Stronger Together Workshop

A Unified Voice for Massachusetts Public Power

Public power utilities are strongest when they communicate with a clear and consistent voice. This collaborative workshop brings together public power leaders and utility professionals to help shape the Stronger Together initiative, a statewide effort to strengthen how utilities communicate the value of public power.

Participants will review early discovery insights, identify priority stakeholders and audiences, and provide feedback on the early stages of the campaign’s messaging framework. The session will also explore the most effective channels utilities can use to deploy campaign messaging across their communities.

Through guided discussion and interactive exercises, attendees will work together to define what success looks like for the initiative and identify ways to demonstrate impact.

The workshop will help establish a shared foundation of messaging rooted in research and best practices while equipping participating utilities with flexible communication resources that can be adapted to local needs.

Friday, April 3, 2026

Location:

NEPPA Offices

200 New Estate Rd. Littleton, MA 01460

Time:

8:30 AM Light Breakfast

9:00AM - 3:00pm Workshop

Agenda (Subject to Change)

8:30 – 9:00 AM | Registration and Light Breakfast

9:00 – 10:15 AM | Why Are We Stronger Together?

We begin by grounding our work in a shared understanding of the opportunity in front of us. This session centers on the core value of public power, the challenges utilities face in communicating that value, and why a coordinated approach to messaging matters.

In this interactive session, participants will review insights from the initiative’s discovery phase and examine how trust shapes relationships between utilities, customers, policymakers, and communities.

Topics include:

· The benefits and community value of public power

· The challenge we’re solving: defining the problem statement

· Key findings from the discovery phase

· Why trust is essential for public power utilities

· What trust looks like in action across communities

· How trust is built (and broken)

10:15 – 10:30 AM | Break

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Stakeholder Identification & Prioritization

Who needs to hear the public power story most, and where are the biggest opportunities to strengthen engagement?

Participants will map the stakeholders and audiences that matter most to utilities and the broader public power mission. Together, we will identify priority audiences, evaluate current engagement efforts, and uncover communication gaps that the Stronger Together initiative can help address.

Participants will:

· Identify key stakeholder groups and audiences

· Prioritize audiences based on influence, readiness, and impact

· Explore where communication gaps exist today

· Identify opportunities to strengthen relationships and outreach

12:00 – 1:00 PM | Working Lunch: Defining Our Value

Over lunch, participants will collaborate to refine how we communicate the value of public power to different audiences.

Through guided discussion and small-group exercises, attendees will begin identifying compelling value propositions that connect the benefits public power to the communities, customers, and policymakers we serve.

1:00 – 2:45 PM | Messaging in Action and Measuring Success

With audiences and value propositions defined, this session focuses on turning strategy into action.

Participants will review early-stage messaging frameworks and explore how utilities can apply them across a variety of communication channels. The session will also focus on defining success and identifying ways to demonstrate and share the impact of the Stronger Together initiative.

Topics include:

· Building flexible messaging frameworks utilities can adapt locally

· Identifying the most effective communication channels for deployment

· Aligning local engagement with statewide advocacy efforts

· Defining what success looks like for the initiative

· Exploring how participating utilities can share results and learn from one another

2:45 – 3:00 PM | Closing and Next Steps

We will conclude the workshop by summarizing key insights from the day, identifying next steps for participating utilities, and outlining how the Stronger Together initiative will continue to support utilities with messaging resources, tools, and implementation guidance.

Together, we will ensure public power’s story is communicated clearly, consistently, and with impact across our communities.