletter & Website – Announcements, secure Members Only Section with a member search feature by members/state/expertise, current issues and events, links to industry-related websites and articles, job postings, and archived copies of the NREDA News Brief, which is published bi-monthly.

Rural Focus – No other organization matches NREDA’s focus on rural economic development, needs examination, resources identification, and communication of what works.

Partnerships with Allied Organizations – NREDA fosters formal relationships with NRECA, NTCA-the Broadband Association, CFC, NRTC, NADO, NACo, USDA Rural Development & others to keep economic development for rural America a focus; the NREDA Board travels to Washington DC every other year to enlist shared best practices and information gathering pertinent to rural development.

Scholarships – NREDA offers scholarship opportunities to assist with funding to attend our Annual Conference.  The scholarship program recognizes the importance of training and education, as well as networking, in the field of Economic Development.  The program is open to NREDA members and non-members with a focus on those new to the economic development profession.