Fellow Co-op Owners—February is here and typically, we would be getting ready to start recruiting for new Directors for your Co-op. Instead, we have an exciting update!
Since the early 2000s our Co-op’s Annual Meeting has been part of one of Madison’s iconic festivals, La Fete de Marquette, on Madison’s east side. This has been done in an effort to support La Fete financially and make it possible to combine our annual meeting with a party to celebrate Ownership.
For the past two years, we have held our Annual Meeting virtually and forgone the party. We have missed the opportunity to see Owners in person but it has been the best option in a season of uncertainty. During this time, your Board of Directors and Co-op management have taken some time to evaluate what we would like our Annual Meeting and Owner appreciation events to look like in the future. In light of how our community has grown, we have decided to make a few changes.
Some of the criteria we considered in the evaluation of future Annual Meetings were: weather, labor costs, and communities represented at the Annual Meeting. We determined that separating the Annual Meeting from weather patterns, moving towards lower labor requirements (especially in a season of historic labor shortages), and rotating the Annual Meeting location within our three store communities would be more effective ways to connect with Owners and use Co-op resources wisely.
Starting this year, the Co-op’s Annual Meeting & Party will change a little bit. We have decided to move our Annual Meeting from July to October, which will enable us to present a more accurate year in review, including financial information. Our new Annual Meeting format will be more flexible and able to move to each of our three store communities on a rotating basis. We will be able to maintain a virtual option for those unable to attend in person; we will also have the opportunity to connect more intimately with Owners through in-person engagement activities. A few other perks will include drinks, snacks, and opportunities to cast your ballots for Board members on-site.
The Co-op will continue to have a presence at and sponsor at La Fete de Marquette, though it will look a little bit different than it has in the past. We will also continue developing our relationships with the Good Neighbor Festival and are looking to establish a partnership with a festival on the north side of Madison. This will enable all Owners to have opportunities to enjoy their local festivals with perks and benefits sponsored by the Co-op.
Board Elections
Like I mentioned earlier, this means that our annual routine will be a little bit delayed this year. We will begin recruiting for new Board candidates in June and ask for applications to be turned in by September 1. In the past we started recruiting in March and had applications due on June 1. Elections will be held in October instead of July.
We do not take changes to our previous Annual Meeting and Party lightly; we believe that these changes will make our meetings and Owner engagement efforts more inclusive and a better use of Co-op resources.
All that said, we are excited to see you! Our fingers are crossed that in-person events will be safe this year. Now, we have three different festivals to congregate at and an Annual Meeting format that will be more conducive to detailed year in review updates Owners are looking for.
Thank you
We would like to thank you for your continued support of our community and our cooperative. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or areas of clarification. Your Board can be reached at board@willystreet.coop and the Board plus some management can be reached at all-board@willystreet.coop. Happy February, all!
