Capital Credits
Giving back to our members
At Red River Communications, our Cooperative thrives because of the exceptional people like you who make up our communities. When Red River Communications performs well financially, we share our success with our member-owners in the form of capital credits.
Capital Credit Update
(August 2024)
Red River Communications Cooperative members are entitled to a share of Red River Communication’s margins. If you are a Cooperative member, you will notice the 2023 allocation on September 2024 bills. If your return is less than $300, this amount will show as a bill credit on the 9/1/24 bill. If the amount of your return is greater than $300, you will receive a check in the mail in early September.
For any other questions, please contact Red River Communications at 701-553-8309.
Capital Credits—What Are They?
As a member, you are a part-owner of the Cooperative, which means you are entitled to receive money back through Capital Credit Retirements. To help clarify the capital credit process, our team has created this infographic explaining the five steps. As you read and learn, remember one thing: the more Red River Communications services you subscribe to, the larger the allocation of capital credits will be!
How do Capital Credits work?
Capital credits for cooperative members result from a surplus of funds remaining from doing business. As a service subscriber within our cooperative area, you are a member/owner of Red River Communications. Each time you pay your bill, you’re helping build, sustain, and grow a company you actually own.
Step 1
Sign up for Red River Communications’ internet, telephone, cellular, and TV services to become a member/owner of the Cooperative.
Step 2
Throughout the year, your co-op analyzes whether it should use “margins” or profits to pay down debt, invest in network improvement projects, and purchase new equipment necessary to best serve the membership.
Step 3
Following our finalized financial audit, your Cooperative allocates the margins to members as capital credits based on the patronage of services you purchase.
Step 4
If financially feasible, your Board of Directors votes to retire or pay the capital credits. The payout reduces a portion of the member’s capital credit balance based on the years of service being retired.
Step 5
All active members receive an annual patronage allocation statement. Members with qualifying capital credits receive their capital credits check via the mail.
Words to Know
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business owned by those who use its services.
Capital Credits
After expenses are deducted from revenues, margins are allocated back to our member-owners in the form of capital credits.
Retirement
At the discretion of the Board of Directors, capital credits are refunded (or paid out) to members. This is called retirement.
Patronage
Patronage is the money you give the cooperative for the services they provide you.
Allocation
Instead of keeping the surplus as profits like a traditional business, cooperatives allocate it to their members based on their usage of the cooperative’s services during the year. This allocation is recorded as capital credits in the member’s account.
capital credit faq
The questions and answers below will help you understand our membership and what capital credits mean to you.
As soon as practicable following the death of a member, a relative or legal representative should notify us when a member passes away (or dissolution of a corporation or other legal entity). We will refund the deceased member’s capital credits to the member’s estate if the account was solely in the member’s name and has been closed. A copy of the death certificate and letter certifying legal representation of the estate is required.
Please contact our office at 701-553-8309 for more information.
When discontinuing service or moving, please provide us with an updated mailing address so future statements and refunds can be sent to you.
Capital credits allocated when you were a member will be retired (returned) to you as they are approved for distribution even if you are not an active member. Customers do not receive lump sum refund checks upon discontinuing service.
Give us a call at 701-553-8309. Our team is happy to talk with you about any questions you may have.
All customers living within our Cooperative territory are members of the Cooperative.
Red River Communications’ Cooperative Area includes the following communities:
Abercrombie, Barnesville (Rural), Barney, Colfax, Fairmount, Galchutt, Geneseo, Great Bend, Hankinson, Hawley (Rural), Kent, Lidgerwood, Mantador, McCauleyville, McLeod, Mooreton, Rollag, and Wyndmere.
If you are still unsure of your membership status, please call our office at 701-553-8309.
unclaimed capital credit checks
We need your help!
We’re trying to locate former Cooperative members with capital credits due to them. Please let us know if you recognize any of the people on this list and have a way to contact them! We appreciate your help in finding these members. If you have information about anybody on this list, please call our office at 701-553-8309 or email [email protected].
Download or View List of Unclaimed Capital Credits (PDF)
Updated September 2024
Customer support
If you’re having trouble with your services, our customer experience team is always happy to assist you. We have also created some helpful online resources and step-by-step user guides, which you can access here at any time.
