Focus on Outreach During PR Crisis
Nothing stings more than public criticism, and the longer it’s sustained, the more damaging it can be to an organization’s reputation. Especially when, despite everyone’s best intentions, something goes wrong, or people are upset about [...]
Restoring Trust and Vibrancy in a Co-op Community
Central Co-op Seattle, WA Year founded: 1978 Number of members: 14,200 Consumer member investment: $100 Worker member investment: $6,340 (12 years) Number of employees: 120 Locations: Seattle and Tacoma (opening date late spring TBD) When [...]
Perpetuating Board Leadership Through Co-op Storytelling
Board perpetuation is a perennial topic for boards. Turnover happens year to year as a cyclical part of board service. So, finding ways to maintain consistently strong governance needs to be a priority and continual [...]
Good Governance Makes Community Stronger
Maple City Market Goshen, IN Year founded: 1976 Membership investment: $100 Number of members: 3,000 Number of employees: 25 Recently, Goshen, Indiana was named “Community of the Year” by the state’s Chamber of Commerce. For [...]
Community Connections, Co-op Opportunities!
Cindee Lolick, General Manager at First Alternative in Corvallis, OR shares several exciting tales of opportunities that First Alt has been given because of their deep and lasting involvement in the Corvallis community.
Partnerships: For Reflections & Expanding our Reach
Bonnie Hudspeth, in her role as Programs Manager for the Neighboring Food Co-ops Association, is here to bring you the tales of New England food co-ops SUCCESSFULLY working together to tackle the thorny issues of [...]
Customers, Community, and Cost: A Pathway to Success
Michael Faber, General Manager at the Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene, NH, shares his top 3 areas of improvement and growth for the success of his co-op. These are: Customer Experience (CX), Pricing, and Community [...]
Responding to Workplace Conflicts and Employee Concerns
Boards of directors want to know that co-op staff are fairly treated and that the co-op has a good reputation as an employer. General managers need the authority to carry out board policy, and that [...]
Everyone Welcome – Delighting Customers and Building Community
In this latest installment from Dave Olson, Development Director for National Co+op Grocers, he lays out the overarching mission for NCG for the next couple years. On the operations side, Olson delves into the Customer Experience (CX) that co-ps offer, and how to really start thinking about all customers, not just member-owners, as the "heart of the co-op".
Expanding the Boundaries of Retailing in Local Communities
Contemporary food co-ops have begun important discussions in their organizations around equity and inclusion. As part of that process, they’ve had to accept and deal with some painful truths that their co-ops have not always been perceived as inclusive, especially through the shopping experience.