Southwest Arkansas Electric Cooperative

Overview

Rooted in Member Service

The communities Southwest Arkansas Electric Cooperative (SWREA) serves are part of its identity, from the rural landscapes along its power lines to the people who depend on its crews and office staff. As a member-owned cooperative, SWREA wanted that connection to come through in its website. Its partnership with Powerful focused on pairing a distinct sense of place with practical online service. The goals included intuitive navigation, online tools that could reduce routine calls and emails, and a cohesive design that would showcase the surrounding areas. Together, those priorities would help the website reflect the cooperative’s character while supporting the everyday needs of its membership.

A Clear Path to Membership

SWREA wanted its website to help visitors complete routine requests independently, reducing the need for phone calls and email inquiries. Powerful supported that goal by converting select PDFs into online forms, including the Membership Application. This connected SWREA’s goals for online participation and intuitive design through a process visitors could complete directly on the website.

The online Membership Application allows applicants to enter their information and submit it to the cooperative without downloading, printing, or scanning a document. Keeping those steps within the website creates a direct path from opening the application to sending it for review.

This approach aligns with Powerful’s STAR Standard, which emphasizes content that is searchable, translatable, accessible, and responsive. Moving application content into the website supports those priorities by making it available to website search, translation tools, and assistive technology, with layouts that adapt to different screen sizes. These considerations help extend access to the membership process across language preferences, abilities, and devices.

For SWREA’s staff, online submissions organize application details in a consistent format for review. Providing a direct submission process can also reduce routine questions about obtaining and returning paperwork, allowing staff to focus on processing applications and addressing individual member needs. By removing a practical hurdle for eligible applicants, the online form supports the spirit of open and voluntary membership.

Supporting Service With Security

Moving the Membership Application online gave SWREA a convenient way to receive applications, along with a new responsibility to consider. The website would now collect sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers. Making the form easy to complete was one part of the work; protecting the details submitted through it deserved just as much attention. SWREA chose Powerful’s Premium Security to help protect the information collected through the new form.

Premium Security includes encryption to help protect sensitive form data stored within the website. It can also automatically redact designated personal details, keeping them out of plain view in the website’s management area and email notifications. These safeguards work behind the scenes as staff handle applications.

That care does not end once an application has been processed. Premium Security includes quarterly web form data audits and guidance on how long to retain information. These check-ins help SWREA take stock of what remains stored and whether it still needs to be kept.

For a member-owned cooperative, the details shared on an application represent people placing trust in their organization. Pairing the new form with Premium Security helps SWREA honor that trust as it expands online services. Members gain a convenient way to apply, while the cooperative supports the process with ongoing attention to their information.