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Attendees: Caroline, Karin, Kara Tessa, Maxine, Kate and Estee
Membership Annual Meeting
The schedule for the annual meeting is as follows:
Evening opens with introduction from Meredith, Board President
Molly comments on Product Policy and motion is made to vote it into place
Candidates for Board each make short introduction (3 min.)
Committees give updates on what’s been done in the past year, mentions posters and sign up sheets for upcoming year’s committees (3 min.) around the room. Tessa volunteered to represent the membership committee. Karin volunteered to make posters.
After committees speak Caroline announces next gathering to occur in early January, with the discussion topic being something like “What direction do we, as member owners of the coop, want to see the Board focus on in the upcoming year” (good timing to come up with some good messages for the Board to use at their retreat at the end of January).
After this, a fun 5 minute brainstorming popcorn like extravaganza will ensue to come up with a good slogan.
Then we eat!!

Each committee will need, for the annual meeting:
1. A designated person to give the year’s update
2. 2 sheets of poster paper. One describing what’s been accomplished in the last year, and One describing the committee’s goals for the upcoming year. Also a clipboard with a sign up sheet and pens (can this be brought all together from the coop?)
3. A designated person to be by the poster for the pre-dinner milling around time to talk/recruit interested members.

Specifically for the membership committee, our goals for the upcoming year are:
1. To host quarterly member forums.
2. Create and streamline new member information in the database and our processing systems. (Work with technology committee to integrate.) Train members to work this process.
3. Standardize our new member orientations. Put topics and agenda on poster paper so that responsibility for running the orientations can be distributed among more members. Kara may have information from a power point that can be translated to the poster paper and most of the work is done. Have them occur twice a month.
4. Cultivate our current inactive membership into active members.

Re: current group communication: we will use the Ning and the blog for minutes posting.

New membership brochure and new membership agreement was presented by Karin. All agreed that it’s great, thanks Karin. A discussion followed regarding the difficulty with using a standardized font for the coop that everyone does not have. If folks are creating documents at home, we need to be able to use many fonts, or have someone in place to transfer? Kara will present brochure to Kate, membership committee members liked Ariel just fine thought we should print them up!

We should post of copy of the new membership form and the member agreement on the blogsite, and as of now, to become a member of the coop you need to come in to the store! Fill out your form and find out when they can attend the next orientation.

Next meeting is Tuesday, November 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Caroline’s home.

Thanks everybody.

I. Member of the month
a. The membership committee will choose the member of the month and then let the outreach committee know.
b. Keegan will set up an area for members to nominate members in the store.
c. Criteria for member of the month include: work beyond 3 hours a month, spend a portion of their food budget at the co-op, and contribute a great idea or project to the co-op.
d. Members will receive a $5 dollar drink card to Mocha Mamas, name will be posted in the store, and recognized in the e-newsletter

II. Annual Member Meeting October 16th
a. Kate is getting cider and bread
b. Keegan is still working on the keg and will pick up on Wednesday the 15th
c. Jessie and Jessica will get chairs at noon on the 16th.
d. Items needed from the co-op to take to the meeting: dishes, napkins, keg cups, wine, newsprint, markers, pens, membership cards, tables, dish soap, sponge, tubs, ice, member list and $ owed, prefer stock perspective, ballots, box for ballots, table cloths, hot cups, raffle tickets, shirts.
e. Jessica and Kate will help get everything to the Stensrud.
f. Keegan will find 5 people to help set up the day of the meeting at 4pm.
g. Meredith is working diligently on getting more food and raffle items
h. Jessica is going to see if Katie will emcee raffle.

III. Outreach Committee Responsibility at Annual Member Meeting
a. Jessica will speak for the committee and write a blurb and create a poster.
b. Accomplishments: independent ads, wine tasting, grand opening
c. Goals: education to community and members, develop media campaign, fund raising, and business partnerships

IV. Advertising
a. it was decided that guerrilla advertising would be better than newwest.
b. next meeting we will talk in depth about a media campaign
c. Keegan is giong to look into Kaimin ad rates

Present: Leslie, Courtney, Maxine, Kate, Molly, Lauren, Chelsea

I. Product Committee Update
a. New folks involved
b. Two people working on binder sheets on products
c. Focusing on what’s in the store
d. WIC application is almost ready to be submitted
e. Need for working document (flow chart) to help facilitate discussions about product selections (Dalit)
f. There is an EVST grad who is interested in doing a needs assessment of the membership as it related to products

II. Ning
a. Everyone seems to be liking the Ning site for discussions in between meetings.
b. Kate offered that discussions can be followed by clicking on the mail icon.

