Electronic Communication
Many boards of retail food cooperatives rely heavily on electronic communication tools to handle logistic and administrative matters and to share and store board documents. For a board with strong communication skills, properly used electronic [...]
Policy Governance Implementation
This Field Guide outlines the basic steps, timeline, and critical factors for successful implementation of Policy Governance (sometimes referred to herein as “PG”). When implementing Policy Governance, it is important to move forward relatively [...]
Bylaws basics
How Do We Know If We Have the Bylaws We Need? To meet our needs, bylaws must allow for smooth functioning of the coop's internal governance processes while being consistent with both our owners' [...]
Building a Positive Board Performance Culture 2 of 2
Building a positive board performance culture takes continuous work and vigilance on the part of the board. Part I explored the vital concepts of Shared Understanding of the Job of the Board & Shared Expectations [...]
Audits & Reviews
An essential part of a co-op board’s fiduciary duty is the annual external monitoring of their co-op’s finances and financial systems. This Field Guide introduces a process for making important board-level decisions about the two [...]
Board Compensation
UPDATED: September, 2018 Directors of food cooperatives have a position of great responsibility. Should directors be reasonably compensated for shouldering this responsibility on behalf the co-op’s owners? What counts as reasonable compensation? What is the [...]
Elections
Was your last Board election a thoughtful exercise in democracy in which members chose a well-qualified set of directors that add value to the Board and to the co-op? More than anyone else in the [...]
Board Leadership Illustrated
Board Leadership Illustrated