Making a Positive Impact Through Community Grants, With Lea Ann Gore
Episode Description
When dollars budgeted for marketing were not going to be used during the early months of the pandemic, Twin Lakes decided to repurpose that money for grants in the communities they serve. Four years later, Twin Lakes has awarded a quarter of a million dollars to local organizations that make positive impacts in the community. Lea Ann Gore, marketing and sales manager, joined the show to discuss how the program works and the benefits seen through the program.
Transcript
Transcripts have been lightly edited for clarity and readability.
Intro: The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee Broadband Association. Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our state forward. We look at the issues shaping Tennessee’s future: rural development, public policy, broadband, healthcare and other topics impacting our communities.
Carrie Huckeby: Hello, I’m Carrie Huckeby, the executive director of the Tennessee Broadband Association. And on this episode of Lead Tennessee Radio, my guest is a good friend, an excellent brand strategist and marketer, Lea Ann Gore. Her title over at Twin Lakes is marketing and sales manager. And Twin Lakes is one of the largest cooperatives in the country, and their corporate office is located over in Gainesboro, Tennessee. Welcome, Lea Ann. Thanks for joining.
Lea Ann Gore: Good morning, Carrie. Thank you for having me.
Carrie Huckeby: So for those that aren’t real familiar with Twin Lakes, tell us a little bit about where you serve and about your network.
Lea Ann Gore: Sure. So we are a cooperative. We were established in 1951 to serve rural Middle Tennessee. We have approximately 35,000 broadband connections, over 100% fiber network. We have about 12,000 of those being gig to multi-gig. So we have gig connections up to 10 gig today. We are an NBRI Circle of Excellence recipient for our customer service efforts. Last year, we were in the top 6% of national providers for customer service rating. So here at Twin Lakes, customer service is obviously our number one priority, and typically we run about 98% with customer satisfaction when we measure that. Additionally, we have two partnerships in the state of Tennessee. We’ve partnered with Volunteer Energy Cooperative, and then of course, through Trilight in East Tennessee, we’ve partnered with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative. And both of those efforts work out well. We’re cooperative assisting another cooperative in some aspects, especially with VEC. We’ve been working in conjunction with them for now almost 70 years. So we all have the same goal is to basically serve the unserved with broadband connections in the communities that we all serve together.
Carrie Huckeby: Outstanding. A lot going on, A lot happening. And with your 100% fiber network. But you have to be proud of that 98% customer satisfaction.
Lea Ann Gore: Absolutely. It’s Jonathan’s number one priority here at Twin Lakes. So we take that very seriously as, I think it’s a culture that we all possess here, customer satisfaction.
Carrie Huckeby: Great. Well, I follow many of our TNBA member companies on social media, and I always see all the good works. And your company grant program caught my eye. Of course, one of the seven cooperative principles is concern for community and Twin Lake obviously demonstrates that in a lot of ways. I want to ask you about your community grant program that you started. I think you said somewhere around 2020. And what inspired you and your company to focus on supporting and awarding grants to groups within your serving area?
Lea Ann Gore: We had always been a participant in the FRS grants, and that’s through the Foundation of Rural Services. And in 2020, of course, when we did those normal FRS grant applications, we sent out those packets. We got we got back a larger number than usual of applications. And so we realized that there was a need in the communities due to Covid. We saw so many of our local community organizations struggling to make ends meet, keep their doors open. And at the same time, of course, our year had been far from ordinary as well. We obviously were not able to get out into the communities and utilize the marketing dollars that we had budgeted. And so we got together, and we made a proposal to repurpose those dollars in conjunction with the ongoing FRC grant opportunities we were providing that year. And our board of directors, they were so gracious. They really supported the idea and still do, and the rest is a little bit history. We’re going on our fourth year, and I think the concern for community that is the proof of that is in the increased investment in the communities we serve. So 2020, we did over $70,000 in grants. In 2021, the program got a little bit more exposure and we saw even more need. In 2021, we did over $75,000 and in 2022 that increased to over $100,000. But it’s not really just about the grant funding alone, but also the concern for community is in our everyday sponsorships. But part of that ongoing commitment, we have now provided grant funding to almost 40 organizations, and we have just emailed packets out for our fourth year. So we are excited and continue to receive more applications every year. And there’s some really good needs in the community.
Carrie Huckeby: That’s outstanding. That’s over $250,000 in the last few years.
Lea Ann Gore: It is.
Carrie Huckeby: Who are some of the groups that received the funding that very first year, those first recipients?
Lea Ann Gore: So I don’t recall the very first recipient to receive because we did, I believe 17 maybe the first year, Carrie. But we’ve awarded to our schools, libraries, fire departments, community centers. American Legion, so the veterans organization. There’s been so many that have been recipients of the grant funding. It’s amazing how many needs you realize that are really out there when you ask for those. And there sure are a lot of them.
