‘Fresh Start’ Bylaws Template
UPDATED: February 27, 2016 Bylaws are an important set of governing agreements in which the member-owners of a cooperative articulate the special dual relationship they have with each other: members of an association and [...]
The We / Me Cycle
Walden Swanson, Business Intelligence Analyst CoopMetrics + CDS Consulting Co-op Andover, MA In this talk Walden shares with us his latest findings, and the subject of a forthcoming research paper, on the sales [...]
Reporting During Expansion
Boards delegate to their GM the task of effectively managing the co-op’s operations, which requires a clear system of accountability to ensure the GM is doing this job well. How can a board and GM [...]
Writing Ends Policies
Where we are headed matters. If we don’t know where we are going any road will do. A primary responsibility of a board is to define the reason for the organization’s existence. What are we [...]
Who’s Driving the Bus? Bringing cooperation inside the store walls
By Carolee Colter, Jeanie Wells 162 September-October 2012 As we go about our work of assessing organizational structures and conducting employee surveys in food co-ops, we frequently encounter an ongoing struggle between the marketing department [...]
Cooperation and the Transformation of Society
By Rose Marie Klee 162 September-October 2012 Wheatsville Co-op, established in 1976, has become a mainstay of the local business scene in Austin, Texas. Through our first decades, we were initially focused on survival and [...]
New in the Library: De-Mystifying Ends
By Michael Healy and Nina Johnson Accountability is a key ingredient in a healthy democratically controlled cooperative, and clearly crafted policy is a first step in a robust accountability system. This is especially true with [...]
Dealing Responsibly with Operational Concerns
Directors who are diligently trying to fulfill their fiduciary duty regularly notice things within their co-op that may be cause for concern – or at least worth asking about. At the same time, these same [...]