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RENAISSANCE

Coop Committee

Process for Approving Bylaws and Electing Our First Board of Directors
As Designed by the RCC Steering Committee (October 2013)

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Our Next Big Steps: Approving Bylaws and Electing a Board of Directors One year ago, a group of committed community members from Northeast Greensboro came together and officially decided to build a community-owned and controlled grocery store, the Renaissance Community Coop (RCC for short). For the past year, the work of building the coop has been moving forward with the leadership of a Steering Committee and lots of community volunteers. Earlier this year, the RCC became an officially recognized legal entity, incorporated as a cooperative business in the State of North Carolina. Now were ready to take the next step: formalizing the rules for how we make big decisions, as encoded in bylaws, and selecting a board of directors, who are collectively responsible for making sure the coop succeeds. Both of those steps will take place at our December 16, 2013, monthly meeting. Each step has to be handled separately, in the proper order. The bylaws must be approved first, because they specify our right and responsibility to elect a board of directors. So there will be two separate votes on December 16one to approve the bylaws (or disapprove the bylaws if thats the way the vote goes), and one to elect nine board members (assuming the bylaws are approved). If the bylaws are not approved at that meeting, the Steering Committee will have to go back to the drawing board. Member participation is critical! We need as many members as possible to show up for the vote on December 16! We need at least 25 members to reach a quorum, but we want ALL our members to show up. Our coop works only with strong community support, and this vote is important! Well provide a catered buffet meal to make it easy for members to come out for the meeting. Nonmembers are welcome, too, though they will not be permitted to vote. Who gets to vote in the December 16 elections? You are eligible to vote if you have done one of the following on or before December 6, 2013: >> You have paid in full for your $100 lifetime RCC membership, or >> You have: Agreed to be on a payment plan, and Paid at least $20 toward your RCC membership, and Are current on your payments, as described below. Full lifetime membership is $100. After you have paid $20 toward your membership, you are eligible to vote if you agree to the payment plan. Following the first $20, you must pay at least $10 per month to remain eligible until you have purchased the full $100 membership share. You may pay ahead of schedule for future months eligibility. For example: Suppose you pay $10 one month, then $10 later. At the point when you have paid the first $10, you are eligible to vote if a vote were held that month. If you pay an additional $40 renaissancecoop.com ~ twitter.com/RenaissanceCoop ~ facebook.com/RenaissanceCommunityCoop

the next month, you are eligible to vote for the next 4 months. If you then skip a month, you would no longer be eligible until you have made up the skipped payment and become current again. If youve already made a partial payment toward membership: While the RCC has been in its start-up phase, the rules about payment plans have been somewhat loose, though we have been very careful about keeping track of how much each person has paid. Now we need to get much clearer about payment plans and where each person is, in part so we can determine voter eligibility and also because we need to stay on track raising our membership funds. Between now and December 6, every person who has made partial payment needs to agree to the official payment plan and stay current to be eligible to vote. You may start the $10 per month payment plan any time between now and December 6 by signing a Payment Plan Agreement. If you want to vote on December 16, you must have paid at least $20 and keep current with at least $10 per month between the time when you sign the agreement and the election. If youre new to the coop and want to join now: You can become eligible to vote by paying the entire $100 membership fee at any time between now and December 6, or You can sign a Payment Plan Agreement, pay at least $20 on or before December 6, and be current on your payments. Where can I get a copy of the Payment Plan Agreement before December 6? >> You can download a copy of the Payment Plan Agreement at the RCC website (http:// renaissancecoop.com/grocery-store/owner-loan-program). >> You can email the RCC at renaissance.coop@gmail.com, and request that a copy be emailed to you. >> You can pick up a copy of the Payment Plan Agreement at the October 21 or November 18 RCC community meeting. >> You can call the RCC to ask for a copy to be mailed to you: 336-638-1RCC (336-6381722). What do I do with my payment(s) and signed Payment Plan Agreement? >> You can mail your payment and signed agreement to the RCC at PO Box 13531, Greensboro, NC 27415. >> You can give it to an RCC representative at the October 21 or November 18 RCC community meeting. >> You can charge your membership online at the RCC website (http://renaissancecoop.com/ membership/), or swipe your credit card or debit card at an RCC meeting. >> You can hand-deliver it to the offices of the Fund for Democratic Communities, on the third floor of the Gateway Building, located at the corner of South Elm and Lee Streets renaissancecoop.com ~ twitter.com/RenaissanceCoop ~ facebook.com/RenaissanceCommunityCoop

