owner info

Springtime search for SNFC board of director candidates

Submitted by the SNFC Board Candidate Development and Nominating Committee

Every spring your Co-op Board of Directors looks for owners to serve on the Board. The Co-op Board is seven Co-op owners, who serve three year overlapping terms. Co-op owners who joined before March 6, 2008 are eligible to run for the Board. Since there is a Co-op staff member on the Board, other staff are not eligible to run this year. Two seats are up for election this year. Candidates are nominated in the early summer with the election in early September.
The 2008 Election Schedule on page 4 is posted in the store and on the Web site also. Board Candidate Information Booklets are available at the Customer Service Desk. The Booklet has instructions, qualifications, deadlines, copies of forms that candidates need to turn in by May 24 and additional information. You can also contact the Board Candidate Development and Nominations Committee for more information and to talk with someone in more detail. Chairperson Sonny Eboigbe’s contact information is on page 2 of this Reporter. If you have ideas on how best to help recruit qualified candidates, please contact Sonny Eboigbe immediately.

SNFC needs highly qualified Board members
We are a $22 million per year cooperatively-owned enterprise serving customers from throughout the Sacramento region. This organization requires excellent management to effectively enact our Co-op vision. To attract and keep highly qualified management we need sophisticated, experienced, professional board leadership with a vision of cooperative ownership.

The years ahead are critical for SNFC. As we continue to recover from the financial loss of the
Elk Grove store and simultaneously compete for
the natural and organic food shopper, we need highly qualified Co-op owners on the Board to
meet these challenges and help steer the Coop in
the right direction.

We are recruiting candidates from the diverse communities where Co-op owners live and from the diverse communities that make up a large number of the Co-op’s owners and shoppers (Mexican-American, African-American, Asian-American,
Native American, European-American, etc.), to
participate in the election process.

Skills that candidates must bring to the Board
Board members work together and function as a body. Decisions are made by the Board in the best interest of the Co-op. Personal traits like patience, high listening index and open mindedness to diverse opinions and respect for other people’s beliefs, ideas and values are crucial in decision making. Cordiality is another required skill.

Board members understand the difference between the Board’s role in decision making and policy leadership and the General Manager’s role in operations and management leadership. As a group, the Board supervises the General Manager by holding him/her accountable for meeting mutually agreed upon goals and by not micromanaging or second-guessing management decisions.

Role of the Board
Board functions include leadership decision making and setting policy, advising owners and management, being legal trustees and symbolic representatives of the corporation and perpetuating the Board.

Leadership and policy setting are the greatest responsibilities of the Board. Long-range strategic planning establishes the vision, purpose, values and goals that give the Board, management, staff and owners a framework to operate and understand the organization. Approval of the annual budget determines short-term policy. Selecting and supervising the general manager is the Board’s most crucial area of responsibility with long-term consequences for the organization.

The Board advises owners and the General Manager by deciding if SNFC Bylaws need revision and by recommending changes to the owners for their vote. The Board provides advice on management proposals, which requires a high level of mutual respect between the Board and the General Manager.

Board members are corporate trustees with legal responsibility for managing owner’s investments and to the Co-op’s creditors. Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the Co-op remains solvent.

The Board perpetuates itself annually by recruiting for good candidates. Every year SNFC faces the question of who is going to determine how the Co-op will change to meet new challenges. We need a diverse group drawn from the best qualified SNFC owners to lead us.

General Election Schedule for 2008

Owners interested in running for the Board of Directors or in submitting measures and arguments (pro and con), or any other election-related activities should consult the Bylaws and the Election Policy and Manual. These documents are available in the Owner Binder at the Customer Service Desk in the store or by contacting Delfina Vargas, Board Administrator; Tammy Walls, Policy Committee Chair; or Sonny Eboigbe, Board Candidate Development and Nominating Committee Chair.

May 6
Last regular meeting for Board to propose a ballot measure.

May 14
Last day for owners to submit petition signatures to submit a ballot measure.

May 14
Last day to hold a special membership meeting (quorum required) to submit a ballot measure (notice must be mailed to owners 20-90 days prior).

May 24
Statement of Interest in Candidacy and Candidate Qualification forms are due for those interested in being nominated by Board Candidate Development and Nominating Committee.

June 3
Board must certify all measures for the ballot.

June 3
Quarterly Owner Meeting – Nominations may be taken from the floor if there is a quorum. Candidates nominated by Board Candidate Development and Nominating Committee are introduced.

July 5
Ballot measures are posted.

July 12
Petitions to run are due for candidates not previously nominated by the Board Candidate Development and Nominating Committee.

July 12
Declaration of Candidacy forms are due for all candidates.

July 19
Candidate statements and photos are due for inclusion in the ballot packet and posting in the store and on the website.

July 19
Arguments (pro and con) on ballot measures are due for inclusion in the ballot packet and posting in the store and on the Web site.

July 26
Rebuttals on measure arguments are due.

Aug. 5
Meet The Candidates Night - Quarterly Owner Meeting following the Board Meeting (discussion of ballot measures included).

Aug. 5
Owners must be current in their fair share investment on this date to vote in 2008 Election (new provision).

Aug. 23
Ballot packets mailed to owners who were current in fair share investment on August 5 and replacement packets available in the store.

Sept. 6
Last day to vote.

Sept. 13
Ballots must be counted and results verified.

Sept. 13
Election results are reported to the Board President, Co-op Reporter and posted in store and on Web site ASAP.

Sept. 20
Last day to file a challenge to the election.

Oct. 7
Election Committee reports election results at Board meeting.

Oct. 7
New directors are installed and take their seats.

To find out more about how you can get invovled as an owner, either how you can be a part of the election process or how you can have your voice heard, see the Getting Involved section.