Why does Participation Matter?
CE Pugh, Chief Operating Officer National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), Iowa City, IA CE Pugh sheds his perspective, from the national level, on the importance of Participation in helping our cooperatives thive. There are many interesting questions we can explore if we look at data and trends from a national perspective and CE guides us along.
How to create a vision for your company
“To the person who does not know where he wants to go, there is no favorable wind.” Though 2000 years have passed since the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger wrote those words, they’re still true today for people and organizations. Whether you're making operational improvements or organizational restructuring plans, none of those efforts will matter if you don't have a compelling, clear vision of [...]
Participation that is Open, Voluntary, Embracing, Safe
Robin Seydel, Membership & Community Development Coordinator La Montañita Co-op, New Mexico
Grow for the Good of the Movement
Martha Whitman, Board President La Montañita Co-op, New Mexico
Oryana 2020: A Vision for the Future
Steve Nance, General Manager Oryana Natural Foods Market, Traverse City, MI
Why Growth Matters
Sarah Christensen, General Manager Green Tree Natural Grocery, Mt. Pleasant, MI According to Green Tree Natural Grocery GM Sarah Christensen, planning for growth is not an option. You've got to 'Grow or Die'. This is an excellent short talk to incite and inspire.
Patronage Dividend: Presenting GM Recommendations
The “Patronage Dividends for Food Co-ops” Toolbox (available as a free download in the Columinate library) describes the power of patronage dividends as a tool for building strong cooperatives and outlines the steps needed to implement this system. One of the key moments in a co-op’s business cycle comes at the end of a fiscal year when it becomes clear how much profit the [...]
Strategic Alignment of Board and Co-op Owners
When we examine the process of alignment and how it works, it seems straightforward. For example, board and management come together for learning and discussion about the future of the co-op and share an agreed-upon purpose. Of course, things don’t end there. But predicated upon board-management alignment is the awareness that what the board and management is doing is fulfilling the aspirations of the [...]
Engagement From the Grassroots
Bonnie Hudspeth, Outreach Coordinator Neighboring Food Co-op Association, New England Region Following the successful opening of Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene, NH, Ms. Hudspeth share tools and strategies that were effective and instrumental in the success of Southern New Hampshire's newest food co-op startup effort..