III. Annual Meeting (Stensrud)
a. Begin: Meredith provide opening remarks
b. Molly: talk about product policy, how it was developed, and will be voted on
c. Introduction of new board candidates
d. Report from all Committees - each committee will develop flip charts with accomplishments and goals for coming year + sign up sheet (5 minutes).
e. Inform/talk about new Member Forums each quarter. First one in January.
f. Outreach: slogan brainstorm
g. Member Raffle

IV. Brainstorm on Accomplishments
a. Operations Manual
b. Policies – markup, special orders,
c. Job descriptions
d. Good start on a member manual
e. Incubated two new sub-committees
f. Park Slope visit/presentation & dvd
g. Development of shift system and calendar
h. Submitted USDA grant
i. Attended Coop Conference and toured other coops
j. Engaged two practicum students from UM

V. Brainstorm on Goals:
a. Communications with members
b. Refining shift system and calendar
c. Finish member manual
d. More policies on accountability (out of Forum), personnel
e. In store communication
f. Expansion of store and product offerings
g. Further development of staff roles
h. Personnel development (HR, Vacation, benefits, etc.)
i. In-service trainings for Board
j. Nutrition classes, cooking classes? (Outreach)
k. POS System, member tracking

VI. Changes in Staffing, Operations Representations
a.
VII. Computer
a. Leslie thinks she has secured a computer – desktop and laptop for POS system.
b. Steve may be willing to help with slow computer

VIII. Policy on Reduced Memberships:
a. Committee to begin thinking about what this might look like, put in front of Board at November meeting.

Present: Leslie, Kate, Chelsea, Camille, Courtney

I. Membership Sub-Committee Update

II. Product Committee (Leslie)
a. No comments on draft product policy. Ready to take to membership at Annual Meeting.
b. WIC Update: Jessica Murray is in contact with local rep. about how to get item in store without having to go through a major distributor. Will likely need to supplement what we can get through our current distributor with other items from Costco, such as cereals.

III. Operations Manual
a. Chelsea to distribute copies for review
i. Look into Neo Office
ii. Post on google doc’s
iii. Print and make into pdf.
b. Next steps

IV. Policy decisions & documents
a. Go over Leslie’s draft-
b. penalty for not picking up order? Put on shelf for sale?
c. Deadline for picking up: 5 days?
d. Next steps

V. Buying Club Update
a. Update from Leslie/Karin
i. Draft guidelines for participation
ii. The committee liked the draft policies
b. Next steps
i. Approving guidelines
ii. Leslie to send around for comment to committee
iii. Tessa to call all buying club members to inform of policies?
iv. Maybe have a meeting for all buying club members to meet and talk about policy (send out to all members)

VI. Streamlining the member work shift system
a. Update on computers (Courtney)
i. Courtney has sent out letters last week soliciting help
ii. Camille will ask IT person at University.
b. Update on available shifters list (Camille)
i. Kate to send a list of active members to Camille
ii. Camille to make calls and make a spreadsheet of cashiers, stockers and ? and get them to sign up for regular shifts. Also ask if they are participating in the buying club.
iii. Then Committee can start scheduling training sessions, etc.
iv. Kate has contacted some people already about training.
c. Update on working member opp’s document (Chelsea)
i. Only a few comments were received from board members, so Chelsea will forward to Membership Committee.
d. Next Steps:
i. Committee to work on setting up one shift a month to implement reminder calls.
1. Don’t want people to reliant on phone calls. Esp. if moving to fixed rotation of shifts.
2. Wait to implement until shifting system is more stable.
ii. Courtney to work on a Google Calendar system.
1. Still needed if implementing regular shifts?
iii. Committee to explore encouraging members to begin working in the store before branching out?
e. Tracking Working Member Hours
i. Committee chairs to keep track of committee members hours
f. Chronology:
i. Phone calls for scheduling and directory (total of 27 shifts per week/108 for every four week rotation)
ii. Camille to create spreadsheet of shifts and filled slots and will send out monthly to working members.
iii. Create signage in store for cashiering, stocking and office work + “A/B/C/D Week” signs after Camille has made calls.
iv. Need to post calendar on website with current week.
v. Create four-week schedules for each work category.
vi. Next wave of calls: people who are shopping and not working (from cashier log).

