Field Guides – Columinate

Board Meeting Packets: A CBLD Field Guide

By Michael Healy|2022-01-18T10:21:12-05:00March 17th, 2021|

A meeting packet should help directors prepare for the meeting. After reading the packet, a director should know what the meeting will be about and should have all the information necessary to fully participate in all discussions and to make any decisions that the board will make at the meeting. Establishing a rhythm and discipline in creating, distributing and reading meeting packets can help make the board meetings themselves that much more productive and enjoyable.

Incorporating Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Into Board Policies: A CBLD Field Guide

By Marilyn Scholl|2022-02-09T11:04:01-05:00January 20th, 2021|

Many cooperatives, social justice organizations, and businesses have begun to directly confront their own role in the social systems that perpetuate racism and inequity. Boards of directors who use Policy Governance® should feel empowered to use their policy document to clarify their expectations around the work of dismantling systems of racism and oppression.

Virtual Annual Meetings Field Guide

By Leslie Watson|2022-01-18T10:21:30-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

In the wake of the pandemic, the customary way of doing many things has been upended. For co-ops, the list of adaptations extends to how we engage with members, including our approach to the time-honored (and legally required) tradition of the annual meeting.

Tips for Effective Virtual Meetings

By Michael Healy|2020-04-21T20:27:17-04:00April 21st, 2020|

Boards of Directors may find that they need to conduct a board meeting by phone or using some variation of video conferencing technology. As you consider how to make these virtual meetings as effective and enjoyable as possible, you can build on the same good practices that make for productive face-to-face meetings. You can find some good guidance in A Recipe for Good Board [...]

Assessing Emerging Expansion Opportunities

By Michael Healy|2021-08-03T09:01:29-04:00August 13th, 2019|

As co-op leaders recognize that reinvestment in their business is critical to long-term sustainability, they need some tools to help them assess whether any particular reinvestment makes sense. When business expansion is on the list of possibilities, the risks are higher and so the assessment needs to be more rigorous. Leaders must certainly undertake adequate due diligence before finalizing an expansion project, but how [...]

A Process for Board Appointments

By Michael Healy|2021-07-27T10:55:39-04:00June 28th, 2019|

By Michael Healy Do you have a mid-term vacancy on your board? Are you considering appointing someone to fill that position? Here is a suggested process that has worked well for a number of boards: Collect names of potential candidates. Sources may include your existing pool of candidates suggestions from current directors suggestions from the GM or membership manager or other staff people who [...]

Study Guide for Cooperative Values: Fostering Racial and Economic Equity in Cooperatives

By Jade Barker|2019-09-09T15:56:18-04:00November 5th, 2018|

Discussing each principle and value through the lens of racial and economic equity will provide a starting point for promoting a more inclusive and effective movement. This is a resource for boards of directors, management teams, and study groups who especially want to explore the impact of dominate white culture on co-ops, and who want to find a way to create a dialogue to [...]

Study Guide for Cooperative Principles: Fostering Racial and Economic Equity in Cooperatives

By Patricia Cumbie|2021-12-28T10:40:00-05:00November 5th, 2018|

Discussing each principle and value through the lens of racial and economic equity will provide a starting point for promoting a more inclusive and effective movement. This is a resource for boards of directors, management teams, and study groups who especially want to explore the impact of dominate white culture on co-ops, and who want to find a way to create a dialogue to [...]

How to be an Effective Board President

By Rebecca Torpie|2022-02-18T13:35:28-05:00April 29th, 2017|

What’s the difference between an excellent board president and a so-so one? Being an effective president requires a host of proficiencies, attributes and knowledge—it’s no easy job! A mix of people skills, the talent to manage and a curiosity and willingness to develop a keen understanding of your co-op’s business are key traits of any good board president. From facilitation savvy, the ability to [...]

Board Communication: Using the Board’s Unique Perspective to Increase Owner Engagement and Participation

By Rebecca Torpie|2021-05-19T11:42:51-04:00March 17th, 2017|

There’s commonly a remarkable diversity among how the members of a co-op’s board of directors and how co-op staff see and understand the co-op. And the perception of the myriad owner members are as distinct and individual as the members themselves. And yet each group is holding a unique piece of wisdom about the cooperative. This field guide offers boards tools and resources to [...]