CGIN

CGIN’s Co-op Board Members specialized listserve is open to all current directors of CGIN members. The purpose of this listserve is to facilitate discussion and share ideas and information that promote good governance practices in food co-ops and strengthen food co-op boards.

To request information or join

Only the CGIN contact person or General Manager can subscribe current board members to the listserve by using one of the following options:

1) Complete the online system. The online form will ask you for each board member's name and e-mail address, along with a short acknowledgment statement.

2) Register via e-mail or snail mail. Complete the registration form and send to the CGIN office using the contact information on the form.

Requirements

Subscribers MUST be current directors of the paying CGIN member. The CGIN contact person or General Manager is responsible for notifying the CGIN office of all board turnover, especially when e-mail addresses change. All additions or removals to the Board list must be made by following these instructions:

Updating your co-op's board subscriber list

1) Clicking on the 'My Account' tab.

2) Click on the link to 'Update my board listserv subscriber list'.

3) You'll be taken to a form that lists all the current board listserve subscribers. You can add or delete subscribers as need be.

4) After making changes, be sure to hit 'submit'.

A confirmation message will be sent to you once changes have been made.

Co-op Governance Resource Specialist

The Co-op Board Members listserve has a value added feature – the Co-op Governance Resource Specialist. This position has been contracted to Cooperative Development Services' (CDS) Co-op Board Leadership Development (CBLD) team, led by Mark Goehring. The CBLD team will be following the discussions and able to provide resources and a balanced perspective to the listserv. They will bring the dept of the team's wisdom, knowledge and ongoing learning process to the Co-op Board Members listserv.

To send a message to the Board Members list

• Address an e-mail message to Board-list@cgin.coop.
• We request that all subscriber include their name, co-op, and e-mail address at the end of their message.

To leave the list

To leave the Board Members listserve, contact the CGIN office.

Guidelines

While this list is only open to current directors, we understand that directors can include General Managers and other co-op staff. Those staff persons are welcome to subscribe with the understanding that they are subscribed as board members and will keep confidentiality in mind. All subscribers agree that they will uphold the guidelines and policies found below

Listserve policies

Subscribers are welcome to:

• send out any message via the list about matters related to the governance of their co-ops.
• use the list to “survey” others about practices.
• get reactions to proposed changes.
• pass along announcements related to co-op events or news.
• get references of helpful resources or contacts.
• engage in discussion with other list subscribers about any issues relevant to directors of food co-ops. General discussion about food co-ops is more appropriate for the CGIN listserve.

The Board listserve may NOT be used for:

• advertisements or solicitations.
• circulating such things as petitions, a mass mailing requesting that e-mail messages be sent to someone, or a “chain letter”.
• forward warning messages without reliable confirmation — e.g. a warning about mass computer flaws, rampant medical problems, etc.

We expect ALL subscribers to:

• be polite and respectful in their postings.
• keep in mind that this listserve is a public forum and prepare your posts with the audience in mind. Your email will be seen by Directors from other food co-ops all around the country and will be permanently archived on our website. When posting on the list, please use the utmost circumspection.
• maintain confidentiality around issues and information shared between members of this community and seek prior permission of all parties involved before sharing.
• wear their board hats when participating in the board listserve. If you are a general manager, or co-op staff member and on the board of your co-op, or another co-op, please keep the discussion focused on the overall organization’s needs and from a governance perspective.
• not reply to each message on a topic. This does not encourage good dialogue and discourages others to contribute to a discussion.
• use their best judgment in sending messages out via the list.
• identify yourself, e-mail address, co-op/organization and city/state.
• notify the CGIN office when your board term ends, or when you leave the board.

Subscribers who post messages that do not meet the above guidelines are subject to having all future messages moderated or having their access to the listserv terminated.

The Board listserve is not monitored; subscribers are allowed to send their messages out directly via the list. There is no screening of list messages.

Thanks

Thanks to our Board Discussion Forum Advisory Group: Gail Graham (Mississippi Market), Rose Marie Klee (Wheatsville Food Co-op), Donald Kreis (Hanover Consumers Cooperative Society), Ben Nauman (NCGA) and Martha Whitman (La Montañita Food Co-op) for helping shape this new service for board members.