Develop Your Leaders

Establish Platform for Strong Cooperative Direction through Board-GM Relationship

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:07:48-04:00November 1st, 2014|

The relationship between the board and general manager is of paramount importance to any cooperative because both parties provide a connection to the co-op’s main constituency: owners. The co-op owners trust that their elected representatives will provide good governance on their behalf, resulting in positive outcomes toward fulfilling the co-op’s goals. In turn, the board delegates responsibility to management to carry out operational strategies [...]

Great Idea: Board President Succession Planning

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:07:50-04:00October 4th, 2014|

Joe Marks had been the board president at the startup Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene, NH for three years. Marks had been instrumental in leading the co-op from its founding to operational governance. He’s currently finishing his current board term with one year left, but not as an officer. His new role as an at-large board member is to act as a resource [...]

“Planning and Financial Budgeting” Monitoring Report Template

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:07:52-04:00September 22nd, 2014|

From September 2014 Our CBLD team recently updated our set of template policies (which you can find in “Sample Policies” section of the CBLD Library) to incorporate new learning and feedback from our client boards and managers. The new “Planning and Financial Budgeting” policy template was redesigned in order to help boards and managers focus attention on Ends accomplishment. Now, in the GM Report [...]

Participation: Own, Use, Serve, Belong

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:07:53-04:00September 22nd, 2014|

Context Matters: Using Trends to Monitor the Financial Health of your Co-op

By Michael Healy|2023-05-05T20:07:57-04:00July 15th, 2014|

By Michael Healy When it comes to numbers and data, context matters. The context in which we place particular numbers helps us make meaning of those numbers, and this is particularly important when we are talking about financial data. Over many generations, managers and accountants have developed financial reporting tools that help them do their jobs. Balance sheets, income/expense (aka profit/loss) statements, and [...]

Great Idea: Using Trend Data in Financial Reporting

By Michael Healy|2023-05-05T20:08:00-04:00July 2nd, 2014|

Along with the template Financial Conditions policy, in the CBLD Library you can find an easy to use monitoring report template that reflects the trends approach outlined in this article. When it comes to numbers and data, context matters. This is particularly important when we are talking about financial data; the context in which we place particular numbers helps us make meaning of [...]

Featured Video: Fostering Belonging

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:08:01-04:00July 2nd, 2014|

Fostering Belonging Dale Woodbeck, General Manager Lakewinds Food Co-op Chanhassen, Minnetonka, and Richfield, Minnesota Dale Woodbeck shares the story of Lakewinds Food Co-op’s success fostering a sense of belonging among its stakeholders through the Lakewinds Organic Field Fund. The fund gives assistance to farmers producing organically and to farming organizations providing sustainable agricultural support. “This is something that resonates totally with our owners,” [...]

New Resources: How to Have the Best Meeting Ever (Webinar)

By Mark Goehring|2023-05-05T20:29:59-04:00June 2nd, 2014|

How will you make your next meeting the best meeting ever? Here is a useful tool for helping you run effective meetings and create common ground with groups. You’ll find tips for meeting process design, preparing for a meeting, creating meeting materials and the agenda, as well as insight into the stages of group development and meeting process. “In this [...]

Co-op Leaders Comment on Visibility

By Carolee Colter|2023-05-05T20:30:07-04:00May 6th, 2014|

By Carolee Colter, Helena O'Connor 172 May-June 2014 According to 2013 CoopMetrics data, 30 percent of member co-ops in the National Cooperative Grocers Association have expanded or opened a new store in the last five years; and many more co-ops are planning expansions and new stores. Serving more customers in new ways is exciting, but it also adds to the workload of employees and [...]

Case Study: Telling the Co-op’s Story through the Ends

By Columinate|2023-05-05T20:30:08-04:00May 3rd, 2014|

City Market Onion River Co-op Burlington, VT Year founded: 1973 Member investment: $200 equity Number of members: 10,000 Retail square feet: 12,000 Number of employees: 215 The City Market Onion River Co-op in Burlington, Vt. is a thriving downtown food co-op celebrating its 40th anniversary. It’s poised for growth and with a membership of 10,000 people has made a real impact during its history. [...]

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