FRO M THE B OA R D
2022 Election Results
What’s All This About Parsley Covered Ants?
If you’ve been paying super close attention to the Skagit Valley Food Co-op Board meetings and statements (and, who hasn’t?), you would have heard a lot about Policy Governance—but maybe not enough explanation about what it is and why we’re adopting it. So here goes. The Board’s role is to set the overall direction of the Co-op; to set expectations for how the Co-op is run; and to ensure that we are meeting those expectations and staying true to our mission and values. We have one employee, the General Manager (GM), and we are not involved in the day-to-day management and decision-making, but we are responsible for monitoring the context, intent, and effect of those decisions. We were lucky to have had a single GM for many years, and a lot of the details of the Board’s governance were assumed, but rarely explicitly stated or regularly reviewed. When we found out we were going to have a new GM without this long history, we knew we needed to develop a more specific mechanism for communicating expectations and monitoring results. That mechanism is a widely used set of processes generally called Policy Governance. Basically, we created a set of policies that define our expectations for how the Co-op is run—everything from our approach to debt (don’t want any!); how often our committees meet; how we want employees and owner-members treated; our expectations about environmental sustainability; and a whole lot more. (The policy document is a living document, managed by the Board Development Committee, and is constantly being adjusted as situations change. It currently runs 19 pages.) We actively monitor these policies through monitoring reports from the GM and from Board members on a schedule that ensures that every policy is monitored no less than once a year. Some, like financial metrics, are monitored quarterly. For the GM reports, the GM defines their interpretation of the policy; presents supporting data, and makes a statement of Compliance or Non-Compliance. The Board can accept the interpretation and data or can request changes. If the report is Non-Compliance, the Board can require a plan to bring about compliance, or change the policy. For policies regarding the Board’s performance, we do a monthly poll of a scheduled subset of the policies to determine if we are in compliance or not. We’ve been adopting this model over the last two years—refining policies as we go. This is a major, positive change in how the Board has operated for the last, almost 50 years. It has allowed us to clearly express our expectations for our organization and has provided us with an efficient and comprehensive mechanism for maintaining visibility into the management of the Co-op. Skagit Valley Food Co-op continues to grow in size, complexity, and impact. Policy Governance allows us to ensure our lasting success through clear, explicit, consistent but flexible means.
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skagitfoodcoop.com
Skagit Valley Food Co-op Mission Statement The Skagit Valley Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide good food at a fair price. As stated in the Co-op Bylaws: The Co-op shall promote member welfare by utilizing their united funds and their united efforts for the purchase and distribution of commodities in accordance with the following criteria: A. Maintaining the not-for-profit status of the Co-op; B. Offering high quality products which contribute to good nutrition; C. Supporting a low impact, non-harmful approach to the environment; D. Supporting local suppliers and producers; E. A commitment to building a cooperative economy and supporting others who share that commitment; F. A commitment to educational programs relevant to members and non-members in the community. EDITOR | Nicole Vander Meulen LAYOUT & DESIGN | Megan Feichtinger STAFF CONTRIBUTORS | nancylee bouscher, Ben Goe, Leigha Staffenhagen BOARD OF TRUSTEES | Brad Claypool,Kristen Ekstran, Britta Eschete, Genero Gomez, Casey Schoenberger, Rob Smith, & Tom Theisen Copyright 2022. Reprints with permission. Printed in Canada.
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skagit valley food co-op
• the natural enquirer •
The Natural Enquirer is a quarterly publication of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and may not reflect Co-op policy. No articles are meant to be used for diagnosis or treatment of illness. The Co-op does not endorse the products or services of advertisers.
july–september
2022
Thanks to all our member-owners who voted in the 2022 Board Election and to those who attended our Annual Membership Meeting via Zoom on May 11. We are happy to welcome back incumbent candidates Rob Smith and Kristen Ekstran. The Board is also pleased to welcome the new-to-the-Board and longtime Co-op employee, Genaro Gomez as the Staff Board Member. The three will all serve 3-year terms.
2022 Board of Trustees Tom Theisen
Britta Eschete
Kristen Ekstran
Board President
Member & Community Engagement Committee
Strategic Planning Commitee
Brad Claypool
Casey Schoenberger
Board Development Commitee
Finance Commitee
Kristen Ekstran
Member & Community Engagement Committee
Rob Smith
Genaro Gomez
Staff Board Member
Rob Smith
Donate or Use Your Patronage by July 29
Genaro Gomez
In case you missed it: the Co-op Board announced a Patronage Dividend Refund to Co-op member-owners based on their 2021 purchases. This is a friendly reminder to use or donate your refund if you received one. In 2020, we made it easier to donate patronage refunds to the Skagit Food Distribution Center, and we were able to donate over $10,000 to support the Distribution Center’s ongoing work to feed the hungry in our community. And this year, it’s even easier! If you’d like to donate your refund please visit our website: www.skagitfoodcoop.com/donate-refund If you intend to redeem your refund for in-store purchases, you must redeem your refund by July 29, 2022. Otherwise, your store credit becomes taxable for the Co-op, and you forfeit your refund. Using your refund is easy: simply let the cashier know you’d like to use your patronage refund toward your purchase while you’re checking out.