VII. New Committees
a. Technology
i. How to initiate?
ii. Steve Guerreri? Bob Jaffe? Jim Sankler? Dove?
iii. Kate to email membership list to Committee to fish list for likely candidates.
b. Communications

VIII. Reminder phone calls for shifts
a. Need develop a system or identify a few people to commit to coming in once a week.

IX. Next meeting date/time- September 18

I. 6:00-6:30 Eat Dinner- Thank you Brace

II. 6:30- 6:50 Welcome and Check-in: (Leslie Facilitator)
a. Announcements
i. Welcome Keegan and Kara, MSW practicum students from UM!
ii. Maxine is going to the Community Food Security Coalition Conference in October, including a one-day workshop on revitalizing the neighborhood market.
iii. Saturday, September 21st there will be a work party. There is also new shelving in the store. Jack expects to have a proposal for the board on utilizing more warehouse space before winter.
iv. There is now a working group dealing with the remodel of the warehouse, too.

III. 6:50-7:10 Job Share Proposal - action
a. Split 50 hours
i. This proposal will result in approximately $500 more in expenses per month.
ii. Kate felt that Terri would be the perfect candidate for the second position, and approached her about it.
iii. Eliminates board requirement to do shifts at the store. Kate and Terri would be able to cover all shifts at the store.
iv. Proposed start would be ASAP.
v. There was concern about adding the additional cost when the coop is consistently losing $2,000 per month without a plan for pulling in more revenue from other sources.
vi. Another option in terms of immediate action would be to approve the sharing of the position at the current number of hours and allow the board more time to make a decision on whether to expand the number of hours.
vii. CONSENSUS: The board approved by consensus a job share on a probationary basis at 40 total for the next four weeks until the next Board Meeting. The board requested that Kate and Terri keep the board informed on how they are spending their time, how Keegan and Kara are impacting the work that needs to be done, etc.
viii. CONSENSUS: The board approved the temporary hire of Terri to fill 20 hours per week for the next four weeks.
ix. ACTION: Maxine to share Kara and Keegan’s job descriptions.
x. ACTION: Kate and Terri to draw up draft job descriptions for review by the board.
xi. Need for more information: Julie to ask Tina to present to the board at next meeting to help break down financial perspectives on expanding staff.
b. Good time for defining HR Policies –
i. Finance Committee to develop policies and procedures
ii. Need for: time sheets/tracking, job descriptions, policy for staff position on board

IV. 7:10-7:40 Committee Business
a. Committee Business
i. Finance/Development
1. Policy/Procedures for investing membership dollars and preferred stock
a. More info to be posted on blog.
b. Policy being developed.
ii. Facilities (covered in announcements)
iii. Outreach Committee
1. Results of wine tasting
a. Raised $750. Around 90 people attended.
b. See minutes on blog for more info.

V. 7:40-7:50 New Board Members Update
a. 11 people have/are expected to apply.
b. Next year: need to start three months earlier to allow time for board vetting, potential board members to attend a meeting, etc.
c. Present at member meeting with question

VI. 7:50 -8:05 Member Meeting Discussion and Planning
a. Location: Stensrud will cost $145 and hold 120 people. Potluck.
b. Agenda:
i. 5 minute committee presentations
ii. Product Policy
iii. By-law changes
iv. Preferred stock
v. Open Forum – Max facilitate
vi. Easel and flip tablet for comments for slogan brainstorm
vii. Question for Board Members?
viii. Member to member raffle-think about donations of services, goods, etc.

VII. 8:05-8:20 Newsletter
a. Product Policy
b. Special Order Policy
Buying Club Policy
c. Board Descriptions
d. Articles

VIII. 8:20-8:30 Closing
a. Recap action items
b. Agenda items for next meeting
i. Outgoing board member evaluations. Check in with Max?
c. Next meeting date/time- (Oct. 20) Where? Kate’s House Facilitator: Jack Food: Kate