Board Blog

It’s a question many members may have asked themselves. Before joining the Common Ground Food Coop Board I have often wondered just what does the Board actually do. What projects are we working on? What happens at our monthly meetings? What relationship to the membership does the Board have? What goals do we have and how do we arrive at them?

I would like to give everyone an idea of what we are working towards as a Board, but more importantly, what we are working on as an extension of the Common Ground Food Co-op (CGFC). Historically, many Boards have been know to be micro-managers, groups of power, and groups that tend to isolate themselves from the rest of their member base or organization. I’m happy to report that our Board represents none on these characteristics. We have adopted what is called Policy Governance to help us avoid the above-mentioned traits of “old-school” Boards. In a given monthly meeting, we may discuss our Relocation Policy, assist in organizing fun events such as potluck dinners for the co-op, and have multiple conversations about membership outreach and how best to market, or advertise, our wonderful food co-op to the community. We do all of these things in coordination with our General Manager, Jacqueline Hannah, and with an eye to the future. Our goal is how we can maintain our image that we so strongly believe in as well as continue to be a sustainable co-op for the next twenty years.

So what interactions do we have with our membership? The short answer is probably not enough. Our meetings are almost always open to membership and we would love to have as many people attend as the room will hold. As a democratically elected body we are, as I stated before, working as an extension of the membership for the continued success of the CGFC so we can enjoy many more years of great food and many more years of fostering a pleasant shopping experience.

And finally, our Board is accountable to our membership. We want to make sure each and every voice is heard and respected at our co-op. We realize communication is a two-way street, and by receiving feedback from the membership, we become a more effective Board. We look forward to hearing your feedback in the coming weeks.

In cooperation,

Tim McHenry

I have always shunned conferences. Despite being a pretty social person, valuing community, and having a desire to learn new things, the idea of attending a conference has always had the equivalent appeal of a dentist visit. I envision hordes of too-eager folks crammed into small rooms, consuming institutional swill from a buffet, and listening to droning speakers while they examine their goody bags of corporate freebies. This wasn't an unfounded distaste...I've been to one of those conferences. However, in the interests of furthering my understanding of how co-ops function and learning ways to help improve our co-op I recently attended my first co-op conference: the "Consumer Co-op Management Association" conference. Let me be more specific: the FIFTY-FIRST annual CCMA conference. We'll get back to that number shortly. But first, a word on vacuums. You don't want to work in them. Nature abhors them, and so should cooperative boards. It's hard to make decisions about your life without seeing what other people are doing with theirs, and it's even harder to make decisions that should represent the people of an organization you love without seeing how other people in the same situations are acting. "How much should we pay for good management, and how do we attract it? How should we structure the board's relationship to management? How do we make sure we're really representing our membership? What problems will we face in a new location? How do we create a strategic plan? How do we increase attendance at membership meetings? How do we develop an effective board? How do we make a difference in our community?" Our board has pondered these questions and a hundred more for years now, and I think we're getting better at answering them, but we had up until this point almost no exposure to how other co-ops (and in particular successful co-ops) were handling the same challenges. So I drove to La Crosse Wisconsin, home of the world's largest six pack and a great food co-op. In three days there I learned more than I could have imagined possible. Gathered together were 400+ people from 34 states representing 77 cooperatives and 20 supporting organizations. Several times each day, at meals, gathered in hallways, sitting on the grass, even in the elevator, I had conversations with people about their food co-ops. I learned that we're not the first co-op to have struggled with whether to sell meat (gasp!) and that we're not the first co-op totake longer than expected to relocate to a new space (wow!) and that most co-ops have lower-than-hoped-for turnout at membership meetings (gee!) That's just the tip of the iceberg. I also participated in workshops where managers, board members, and consultants shared their knowledge, and I took notes like crazy. I came back with a wealth of information, and am now faced with the task of trying to communicate what I learned to others. More than anything, I came back feeling connected to a world of co-ops that, well, cooperate. That's the sixth cooperative principle, and it's amazing to me that it's taken us this long (this is only the second CCMA conference which we've attended! It's been around 51 years! We've been around over 30 years!) to live it. I had offers from other boards to sit in on their meetings, or to visit ours. I had offers from other managers to meet with our management and share ideas. I even had offers from people to come to our co-op on moving day and help stock the new shelves. Even more fulfilling, I found I had ideas to share with others that they hadn't considered, and made contact with board members of a newly-forming food co-op in Chicago that are planning to visit the CGFC and take notes. (The fact that they aren't even selling food yet but have already attended this conference bodes well for their future!) My fear of conferences has been overcome. I'm proud to be part of a group of businesses trying to change how the world does business. I've seen the biggest six-pack in the world. My goody bag had fair-trade organic chocolate in it. I'm hooked. In cooperation, -Clint Popetz CGFC Board Chair

Greetings everyone,

There are only four days left to vote for candidates for the Board of
Directors. Voting is very simple. Just ask the person at the
register for a ballot, fill it out, and hand it back to them. It only
takes a minute.

Choosing directors is a crucial part of what makes a co-op a co-op.
This democratic control of the representatives that craft policy on
your behalf is a right for each member, and ensures that the
organization follows a path that holds true to our values.

The next few years will see an immense amount of change for the CGFC,
and we need strong leadership to guide us through that. So please
vote!

If you have any questions for the board about the election process,
please send them to board@commonground.coop.

Thanks!

-Clint Popetz
CGFC Board Chair

Greetings everyone!

Welcome to the new CGFC Board of Directors blog. We hope that the board blog helps the board better communicate with the membership. We'll try to update it at least weekly with information on what the board is working, both inside and outside of meetings. We'll also use it to gather member feedback on issues that are important to the co-op.

Eat good food!

Peace,
-Clint
CGFC Board Chair