Membership Report

For over 20 years I've had the honor of working for the Wedge Co-op members. It's strange to remember that back then we operated out of a store smaller than our current produce aisle and had a closet for an office. The natural food industry was born during those years and member-owned co-ops around the country were major players in its development.

Cooperatives can be a great tool for consumers and environmental self-defense, nudging global development into a democratic phenomenon that answers to many constituencies, not just investors. It is a recurring frustration for me, as a cooperative educator, that our success in promoting natural and organic food has not been accompanied by a clear understanding of what makes a business a cooperative.

Back to Co-ops 101 class this year in the membership column! Now, I know everyone reading this column carefully studied the material in the Member-Owner Guide, but a very few did not pay close attention. They may not read this either, so we're counting on you to pipe up at your many social engagements where the subject is eagerly discussed. "Actually, a co-op is... " Help us get the word out!

So, what makes a co-op a co-op?

It is: a product line or type of management structure; "community ownership" (the owner lives nearby); a frequent-shopper card, a political, religious, health or social club; a work requirement?

No, no, no and no!

Cooperatives are businesses that are owned by the same persons who use their services, operated in accordance with internationally recognized principles known as the Statement on the Cooperative Identity. That's a very basic definition, one that emphasizes that cooperation is a flexible framework that can be used to meet the diverse needs of different communities. Assumptions about cooperatives, and the needs they fill, change with every generation and situation.

Co-ops founded in the early 20th century had an implicit understanding that their memberships would be composed of geographical neighbors with similar social concerns joining together to solve common dilemmas. When our natural food co-ops were formed in the '60s and '70s, the old assumptions couldn't be taken for granted. Groups of neighbors started the co-ops, but it quickly became apparent that the "community" involved was defined more by shared interests and values than geographical proximity or even social concerns. Over the years, the co-ops experimented with management structures (collective, team management, single manager), forms of member involvement (working members or not), and product policies (strict limits or broad guidelines).

The salient point is that cooperatives are about meeting member needs. The Wedge Mission Statement puts it succinctly: Our mission is to serve our growing and changing membership. The Wedge Co-op, its mission statement, articles and bylaws have changed a number of times over the years, each time in response to changing conditions and member preferences. Our member-owners are the reason for our existence. That is the heart and soul of cooperation.