Consider Joining the Board, Help Lead the Co-op!
by Vince Bushell
A Short History
Over 20 years ago, people met in a basement apartment and started to talk about opening a community owned and run healthy grocery store in Riverwest. After 3 years the talk became action and bylaws were created, a location was found on Fratney and Clarke streets. Memberships were sold and donations and loans given. A year of rehabilitation of the building, much of which was done by volunteers, and the store opened in November of 2001, with a minimum of merchandise, no refrigerated or frozen items, no cafe, and no employees. It was more akin to playing a grocery store than actually running one. Again all work was done by volunteers. Eventually we grew enough to hire a buyer as a full time staff person.
Slowly the inventory grew, sales increased, and loans were paid off to community members who invested. More staff was added, but we still were run mostly by volunteers. This story was the heart of the Riverwest Co-op. Coming together to do something different in an economy that was big box grocery stores and not run by the community.
We had committees that helped with outreach, membership, finance, and governance (Board of Directors). Our journey had begun and we were on solid footing for many years, as a small locally owned healthy food, corner grocery. About 4 years in we decided to open a cafe in what was a garage space. We got a loan to do it and that expanded our reach into the community. We paid off the loan as we had committed.
Twenty years after opening, it is time to think about the future. Much has changed in our community and our economy. This strains our ability to serve this neighborhood and those that come here to enjoy our restaurant and warm feeling of our community that the store offers.
COVID has brought a real challenge to us as we go into the one year anniversary of quarantine.
Governance, The Role of the Board of Directors
The board is elected by the members at our annual meeting. Since quarantine does not allow us to have a face to face meeting, we have not duly elected new members. We are allowed to recruit and appoint interim board members in the meantime. At the next GMM they would then have to be elected by the membership to continue.
The Board has a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, and a Secretary. The President role is a large task that is reserved for Board members who have served in other roles previously. They call the meetings, present the agendas, and are assisted by the Vice President in these and other duties. The Treasurer is the head of the Finance Committee, and while it’s the responsibility of all members to ensure the Co-op is setting a fiscally sound budget and goals, the Finance Committee leads these efforts. The Secretary takes minutes at each Board meeting and also accepts comments or corrections to those minutes before presenting them to the Board and our members. The Secretary is the filter through which our history is documented.
Beyond these roles, we have several members who are involved with the Co-op in other ways. They are members of Co-op committees such as Membership, Volunteer, Communications, Building & Maintenance, Human Resources, and more, as well as being liaisons for the business in the community. Read our About page for more information on our committees.
Consensus process
The board operates on the basis of unanimous consensus. Not all issues require ascent, as many if not most issues reveal a general consensus among the board members.
But there are times when differences arise and the consensus rule comes up. Board members are requested at those times to offer approval, questions, standing back, and hopefully rarely blocking. The process devotes time for discussion, sometimes tabling issues for the next meeting when more discussion is needed then time allows. Eventually the proposal is moved to approval, with all indicating their approval, or approval with one or several members standing back and not blocking the action. These two are the preferred methods of operation. If one member blocks the action, the process stops.
It is not the role of board members to take the path of blocking without a strong conviction that the action proposed is harmful or strongly against the members beliefs. If this happens often the member may choose to resign.
Rarely has blocking happened, but it has in the past.
More common is a number of members disagree with the motion while a separate group approves. The action is usually tabled or dropped as a path to take.
On occasion proposals have been taken to a general meeting. There the in person members at the meeting vote to approve or disapprove the action. The last time this occurred the proposal failed by one vote. It was a change in bylaws that was voted down, which requires approval by the members. The following year after extended deliberation among an ad hoc committee, a revised proposal to alter the bylaws was brought to the members and was passed.
A more formal presentation can be given to prospective board members on the consensus process for those who are interested in joining the board.
Commitment
Volunteering for the Board should not be taken lightly and a multi year commitment should be given. We all understand that people’s lives change and sometimes these commitments cannot be kept. We do embrace the concept of commitment as best we can in an uncertain world.
Love
Lastly but more likely the core of Cooperation and Cooperatives is respect and love for our fellow participants and the larger community. Whether they be members, customers, workers, volunteers at any level, mutual respect and love hopefully will be a guiding principle.
The Board, Consider Joining!
If you’re interested in joining the Riverwest Co-op’s Board of Directors, please let us know.