(620 South Elm Street, Suite 355). To be eligible to vote on December 16, your signed agreement and any monies due must be received by the RCC no later than 11:59 pm on Friday, December 6, 2013. Approving the Bylaws The first vote on December 16 will be to approve or disapprove the bylaws. The bylaws that will be considered at that meeting are available for review by every member of the RCC community. There will be an opportunity to discuss the bylaws, ask questions, and propose improvements at the November 18 RCC community meeting. How do I get a copy of the bylaws to review before December 16? You can get a copy of the bylaws in any of these ways: >> You can download a copy of the bylaws at the RCC website (INSERT SPECIFIC RCC WEB ADDRESS HERE). >> You can email the RCC at renaissance.coop@gmail.com, and request that a copy be emailed to you. >> You can pick up a copy of the bylaws at the October 21 or November 18 RCC community meeting. >> You can call the RCC to ask for a copy to be mailed to you: 336-638-1RCC (336-6381722). What if I have questions, concerns, or comments about the bylaws? If you have an idea to improve or strengthen the bylaws, the Steering Committee would like to hear about it. It may be that your idea will lead to a revision of the bylaws before the December 16 vote. However, keep in mind that many decisions for the coop should not be encoded in the bylaws, but instead should be managed through a written policy or other approach. There are several ways you can voice your questions or concerns about the bylaws before they are voted on: >> You can attend the November 18 RCC community meeting, where explanation and discussion of the bylaws will be followed by a question and answer period. >> You can write or speak to a member of the Steering Committee, by emailing renaissance. coop@gmail.com or calling 336-638-1RCC (336-638-1722). How will the December 16 vote on the bylaws work? The vote on the bylaws must come first, because the bylaws give members the right to elect a board of directors. The vote on the bylaws will be a straight up or down vote, to approve or not to approve. If you want changes to the bylaws to be made, you must make your suggested changes no later than the November 18 RCC community meeting.

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The version of the bylaws that will be voted on at the December 16 meeting will be posted on the RCC website no later than December 1, 2013. In addition, members can pick up a copy as they walk in the door for the December 16 meeting. When people enter the meeting, they will be asked to check their name against the list of eligible voters. All eligible voters will receive a green card and a red card. Community members who are not eligible to vote are welcome to attend the meeting, but they will not receive these cards. Near the start of the meeting, the meeting facilitator will call for the vote. First, the facilitator will ask all eligible voters who approve of the bylaws to hold up their green cards. Then an official count will be taken of all the green cards that are showing. Next, the facilitator will ask all those who disapprove of the bylaws to hold up their red cards, and an official count of red cards will be taken. The results will be recorded and announced. If more green cards than red cards are showing, the bylaws will be approved! If more red cards than green cards are showing, the bylaws will be disapproved, and the Steering Committee will have to go back to the drawing board. Disapproval would also mean that the election of board members would be postponed until a set of bylaws has been approved. Electing the Board The second vote of the evening will be to elect nine members of the board. It is vital to elect people who are committed to the coop and who also collectively represent various aspects of our community and have among them a range of skills. To make sure that we have excellent nominees for the board, the Steering Committee has formed a Nominating Committee, which has been speaking with potential board members and designing a nomination process. Who is eligible to serve on the board? All candidates who wish to serve on the board must meet these criteria: >> Be an RCC member in good standing, who is eligible to vote in the December 16 election. >> Be at least 16 years old at the time of the election. >> Have submitted their name for nomination during the nomination window, using the process explained below. >> Be willing to serve a three-year term on the board, fulfilling all the duties of board service. Every candidate who meets these criteria will appear on the December 16 board ballot. You do not have to be present on the night of the election to be elected to the board. The election will be based on the names on the ballot, whether you are present or not. Of course, we hope youll be there, but if you are unable to attend the election meeting, it does not disqualify you! When can nominations be made? The window for nominations is November 18 December 6. To make sure we have a strong group of candidates who are sure they can commit to fulfilling all their board duties, we will not renaissancecoop.com ~ twitter.com/RenaissanceCoop ~ facebook.com/RenaissanceCommunityCoop

