Web Governance Essentials for Cooperatives: Building a Strong and Secure Online Presence

Governance for Electric Cooperatives

Web technology governance plays a vital role in the long-term success of any electric cooperative's online portfolio. Let's take a moment to review the most critical factors that contribute to a healthy online reputation.

1. Maintaining a Trustworthy Online Presence:

• Member Confidence: Co-ops are built on trust. A well-governed website projects professionalism, reliability, and transparency, which are essential for maintaining member confidence. This builds loyalty and encourages engagement.
• Brand Consistency: Consistent branding across the website reinforces the co-op's identity and values. This strengthens recognition and helps members easily identify with the co-op.
• Accurate Information: Reliable and up-to-date information ensures members have access to the resources they need, when they need them. This reduces confusion and frustration, leading to a positive member experience.

2. Meeting Legal and Regulatory Requirements:

• Accessibility Compliance: Web accessibility is not just good practice, it's often a legal requirement. Co-op websites must be accessible to people with disabilities to comply with laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Check your website using accessiBe's Access Scanner to confirm compliance and keep a report for legal.
• Data Privacy: Electric co-ops handle sensitive member data. Strong web governance ensures compliance with data privacy regulations, protecting both the co-op and its members from breaches and legal issues.
• Cybersecurity: A secure website is crucial to protect against cyberattacks that could disrupt services, compromise data, or damage the co-op's reputation. Web governance helps mitigate these risks.

3. Improving Operational Efficiency:

• Streamlined Content Management: A well-structured website with a user-friendly CMS allows co-op staff to easily update and manage content, saving time and resources.
• Effective Communication: A website with clear and accessible information improves communication with members, reducing the need for phone calls and emails to answer basic questions.
• Enhanced Member Services: Online tools like rate calculators, outage maps, interactive bills, and payment portals improve member service and satisfaction.

4. Supporting Community Engagement:

• Online Community Building: A website can be a hub for co-op members to connect, share information, and participate in discussions, fostering a sense of community.
• Promoting Co-op Values: The website can effectively communicate the co-op's mission, values, and commitment to the community, strengthening member relationships.
• Enhanced Community Support: Access to features for events, news, and even community map generation and displays.

Through web governance, electric co-ops can establish a strong and secure online presence that enhances member service, protects sensitive information, ensures accessibility for all users, and fulfills their core mission while adhering to legal and judicial standards.

Governance Challenges for Co-ops:

Co-ops often face unique hurdles in managing their online presence effectively. These challenges include:

• Limited Resources: Small staffs, tight budgets, and rural locations can make it difficult to dedicate time and resources towards web governance.
• Lack of Expertise: Staff may lack the technical skills needed for complex web development, security, and accessibility, and recruiting skilled professionals can be challenging or expensive.
• Vendor Management: Relying on multiple vendors for different web services can lead to coordination issues, accountability problems, knowledge gaps, and increased costs.

These challenges can result in inaccessible websites, security vulnerabilities, outdated content, and ultimately, a negative impact on member experience and co-op operations as a whole. Research online for companies that offer bundled solutions that can provide a bulk of your governance needs in one package.

Web Governance Checklist for Electric Cooperatives:

This checklist provides a starting point for co-ops to assess their web governance practices. If you need assistance addressing any of the items on this list or improving your co-op website, our team is here to help. Contact us today for support and solutions.

Accessibility:

• Does your website meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards?
• Check your website using accessiBe's Access Scanner to confirm compliance and keep a report for legal.
• Do you provide alternative formats for content (e.g., captions for videos, transcripts for audio)?
• Do you regularly test your website with users with disabilities?
• Does your website have an assistive toolkit for your members?
• Do you need to acquire AI powered solutions to help adjust code on your website automatically?

Hosting:

• Is your website hosted on a reliable and secure platform?
• Does your hosting provider offer adequate performance, uptime, and security features?
• Is your hosting plan scalable to accommodate future growth?
• Do you have a backup and disaster recovery plan in place?
• Does your hosting provider offer Image Optimization to improve your website loading performance in rural areas and on multiple devices?
• Does your hosting provider offer container based solutions to ensure your website is not affected by company outages or infections?

Security:

• Do you have strong passwords and multi-factor authentication enabled?
• Are you regularly updating your website software and plugins?
• Do you have a SSL certificate installed, with a high security rating, to encrypt website traffic?
• Do you have a firewall and intrusion detection system in place?
• Do you conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans?
• Do you implement best data protection practices, scrub member data routinely or setup purge settings?
• Do you implement anti-spam and profane abuse for forms and activity across your website?

Support:

• Do you have a dedicated team capable of updating your website plugins and software routinely. This can be an outside vendor, internal team, or service based solution.
• Are support resources readily available to your members (e.g., FAQs, knowledge base, contact information)?
• Do you offer training to your staff on website management and troubleshooting?
• Do you have a website CMS daily maintenance package, which is crucial if you use Drupal, WordPress, or any other popular CMS?
• Have you setup a logging team or automated alerts to detect abuse and malicious behavior across your website?

Content Management System (CMS):

• Is your CMS user-friendly and easy for your staff to manage?
• Does your CMS offer the flexibility to customize your website to your needs?
• Does your CMS have built-in SEO features to improve your website's visibility?
• Does your CMS include co-op specific features (e.g., rate calculators, capital credits lookup, interactive example bills)?

Other Considerations:

• Do you have a clear web governance policy in place?
• Do you have a designated team or individual responsible for web governance?
• Do you regularly review and update your website content?
• Do you track website analytics to measure performance and identify areas for improvement?

SHiNE CMS: The One-Stop Solution for Electric Cooperatives

Looking for a comprehensive platform that simplifies website management, enhances member engagement, and ensures compliance with industry standards? Look no further than SHiNE CMS – the one-stop solution designed specifically for electric cooperatives.

SHiNE CMS satisfies all the items in our co-op web governance checklist, providing a solid foundation for your online presence.

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Key Features:

• Ease of Use: Intuitive interface for easy content creation and management.
• Flexibility: Adapts to co-ops of all sizes and complexities.
• Security: Prioritizes website security with robust features and partnerships with leading security providers like Sucuri and BlueVoyant.
• Co-op Specific Tools: Includes rate calculators, capital credits lookup, interactive bills, live chat, and broadband label generators.

Our Partners:

• AccessiBe: Ensures website accessibility for all users.
• Pantheon: Provides superior secure hosting for optimal performance and reliability.
• Sucuri: Offers enhanced Web Application Firewall (WAF) protection against cyber threats.
• BlueVoyant: Conducts vulnerability scanning and malicious activity monitoring for proactive security.

SHiNE CMS empowers electric cooperatives to establish a strong and effective online presence that serves their members and supports their mission.