Carrie Huckeby: Well, you touched on this earlier about awareness of the recipients in the community and just bringing, you know, educating the community: what’s out there, who’s in need. So do you think your grants have been helpful in raising that awareness for the nonprofit? And, you know, is it resonating in the community and seeing how important this nonprofit is? You know, Twin Lakes is is awarding money. How do you see that helping the community as a whole?
Lea Ann Gore: Yeah. So absolutely. Twin Lakes is a trusted source in the communities we serve. We have been for over 70 years. I think part of that trust is in the longevity and just being good stewards of the community. I think it not only raises awareness in a way that organizations benefit from, but in a way that our residents and the communities we serve, they also realize those benefits. They realize the resources that are available and within those communities. And then also, I think kind of you touched on this for the awareness of those nonprofits. And in some instances, that is exactly what they’re requesting funding for. So some of it is to utilize a graphic designer for website content and design. Or it may be blogs. It could be simple things like that. So it’s also to them about helping them increase that awareness, just as you pointed out. But it’s a little bit more than that. It’s awareness for them, but also it’s an awareness for the residents of the communities we serve. Indirectly, they’re exposed to the resources that are available in their communities, either to use for themselves or to recommend others.
Carrie Huckeby: Well, I think it’s probably the same thing we find here in my hometown, is that we have a giving circle called “The Power of 100” here that started about five years ago. And it’s been, you know, it’s educational to us that we’ve lived here our whole life, some of us, and we don’t realize all the nonprofits that are out there, and the work that they’re doing.
Lea Ann Gore: Absolutely. And, you know, we do a lot of volunteer work internally. Twin Lakes allows the employees – one day they do a paid, it’s basically volunteer time in the community. So for us, this helps us also identify some of those organizations that we can assist on another level just from an individual perspective. So that’s been great as well. So it’s not just the grant funding, but we also get to step out and work in some of these organizations.
Carrie Huckeby: Yeah, that’s helpful. I know. What are some of the success stories or examples of maybe that you’ve heard in the community that you awarded a grant, and then it made some kind of impact or difference? Do you have 1 or 2 of those?
Lea Ann Gore: Yeah. So, of course, I feel like volunteer fire departments, they’re one of those organizations that they are out there. They don’t get a lot of funding, but we’ve awarded several local fire departments. One specific example that I think of in fire departments, I was just most recently speaking to someone that was on the board at our local Granville Fire Department. And of course, one of the ways that they benefit. So I didn’t realize this, but every community has an ISO rating, and that is the rating that determines how much people pay for their fire insurance within the communities that they live. Granville, they had a rating of 9, so it’s on a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the worst. So that means that property insurance is a little bit higher. So they’ve applied for funding that will help them lower the ISO rating in those communities. They’ve been very successful in doing so. So with the grant funding and other fundraising, they’ve been able to lower their ISO rating for that community from a 9 to a 6, which results in about a 10 to 15% reduction in fire insurance rates for the community of Granville. All those living in it, those individuals that have businesses in it. So that’s great for economic development. And of course, I don’t know if you know a whole lot about Granville, but it resides in Jackson County. It’s one of the more distressed counties that we serve. So it’s always great to see that have an outward effect on the community. So it’s one thing to give to an organization, but it’s another thing to see the impact that it has on every individual in those communities we serve, making their lives better.
Carrie Huckeby: I didn’t know that about the ISO rating. That’s interesting. And I mean that grant certainly has a far reaching effect on that community, not just the fire department.
Lea Ann Gore: Yes, absolutely. And then another great example, I think, is the city of Byrdstown. They have done some amazing things. They were a recipient in 2021. So Twin Lakes awarded grant funding for a projector, screen, speakers, a portable freezer, a popcorn machine, and several other items that they needed to make a free Friday movie night in one of their local parks. And just recently I was speaking with the recipients, and at their last event just last month, they hosted over 500 attendees in that small rural community. So you think about how much that brings in local tax dollars, and they’re kind of on the edge of Kentucky. So it’s even bringing in some attendees from other communities surrounding them. So it’s really benefiting all the communities we serve. But, you know, even if it’s not directly benefiting, say we don’t serve any of Kentucky today, but it’s bringing local tax dollars and improving the economy in Byrdstown.
Carrie Huckeby: It has to make you proud, right? I mean, to see that kind of impact happening in those grants that are going out there. I mean, it must make you, Twin Lakes, the board, the employees, step a little higher and hold your head up, you know, a little bit higher, too, doesn’t it?
Lea Ann Gore: Oh, it does. And, you know, we’ve got a lot of employees here, and, you know, they’re on volunteer fire departments. Or I know the city of Byrdstown, one of our employees, is part of that function and that program. And she volunteers every Friday that they have the event. And so, it’s nice. I think they take some ownership in some of that and in their local communities when they see the organization they work for giving back. So it’s a personal commitment and a company commitment as a cooperative. You know, and again, it all goes back to that concern for community.
Carrie Huckeby: Yeah. So it certainly seems to be working. And are there any long term goals or strategic plans such as maybe expanding the reach of it with other local organizations, or is it just working perfect like it is?
