Your co-op, November 2010
This article was originally published in November 2010
Board report
The topics for this month’s board report are below.
Board meeting
There was no board meeting in October. The October 27 member meeting occurred after press time. Look for a meeting report, including photos, on our website by November 10 and in the December issue of the Sound Consumer.
Next board meeting
The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be Tuesday, November 30 at 5 p.m. at the co-op office. Member comment period is at 7 p.m.
Nominating committee completing work
At press time the committee was scheduled to conduct interviews with this year’s applicants. Nominees will be announced on our website and in the January issue of the Sound Consumer.
Ends Policies monitoring overview
The PCC Ends Policies define the nature and vision of our cooperative, providing management long-term goals toward which all of its practices and initiatives are directed. Management reports to the board each year — first on its interpretation of the Global and five Ends Policies, and then on actions that demonstrated management’s compliance with the board’s directives.
See an excerpt from management’s 2010 report to the board on activities in support of Ends Policy B, next column. Visit our Policy Governance® page for a complete list of our Ends Policies.
Ends-B: PCC membership is a respected and valued choice.
- Interpretation
Management interprets Ends Policy B as a mandate that PCC’s actions support members’ high regard for PCC membership. They should have reasons to believe that they receive a very fair value for their investment. They should also have solid evidence that collectively their memberships enable PCC to take action in areas they support such as sustainable agriculture, farmland preservation, personal and environmental health, and a vibrant local economy. They also should feel confident in embracing PCC as a sustainable business model worthy of acknowledgement and replication. - Report
Compliance indicators in this report include, but are not limited to, the experience of the Member Bonus Discount program (MBD).The economic benefit to members, an important element of overall appreciation of PCC membership, was reflected through use of the MBD program throughout 2009. As in 2008, members were offered a coupon for 10 percent off their purchases on a day of their choice each month, as well as a 5 percent discount on the 15th and 16th of each month. Then, based on PCC’s ability to handle the additional expense late in the year, they also were offered an additional 10 percent floating discount day in November and in December.
Member bonus discounts
In June, July and August, PCC coupon books were inserted into home-delivered copies of the Sound Consumer. The coupons offered significant savings to members beyond the MBD discounts and were very well received. The coupon books had a positive impact on our summer sales and, due to promotional copy throughout, they helped to remind members of our many ongoing community programs.
Throughout the year, 41,706 member numbers, or 94.2 percent of total members, were scanned to receive one or more of the member bonus discounts. A total of $2,857,032 in discounts was returned to members (excluding staff), an increase of 8.2 percent over the prior year.