GM Report Support 01: Ends Panel Discussion
Panelists: Clem Nilan, Onion River/City Market, Burlington VT
Power Triggers, Seesaw Battles and Handcar Cooperation
By Art Sherwood 154 May - June - 2011 Most would agree that a healthy board-general manager relationship not only makes the co-op run more smoothly, it is a critical connection between member-owners and operations in our democratically controlled organizations. Yet the health of this working relationship often remains elusive or at least can come under stress. It can "turn on a dime [...]
Cultivate Board Candidates through Ongoing Recruitment
Here’s an uncomfortably familiar scenario. In the time leading up to board elections, directors are scrambling to find people to run for the board. A bit of panic ensues: Will there be enough interest from the membership? Will the candidates that run be qualified? Has there been enough time to ensure candidates know what being on the board is all about? Does the board [...]
Boards Are Empowered by and Accountable to Members
Members are the foundation of all cooperatives. They are the source of capital and control as well as patronage of the co-op. The co-op’s purpose is built around their shared values and their needs, and based in the concept of democratic member control. As co-ops grow larger, some of these connections may not be as easy to see. How do thousands of owners exert [...]
Officer Elections
Within a well-functioning democracy, the process by which we choose our leaders is at least as important as whom we choose. The quality of the conversation we have about elections, board culture and leadership qualifications matters as much as the election itself. This Field Guide describes an effective process for board officer elections and provides some specific tools and ideas for creating and implementing [...]
Precautions and Protections: Summarizing legal responsibilities of cooperative boards
By Thane Joyal, Dave Swanson 153 March - April - 2011As cooperative directors, it's important that we know our jobs. Some parts of that job are personal to us: we bring interests, skills, and perspectives that make our contributions unique. It's our responsibility to use those personal attributes to participate constructively in the group that makes up the cooperative board. A key way [...]
Why Rehash the Old When You Can Start New? Try Fresh Start Bylaws
It is the duty of boards to keep the co-op’s bylaws up to date on behalf of the membership, yet board members sometimes feel it is an overwhelming and potentially tedious task. That’s why CDS Consulting Co-op members Michael Healy and Thane Joyal developed the Fresh Start Bylaws template to help give boards a more user-friendly process for updating their bylaws. According to [...]
