Why CUB Deserves Your Support On #GivingTuesday

In my post-Thanksgiving food coma last Friday, I was lucky enough to spend the day boating through a lake and birdwatching in glorious sunshine. You may have spent your own weekend shopping for deals on Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday. Or if you’re like me, you may have avoided the marketplace in favor of going outdoors, or spending quality time with loved ones. Either way, we’ve arrived at my personal favorite in this quick succession of holiday spending campaigns: Giving Tuesday! The annual #GivingTuesday campaign encourages folks to honor the season of giving by donating to nonprofit causes, and I’m here to tell you why giving to Oregon CUB (and becoming a member in the process) today is a great way to celebrate!

Over the past few weeks, you’ve heard from CUB’s staff, our members, and larger community about Why CUB Matters. Journeywoman Carpenter Eleni Vournes shared her experience learning about CUB’s work at a house party, where “…I found out that CUB really matters! They save me money by keeping my utility in check, and they totally get that we have to do something to protect the environment. Becoming a member was a no-brainer.” Small business owner Marthanne Goodwin shared that she gives to CUB because of her five grandchildren, who “each have a great future ahead of them. CUB works to guard their future by making sure utilities keep rates fair and equitable.”

Meanwhile, Staff Attorney Liz Jones invited readers to imagine a world without Oregon CUB: “A monopoly utility could seek rate increases, add millions of dollars in carbon emitting generation, and sell private customer information, if there were no CUB to vehemently oppose such actions with reasoned economic, legal, and policy arguments.” When you take a minute to look at this scenario, with no safety net under your day-to-day consumption of essential utility services, the importance of CUB’s work is a no-brainer!

Our fearless leader, Executive Director Bob Jenks, may have said it best: “Since 1984 our work has kept energy and telecom utilities on their toes, while saving customers more than $8.5 billion. We have pushed the utilities and challenged the regulators to consistently choose options that are least cost and least risk to consumers.” ‘Nuff said, right?

Well, not quite. Because we can’t do this work effectively without your support. CUB relies on member donations in part to keep up with our economic analysis, to keep sending our advocacy team to do important coalition and lobbying work with the Oregon Legislature and other bodies, to keep educating the public and working with our partners on complex policy issues, and much more. And our members legitimize our work by showing that Oregonians care about keeping our state’s utility systems fair and accountable. Just a few examples:

• $25 fuels a trip to Salem to testify before the Public Utility Commission.
• $100 provides us with six and a half reams of paper to print all the back-up documents we are required to keep.
• $200 arms us with half a month of internet service so we have the online capabilities to file legal briefs and written testimony.

So there you have it. As you are celebrating #GivingTuesday, I encourage you to donate and become a member of Oregon CUB (for as little as $5 – our membership rates are flexible!) I guarantee it will be money well spent, and easily returned to you in the form of utility bill savings and peace of mind. On behalf of everyone at CUB, thanks for your support!

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