Cooperative Service Circles - Volunteers Needed

[Mary]

Following are the Service Circles needed to make this co-op a
reality. All volunteers are welcome. You may join one or more
circles by contacting the listed Coordinator. If there is no
coordinator listed - feel free to volunteer to assume that position.
All Coordinators are members of the interim Board of Directors and
will be required to attend bi-weekly meetings. Most of the
information posted under the circle titles is information I pulled
from other cooperative web sites. If there are other areas you feel
we need covered, please post it.

Operations/Steering Circle – Coordinator - Mary M. Ernsberger –
hypno...@yahoo.com

• Providing contact and organization of all committees
• Coordinates bi-weekly or monthly status meetings
• Responsible for annual board meeting
• Administrative duties
• Volunteer scheduling
• Locate temporary office space as project moves forward

Local Producers and Product Selection Circle – Coordinator – Rachel
Drinkard - racheld...@gmail.com

• Determine criteria for product selection
• Is there enough of an interest from the farming community to supply
a cooperative market year-round?
• Identify potential vendors within a 300 mile radius of Anchorage
• Design potential vendor contracts
• How will we pay your producers?
• Do you prefer certified organic produce or commercial produce and
what due diligence do you plan on enacting to verify growing methods?
• Fresh fish day?
• Are you producing at optimum level or would you produce more if
there was an outlet for its sale?
• What quantities can you produce?
• How do you sell? By the case, pound or quantity?
• Are you able to sell all of your produce before it goes bad?
• Cost of product pick-up vs delivery?
• Wholesale rates vs Farmer’s Market rates? Minimum purchase?
• Methods of growing? Organic – GMO seed?
• Local meats – Antibiotic free – free-range?
• Is there some type of local processing?
• Grains for human consumption (other than barley)?
• Could raw milk be sold in a co-op?
• Are you Certified Naturally Grown? If not, why not?
• Does your farm fit into any of these categories: Certified Humane
Raised and Handled, Demeter Biodynamic Certified, Animal Welfare
Approved, and Fair Trade Certified?
• Items we've discussed carrying - so far - are: Organic / GMO free
produce, milk, cheese, ice cream, eggs, antibiotic free beef, pork,
reindeer, other meats (like caribou or moose if we could), grains that
could be ground into flour, other dry goods?, herbs for both culinary
and medicinal use. Any other thoughts or suggestions?
• Does anyone know someone who has worked in the produce department
who can help us with quantity purchases?
• Food Options: • Branded ‘ambient’ (food that can be stored at room
temperature) grocery lines plus household, body care and baby care •
Organic fresh fruit and vegetables • Dry goods • Chilled foods • Deli
and fresh food (served at café) • Organic/local bread - What
percentage of each product do we want to sell?
• Ways to work in conjunction with farmer's markets not in competition
with them?

Marketing/Communications/Outreach Circle – Coordinator – Triena
Slatter - uniq...@gmail.com

• Organize membership equity drive

Where to find potential members:
o Local & state chapters of environmental organizations, i.e. Sierra
Club
o Homeschoolers
o Weston A. Price Foundation – Mat-Su Chapter
o Churches
o Local & Regional Internet Discussion Groups
o Food Editors
o Local Health or Holistic Magazines
o Restaurant Owners
o Slow Food contacts
o Sustainability Group members
o Doctors, medical professionals, holistic practitioners
o Hospitals or other institutions with large food budgets
o Support groups for people with allergies
• Member sponsors for new members
• Work with fundraising committee to publicize upcoming fundraising
events
• Advertisement and promotion – TV, radio & newspapers – Community
Partners
• Communicate with membership on a regular basis
• Website and blog updates

Health and Wellness Education Circle – Coordinator – Martha McShaddy -
mcsh...@alaska.net
Member -
Vanessa Plourde-Smith - vplour...@yahoo.com

• Contacting Health & Wellness community in and around Anchorage for
support (Partners in Business)
• Lecture Series (fundraiser)
• Cooking classes (fundraiser)
• Fresh Checks - $ 5.00 – handed out to individuals using EBT, WIC or
Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program – redeemable for fresh fruit
or vegetables at neighborhood Farmer’s Markets.

