Owner Presentations at VFC Board Meetings

Board's Eye View

Owner Presentations at VFC Board Meetings

Posted on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 @ 02:10 PM

by Frank Kroncke, Board Secretary Board of Directors Frank Kronke

The Board’s main task is to represent the owner-members, which means you. Like most organizations, if the whole membership–2600 plus–came to each Board meeting we’d get nothing done! On the other hand, you should know that there is a time set aside on the agenda for your input. Here are the guidelines.

Owner-member Attendance and Presentations

Owner-members may attend regularly scheduled meetings as observers with the exception of items that are designated for Executive Session. Board meeting dates will be posted on the bulletin board and the website, and our anticipated schedule listed in the Pea Soup.

Owner-member Presentations to the Board of Directors: Owner-members who would like to address the Board shall contact the board at least ten days prior to the board meeting in which they’d like to present. The contacted Board member will assist the member-owner in the following ways:

Listen well to the concern.
Assist in resolving the concern if possible and help the owner-member define his/her needs and/or expectations.
Clarify that operational concerns are within the purview of the General Manager and not of the Board, thus referring the owner to the General Manager should an operational concern persist.
Alert the Chair of the Board and the General Manager about the conversation.
Guide the owner-member who wishes to discuss a future direction and/or Co-op policy with the Board to use the following procedure: Provide a written summary of the topic(s) to the Board Secretary ten days prior to the Board meeting for inclusion in the meeting materials. Make a presentation at a Board meeting of no longer than five minutes. Stay to answer clarifying questions of the Board.
No discussion of the presentation will occur at the Board meeting with the owner-member present. The number of presentations to the Board by him/her on the same subject is limited to once per calendar quarter. The Board will listen to a maximum of two owner presentations at any one Board meeting on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis. The board will provide a written response to the owner comment before the next board meeting.

In summary, direct access and clear communication with you is a top Board priority.

Frank Kroncke,
VFC Board Secretary

Tags: Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the legal steward of the Co-op. They are members of VFC who are elected by the other members to act on their behalf to fulfill the obligations that come with owning a business. You will find the names of current directors in every issue of the Pea Soup.

The Board of Directors provides leadership, vision and guidance for our cooperative. It ensures that the needs of the members are being met. The Board is primarily responsible for protecting Co-op assets for the member-owners (fiduciary responsibility). Directors are expected to act in good faith and in the best interests of the cooperative as a whole. The Board is also obliged to respond to changes in the economic environment, the membership base, and the financial status of the cooperative. This means that policies that are in effect when you join the Co-op may be changed by actions of the board. Any such changes would be explained in the newsletter and at the annual meeting.

There are three primary responsibilities of the board:

To ensure sound management of the Co-op resources
To act as trustees on behalf of the members
To set long-range goals and to plan for the future

The Board uses the Policy Governance model of organizing its efforts. This governance structure requires the Board to create policies that define the roles and responsibilities of the General Manager, and the purpose, mission and strategies of the organization. The task then becomes how to adequately monitor the performance of the Board and GM relative to these policies. This system requires attention and practice, and the VFC Board is working to improve, which will free the board to better use its time toward big picture issues – what the membership wants and how to make that happen responsibly.

Individual directors do not direct the operation of the store, supervise staff members, or speak for the cooperative as a whole, except when the board has authorized a director as spokesperson. They exercise authority only as a group.

Board Meetings

VFC Board Policy Manual

VFC Board Calendar

Consider serving on the Board of Directors

Board's Eye View