By: Lynn Gannon, Board President
Hello fellow Spiral Co-op Owners,
This week one of Spiral’s directors resigned unexpectedly. When this happens, the remaining Board members must appoint someone to serve on the Board until the next election, which will be in October. We are actively seeking dedicated Spiral owners who are willing to invest a minimum of 10 to 15 hours a month of their free to help lead the Co-op and set it up for a successful future.
In the past, when I’ve tried to entice folks to throw their name in the hat for a Board position, I’ve soft-peddled the commitment and the workload with the idea that it is better to have someone who is even just mildly interested than no one at all. The Co-op and the Board can no longer afford the luxury of that approach. Board members must be willing and eager to work and to lead as a team, to identify areas where we can do better and then take the initiative to put the Board’s decisions into action.
Co-op and the Board has a lot going on right now. We are working closely with our General Manger to identify a larger location for our store and negotiate favorable lease terms for that site, we are preparing to launch a capital campaign to raise the money we need in order to pay for expanding our store into a new location, and we are figuring out how to best serve the needs of our Owners and the community in these strange and difficult times while ensuring that our employees are safe and . With all these major projects, initiatives, and challenges going on at the same time, it is critical that the Board identify the best person to jump into the vacated Board slot and enthusiastically start contributing to our team.
What your commitment will look like:
Here is what a typical month of Board membership looks like: prepare for monthly meetings (30 minutes to 1 hour, depending whether you are Board officer or not), attend meetings from 7 to 9 on the second Wednesday of each month (two hours), interact with Co-op owners and shoppers at events and in the store (at least two hours and more is better), and support on-going Board activities or initiate new ones (four hours to as much time as your passionate heart desires). New Board members are also expected to attend an orientation session with other Board members, read training materials, and when it is offered, attend a training course on Board governance.
The Board has very serious, very important issues before it which must be handed by seven Board members with diligence, wisdom, and timeliness. The long-term success of Spiral Co-op depends on the Board and the General Manager working together in effective partnership to make sound decisions. If you are willing to rise to this challenge, please email me (Lynn) as soon as possible at Board@SpiralNaturalFoods.coop.