be holding nominations on the night of the election. Instead, we will have a formal nominating period, during which candidates will formally submit their names for nomination. This ensures that each nominee understands the job and has agreed to serve. Nominations will officially open at the November 18 RCC community meeting. They will officially close at 11:59 pm on Friday, December 6. That will give the Nominating Committee time to collate all the candidate information and circulate the information ahead of the December 16 vote. How do I submit a name for nomination? Each candidate must self-nominate because part of the nomination process involves agreeing to serve if elected. Only candidates can do that for themselves. If you know of a person who would be a good board member, you cannot nominate them (unless its you!). But you certainly should contact them and explain the opportunity and its responsibilities. Then tell them how they can complete a nomination form and submit it before the deadline. The nomination form asks you to provide your name and contact information, give your current occupation, and answer two open-format questions: >> Tell us about who you are. That is, write a bit about the communities you hail from and the kinds of life, work, or educational experiences youve had that you will bring to your service on the RCC board. >> Why do you want to serve on the RCC board? Where do I get nomination forms? Nomination forms can be submitted online or in paper format. Its easiest on the Nominating Committee if nominees complete online forms, because we wont have to type up the answers to the questions. But if you are not comfortable filling out the form online, then you should complete and submit a paper form. You can complete a nomination form in the following ways: >> You can complete the form online at the RCC website: http://renaissancecoop.com/board >> You can download a copy of the form at the RCC website (http://renaissancecoop.com/ board), print it out, and complete it by hand. >> You can email the RCC at renaissance.coop@gmail.com, and request that a copy be emailed to you, print it out, and then complete it by hand. >> You can pick up a copy of the form at the October 21 or November 18 RCC community meeting, and then complete it by hand. >> You can call the RCC at 336-638-1722 to ask for a copy to be mailed to you, then complete it by hand. How do I submit a nomination form? To submit your completed form, you can do any of the following:

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>> If you completed the form online, and clicked Submit, youre done! >> You can mail your completed form to the RCC at PO Box 13531, Greensboro, NC 27415. >> You can hand-deliver your completed form to an RCC Steering Committee member at the November 18 RCC community meeting, or to the offices of the Fund for Democratic Communities (620 South Elm Street, Suite 355). Keep in mind that all nomination forms must be RECEIVED no later than 11:59 pm on Friday, December 6, 2013. Where do I get information on the candidates? The RCC Nominating Committee will compile the information for all the candidates who have submitted nomination forms. This information will be made available on the RCC website and in paper format, prior to the election on December 16. Information on the candidates will be provided to all eligible voters. All RCC members will be encouraged to go to the website in the week before the election to review the candidate information, prior to the vote. Paper copies listing candidate information will also be passed out to every eligible voter the night of the election so that people can make informed choices. How will the December 16 board elections work? The election of RCC board members will follow the vote on the bylaws (assuming that the bylaws are approved). Again, only eligible voters will be allowed to participate. To accomplish this, each eligible voter will come to the registration table, where they will receive a paper ballot that lists the names of all the nominees. Each persons name will be checked against the roster of eligible voters so that we can be sure that only eligible voters participate. Each voter will mark their ballot by putting an X next to the names of the candidates they would like to see on the board. Each voter will be able to vote for up to nine (9) candidates. You dont have to use all your votes if you dont wish to. Completed ballots will be folded in half and then returned to the registration desk, where the votes will be counted. The plan is to serve a delicious catered dinner while the votes are tallied. The top nine vote getters will be elected to the board. If there is a tie between the ninth and tenth highest vote getters, the results will be determined by a coin toss. Following dinner, the results will be announced! What if I want to vote but absolutely cannot make it to the December 16 meeting? First of all, our coops success depends mightily on the regular engagement of its members; so we hope you will make every effort to attend the night of the election. However, we recognize that attendance may be difficult for people who are disabled, working night jobs, and so on. If this is the case for you, please call or email us to make arrangements to complete your ballot and turn it over in a sealed envelope to a member of the Steering Committee. Arrangements for an absentee vote must be made no later than Monday, December 9. Completed ballots must be in the custody of a Steering Committee member no later than 6:00 renaissancecoop.com ~ twitter.com/RenaissanceCoop ~ facebook.com/RenaissanceCommunityCoop

pm on Sunday, December 15. What happens after the board is elected? The night of the election, we will ask all the elected board members to come together to select the date for their first board meeting, which should take place no later than mid-January 2014. The time and date of this meeting will be publicized to all members of the Coop, in case they want to attend the board meeting. At the first meeting, the board will be randomly assigned to one-, two-, or three-year terms (three board members in each class, or group). This is a way to stagger the terms so that one-third of the board will stand for election each and every year going forward. A board member who is assigned to a one-year term in 2013 is eligible to run again in 2014and we hope many will! Also at this first meeting, board members will elect officers, as directed in the bylaws, and will figure out the schedule of board meetings for the next several months, if not the whole year. The board may also take up other important coop business. All members are welcome to attend and observe at board meetings.

renaissancecoop.com ~ twitter.com/RenaissanceCoop ~ facebook.com/RenaissanceCommunityCoop

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