The startup Monadnock Food Co-op opened its 13,000-square-foot store just a wee bit ahead of schedule last month in Keene, New Hampshire. Yes, you read that right. Ahead of schedule. Of course having a committed board and manager are key to that accomplishment. Yet the reason for this is that their group was able to stay on task and complete projects on time. [...]
Now boards and management groups can easily access the expansion planning advice of CDS CC consultant Bill Gessner, food co-op general managers and board presidents through our newest Online Recorded Workshop titled Expansion Projects: Preparing Your Co-op for Successful Growth. In this video format, many of the frequently asked questions about expansion planning and strategic thinking for boards and managers can now be [...]
In a democratic organization like a cooperative, it is vital that the owners’ voices come through to the co-op leadership. In the Ends to Ends Strategic Process ORW, board members can learn how to effectively channel the values and voices of their owners to create Ends that not only reflect desires for their co-op, but also demonstrate how Ends are also part of the [...]
Have you ever been in a room with 2,800 cooperators from around the world? This past October, cooperators from around the world gathered for the Imagine Conference and International Cooperative Summit in Quebec. The experience was nothing short of inspiring. The room was approximately the size of three football fields filled with people dedicated to making the world a better place! You can imagine [...]
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 the policy that articulates the co-op’s purpose, the Ends policy. What role do Ends policies play within the Policy Governance model? How can a board write Ends policies that [...]
Reports from the general manager are one of the most important tools boards have for monitoring their co-op’s operation. But sometimes the reports, while very informative, don’t always deliver information in a way that is geared toward making governance decisions. This can lead to boards spending their time asking a lot of questions of the general manager about the information in the report, rather [...]
Board president David Woo of Weaver’s Way food co-op in Philadelphia, Penn. said that while the staff treatment policy is part and parcel of all the management limitation policies, he thinks that this particular policy can also function as an example to the greater community. It shows that the co-op values its employees and has high standards for human resources. “Consumer co-ops should be [...]
Talking about board leadership and officer positions a few months before a new board is seated can be an important strategic conversation for a board. Board members who do take on an officer position might be positioned to understand their roles and more prepared to handle them. At Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth, Minn. vice president Theresa Koenig said that before they had [...]
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Middlebury, Vt. Jay Leshinsky, president of the board of Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, thinks it is critical that the information the board receives from the general manager’s Ends report doesn’t stop there, but gets passed on to the members in a meaningful way. Two years ago, the board decided that they would use the co-op’s Annual Report as a format [...]
Seward Co-op Grocery & Deli - Minneapolis, Minnesota At Seward Co-op Grocery & Deli in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they saw the benefit of bringing members together over food. “If we promoted the annual meeting as ‘come hear from the board’ it would not be terribly compelling,” said Madeline Kastler, president of the board. “I believe framing it and treating it as a community event [...]