Business Formation Circle – Coordinator –

• Legal issues
• Type of cooperative/corporation - Multi-stakeholders Co-op (Craig
B. Partyka, Cook Schuhmann & Groseclose, Inc., in Fairbanks will do
paperwork for $200-$260)
• Government regulations - Copies of the Anchorage Food Code are
available
• Creation of By-Laws (we have the by-laws from the Fairbanks Co-op to
use as an example)

Business Plan Circle – Coordinator - Emily Longbrake -
emilylo...@gmail.com

This service circle is central to the organization as it is organizing
all the pieces that go into creating a good business plan. HOWEVER,
the work of the other committees is absolutely necessary to putting
together a good business plan. Tasks involved include:

• Putting together the information and estimates that come from the
other committees into a formal business plan.
• Determining a final estimate of the funds necessary for the project
before seeking funding
• REGIONAL NETWORK: Pacific Cooperative Grocers Association & United
Natural Foods NCGA provides monthly deals and prepares flyers for
advertisement
• Cooperative Convention– Consumer Cooperative Management Association
Conference – CCMA organized by Cooperative Grocers Information Network
– Board members & managers attend – Managers meet 4-5 times a year
regionally.
• TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: PEOPLE, PLANET, PROFIT
o People = Store, Fields, Factory/Production, Community
o Planet = Concern for sustainable practices, Product Footprint,
Organic, GMO free, Local first (300 mile radius)
o Profit = Fair Salary Practices (Living Wage)

Finance Circle – Coordinator –

This service circle is responsible for developing sources of funding,
working in coordination with Marketing Circle on outreach projects, as
well as financial portion of the business plan including:

• Seed Fund Grants – up to $10,000.00 – Matching Funds
• Sprout Fund Loans – funded by National Cooperative Bank – up to
$25,000.00, support incorporated co-op in development-feasibility
assessment & business planning stages – Matching Funds
• Cooperative Development Fund – need more information – Cooperative
Development Foundation (www.cdf.coop)
• National Cooperative Business Association
• National Fresh Food Financing Initiative – Community organizations
can apply for funds?
• USDA Program – Know your Farmer – Know your Food
• Bank Loans?
• State Grants?
• Member loan Program – The committee must research and form a legal
structure for member loans.
• Fund Raisers
o Silent Auction
o Dinner & Dance
o Breakfast/Brunch – Monthly?
o T-Shirt sale
o Reusable bag sale
o Community Garage Sale
o Harvest Festival
o Solstice Fair – Downtown Anchorage
o 4th of July Fair – Downtown Anchorage
o State Fair Booth?
o Partners in Business
o Other ideas?
• Corporate Sponsors – possibly same as Partners in Business??
• Cost to open
• Cash flow projections
• Examine the capital base every five years using the same criteria
you use to determine new member equity:
• How much capital do we need?
• How much should come from owners?
• How many owners do we project recruiting in the coming years?
• On-going annual equity contribution?
• Member patronage dollars – Member allocation based on their total
purchases at the co-op and its ratio to profits. These profits can
also be reinvested in the co-op as retained patronage equity?
• A weekly or bi-weekly payment plan for a maximum 90 or 180 day
period (to be decided by the board).

Store Design & Location Options Circle – Coordinator –

• Talk with local commercial business owners and identify potential
sites
• Work with Financial Circle to raise money for feasibility study
• Organize feasibility study for potential locations
• Demographics
• Competition
• Equipment needs for store, café and herb store

Staffing Circle – Coordinator -

• Employee needs
• Members as employees – volunteer (x) number of hours per month to
cut back on employee costs?
• Pay rates
• Creation of an employee manual
• VISTA – 1 year full-time position – they provided a worker for 2010
and are providing a new worker for 2011 (coming up from CA)
• FOOD JUSTICE LEADERS PROGRAM – High School?? Food Justice Leaders
work part-time during the summer months.
• Local youth:
o make a difference in their community
o grow food right here, right now
o work outside
o learn about business, agriculture, food justice, community work &
public health
o HAVE A PAID JOB.
• The work of Food Justice Leaders includes:
o planting, weeding, watering and harvesting in the garden
o learning about and practicing organic gardening techniques
o developing educational material about the garden and food
o preparing vegetables to sell at the market or donate

• Alaska Youth for Environmental Action – AYEA – www.ayea.org –
Anchorage Chapter – meets at Titlewave Books (midtown) on Wednesday
evenings – 7:00pm