Lea Ann Gore: So, I mean, the long term goal is pretty simple. You know, it’s to improve the lives of those we serve. And again, that goes back to that principle. Our CEO, Jonathan West, of course, at every employee meeting, he reminds us whatever you do, do with all of your might and be the best you can be. And I think we’ll continue to pour those sentiments into the program as we do everything else here at Twin Lakes. And I think as opportunities come along, we’ll absolutely take those opportunities into consideration. But today we’re extremely happy with the way the program is working. We believe it to be successful as it grows, it’ll obviously – it will have some challenges along the way, but we’ll manage those as we go because we have seen how successful and beneficial that is in the communities we serve.
Carrie Huckeby: So if I’m another cooperative, independent, just a listener out there, and I’m interested in developing a grant program to support nonprofits in the communities, give some tips or some things that you recommend doing or not doing when starting that program.
Lea Ann Gore: There are some challenges, but the benefits far outweigh those. My advice is to start somewhere. You won’t regret it. I know that the amount that we’ve given seems daunting to some because it is a large amount. And you may say, “I don’t have that in my budget.” But the idea is to start somewhere. Whether that is a partnership with FRS. If you’re not doing the Foundation of Rural Services grants, I recommend that you start there. That’s a great way to get the application process down. You’re not reinventing the wheel. They were so kind to assist us even with – they qualify some of our grants for us, just to make sure we’re not being partial to those that submit a grant. So that’s just another level of kind of checks and balances for us. So I recommend that you start somewhere, even if it’s there. You know, pick a scholarship. Pick something in the community. Tie yourself to volunteer work, but in some way give back. But I do recommend that you start somewhere, even if it’s small. I think that you will see individuals in your communities reap benefits from those, and you will be encouraged to grow that program.
Carrie Huckeby: Yeah, even $500 or $250. It’s a start somewhere. And it, you know, it can mean a lot to a nonprofit that’s looking for funding. And I did wonder how you did qualify and how you chose because, as I mentioned earlier, in The Power of 100 here, we have so many nonprofits, and it’s so hard to choose which one will receive the funding. So FRS helps you with that, right, you said?
Lea Ann Gore: Yes, they assist us. What we do is when applicants actually send us their application packets, we put those into the FRS database. But also at the same time, they’re automatically, if they qualify, they’re automatically applying for the Twin Lakes Difference Grant. And so those also, once they’re qualified by FRS, they actually come back to us. Now for us, the requirements for the grant are just a little bit different. So where FRS, they do have a preference of technology in their applications and in their grants, but some of that can also be, it can be community and some different things. But for Twin Lakes, there has to be an aspect of technology, which, as I alluded to some of the others earlier. So, you know, some of it is even just access to broadband, right? Not access to broadband, but maybe, [for an] example, the volunteer fire department. You know, they actually in the area that they serve, there is not great cell service. So if something happens, and there’s some type of catastrophic event, Carrie, they have no cellular service. They need access. They have generators. They can keep everything powered up. And as long as our COs are stable, they can continue to run their broadband in the areas that they serve. So there’s different ways. And some of it, I mean, and even that is a great idea. You know, even if it’s a broadband connection for those individuals or nonprofits in the communities that you serve, you know, they are lifelines to the community, even that is a great benefit. But it has to be an element of technology. So they needed some equipment to make that happen. They needed broadband access. They also wanted to be able to increase their access to the bandwidth that they were already receiving. But as you know, volunteer fire departments, they don’t get a lot of funding. So we were able to assist them with that. But there has to be some technology perspective in those grants that we award. And then of course, that ultimately goes to our board of directors for final approval. We do have some requirements on time constraints, meaning if you won last year, obviously you’re not going to qualify as a recipient of the grant this year. Because what happens is, is you end up awarding a lot of the same organizations. So we want to spread the love a little bit. So we did set up a time line where recipients, they cannot receive grant funding two times within a three year period. Of course, after that third year expires, then they become eligible to submit again for grant funding.
Carrie Huckeby: That makes sense. And I can see that, you know, trying to spread it out among the nonprofits because there are so many in all of our communities, for sure. Well, Lea Ann, if someone is out there listening and wants to reach out to you to get a little more information about your community grant program, how should they do that?
Lea Ann Gore: They can reach out to me at 931-405-3215. That’s my direct number. Or feel free to email me at lgore@twinlakes.net. If I’m unavailable, Sydney Birdwell has been the keeper of all things FRS grants, and she’s wonderful to work with as well. She can be reached at sbirdwell@twinlakes.net.
Carrie Huckeby: Fantastic. Well, Twin Lakes is certainly doing a lot of good things, and I appreciate your time this morning. I know you’re a busy lady.
Lea Ann Gore: Well, thank you for having me.
Carrie Huckeby: My guest has been Lea Ann Gore, marketing and sales manager at Twin Lakes. You’ve been listening to Lead Tennessee Radio, produced by the Tennessee Broadband Association. Cooperative and independent companies connecting our state’s rural communities and beyond with world class broadband.