Did you know that your CCFC Board Members get the opportunity to go to some tremendous (and fun!) educational events, all centered on the cooperative business model? Last month, Board Members, Paula Schnese and Christy Birkhead attended the California Center for Cooperative Development’s (CCCD) Ca Cooperative Conference in Sacramento. Ed Whitfield, the keynote speaker, shared his wisdom in promoting social change with cooperatives. JQ Hannah, assistant director of the Food Co-op Initiative, walked us through strategy to workplan and how to map out responses in tough situations. This month, these same board members are traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, to participate in the annual Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference. As we mentioned in the Board Update, this is the only national conference specifically for startup food co-ops. How does this help CCFC open our doors?
U&C is an inspiring and informative event, with presentations from co-op professionals, participatory workshops, and case studies from other co-ops in the various stages of development. Your Board members learn from long-time experts in cooperative development as well as from other food co-ops in different stages of development. Then, they bring all that energy back to CCFC with lots of new ideas for making our co-op dream a reality.
In addition to U&C, your Board works with Columinate, a national co-operative of consultants who work with other co-ops to help their businesses succeed. CCFC Board members gain knowledge about cooperative governance, principles, and legal responsibilities through their workshops.
Finally, your Board has monthly peer Zoom calls with the Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) and other co-ops at our same stage of development. This organization sees co-ops through all stages of growth and offers incomparable education and support.
All these organizations exemplify Co-op Principles #5 and 6: Education and Co-operation among Co-operatives. Does this sound enticing to you? Then, perhaps you might want to consider joining our Board!