Suzi Carter recently joined Food Co-op Initiative after working to help launch recently opened Friendly City Food Co-op, among other community development projects. This presentation covers strategies for fundraising success, and how co-ops can best serve and motivate their members in each stage of co-op development.
8. Who are you engaging?
Potential members:
• “Just browsing”
• “I’m waiting until you’re open”
• “You’re a bunch of hippies”
• “I don’t eat healthy”
• “I love what you’re doing! But I
don’t have the money right now.”
• “I’m here with my friend.”
27. Evaluating Activities
• Did it build membership/loans?
• Did it drain our energy or resources? (ROI)
• Was it worth it?
• Who could do it next time?
• What did we learn?
• Did the press cover it?
• Was it fun?
• Was it the right thing to do?
• Did the board love it? Did members love it?
• Did it bring goodwill to our co-op?
• Did it attract past the core?
31. Lessons learned
• Use templates
• No such thing as bad press
• Work with and through your members
• Always think, “Who can do this?”
• Use your university
• Break up small tasks into smaller tasks
• Event toolbox and 3-prong spiel
• Make friends with media; become a connector
• Don’t do anything alone
• If you don’t announce it, it never happened
• Admit mistakes, ask for help
33. Iron Law of Organizing
Never do for someone else what
s/he can do for herself/himself.
34. Job of the Organizer
• Identify and recruit the people
needed to do the work of
starting the co-op
• Give them the tools they need
to be successful
• Keep them working together
effectively