Nominations for the ELFCO Board of Directors

Nominations for the ELFCO Board of Directors
Nominations close at 9 pm, Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Member/Owner balloting will be April 5 through April 19, 2015 (see details below)
On behalf of the member-owners of ELFCO, the Board of Directors of the East Lansing Food Co-op:
 Undertake long range visioning and planning for the Co-op,
 Exercise oversight of the General Manager through the use of Policy Governance,
 Engage with owners through a variety of means of communication.
Open Positions: The ELFCO Board of Directors is comprised of up to nine members, and rotating terms of three
years. Seven (7) Director seats are open for the April 2015 election. Three candidates will serve full three year
terms through April 2018, while other directors who are elected will fill current board vacancies and serve through
April 2016.
Board Member Responsibilities:
 Prepare for, attend, and participate in Board meetings (subject to change, but now scheduled on the third
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Monday of each month, usually 2 hours).
Prepare for, attend, and participate in the annual retreat and additional Board meetings as needed.
Participate actively in, or lead, at least one ELFCO committee.
Respond within 48 hours to ELFCO Board email and/or voice mail messages.
Attend the annual April ELFCO member/owner meeting (four hours on a weekend afternoon).
Board members should also plan on being available to attend two Board training/development sessions:
◦ CBL101: Foundation for Board Leadership, May 16, 2015 – Mount Pleasant, MI
◦ Cooperative Cafe: Connecting Our Co-ops and Communities, October 24, 2015 – Ann Arbor, MI
Who is Eligible to run:
 A voting ELFCO owner is eligible for Board membership provided the person is at least eighteen years of age,
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neither the person nor her/his spouse/partner has an interest in a wholesale or distributorship licensed business
for the sale of alcoholic liquor in Michigan, and neither the owner nor his/her partner/spouse holds law
enforcement powers within the jurisdiction of Meridian Township.
To be elected, nominees must attend the Annual Meeting on April 19, 2015 (unless prior written notification is
provided to and approved by the Board).
Nominees are encouraged to attend a monthly meeting of the Board prior to applying (next meeting will be
held March 16, 2015 at 7:00 pm) (preferred but not required).
Self Nominating Statements: Please respond to all of the questions listed on the next page.
Balloting: ELFCO owners elect Board members. Nomination statements will be in the store and on the website for
owners to read before casting paper ballots. Owners must present an ELFCO owner card to vote. Balloting will begin
in the store at 10 am on Sunday, April 5, 2015 and will continue in the store until the morning of Sunday, April 19,
2015. The ballot box will then be moved to the Annual Meeting where voting will continue for another 45 minutes.
Election results will be announced before the Annual Meeting ends.
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Nominations for the ELFCO Board of Directors
SELF-NOMINATION STATEMENT:
Request to be placed on the 2015 ballot
to run for a seat on the ELFCO Board of Directors
Please read the 'Nominations for the ELFCO Board of Directors' information, the cooperative principles, and
the overview of Policy Governance included in this packet. To read the Bylaws, present your owner card to
an ELFCO employee to see the Bylaws in the store or visit the website at http://elfco.coop/wp/about/boardof-directors/by-laws/.
Nominations must be received by e-mail or at ELFCO no later than 9 pm, March 18, 2015.
 E-mail a completed self nomination statement to Anne Woiwode, Board President
(nominations@elfco.coop)
 Mail your statement to Anne Woiwode, Board President, ELFCO, 4960 Northwind Dr, East Lansing,
MI 48823
 Deliver your statement to an ELFCO employee in a sealed envelope addressed to Anne Woiwode,
Board President.
Please answer the following questions:
1. Why do you want to serve on the ELFCO Board of Directors?
2. What is your dream for the co-op in the next two years?
3. What relevant skills and/or experience would you bring to the ELFCO Board?
4. What do you think ELFCO’s role in the community should be?
5. Why co-ops?
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Nominations for the ELFCO Board of Directors
COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLES*
FIRST PRINCIPLE: VOLUNTARY AND OPEN MEMBERSHIP
Cooperatives are voluntary organizations; open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept
the responsibility of membership, without gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination.
SECOND PRINCIPLE: DEMOCRATIC MEMBER CONTROL
Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting
their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to
the membership. In primary cooperatives members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and
cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.
THIRD PRINCIPLE: MEMBER ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION
Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of the cooperative. Al least part of
that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. They usually receive limited compensation, if
any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the
following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would
be indivisible, benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative, and supporting
other activities approved by the membership.
FOURTH PRINCIPLE: AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE
Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into
agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do
so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.
FIFTH PRINCIPLE: EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND INFORMATION
Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and
employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the
general public -- particularly young people and opinion leaders -- about the nature and benefits of
cooperation.
SIXTH PRINCIPLE: COOPERATION AMONG COOPERATIVES
Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working
together through local, national, regional and international structures.
SEVENTH PRINCIPLE: CONCERN FOR THE COMMUNITY
While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities
through policies accepted by their members.
*Source: Ann Hoyt, Cooperative Principles Updates, Cooperative Grocer #62, January–February 1996.
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Nominations for the ELFCO Board of Directors
POLICY GOVERNANCE OVERVIEW
The Board of Directors of the East Lansing Food Co-op operates using the Policy Governance model, which
was developed by John Carver to allow Boards to maintain accountability for organizational performance
while focusing on providing visionary leadership around our 'big-picture' mission.
Policy governance is a process by which the board exercises oversight of the general manager. In policy
governance, the board of directors proscribes a set of boundaries outside of which the general manager is not
to operate. Adherence to those policies is monitored at monthly board meetings through monitoring reports
written by the general manager, which demonstrate compliance by the use of data and industry standards.
The Board of Directors of the East Lansing Food Co-op maintains a policy register – a set of policies –
which is the written documentation of expectations for ourselves, our organization, and our General
Manager. You can read our policies online at: http://elfco.coop/wp/about/board-of-directors/policy-gov/
There are four categories of policies included in the Policy Register:
A – Ends. Ends policies broadly state our desired organizational outcomes.
B -- Executive Limitations. The Executive Limitations delineate the expectations and acceptable constraints
within which the general manger can act.
C – Board Process. It describes how the Board is organized and its process.
D – Board - Management Relationship. It describes how the Board delegates to our sole employee, the
General Manager.
EAST LANSING FOOD CO-OP ENDS:
East Lansing Food Cooperative exists so that our community is healthy, diverse, and thriving.
1. The community has access to organically and locally produced goods.
2. The community has access to products and services that promote personal and environmental health.
3. The community is educated about the benefits of healthy, organic, & sustainably produced goods.
4. The community has a vibrant local economy.
5. The cooperative infrastructure is supported.
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