Saturday May 21st

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– A Century of Grocery Retailing and Food Cooperation in America

How can we know who we are and where we are going if we don’t know where we have come from? This session explores the fascinating, frustrating and inspirational history of modern grocery retailing and the waves of food co-op formation that emerged alongside.

Presented by: Jon Steinman

Session Location: Badger State

– Juicing Up Your Vision

Vision is not a spectator sport, come get in the middle of the action with JQ Hannah and learn how to engage and activate your startup food co-op’s owners through utilizing a simple visioning technique that can be used in multiple ways in your organizing! The Vision cornerstone of organizing is all about collective, community vision – what does that mean? And how do we gather the input we need to make our co-op’s vision a truly collaborative one that is of the community, rather than for the community? This is not going to be a sitting on the sidelines session, expect a little bit of formal education on the topic and a whole lot of doing, learning hands-on with your startup peers what collective vision work is and how to do at your co-op. You don’t have to have any facilitation experience to learn this technique, it can even be led virtually once you’ve got the basics down, and all methods of using it will lead to more juice in your co-op’s organization.

Presented by: JQ Hannah

Session Location: Badger State

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Pre-Opening Outreach at Willy St.

It’s important to capitalize on the excitement and anticipation leading up to the opening of a new store; it is much tougher to get media interest once you’ve already been open for a few months! Learn about Willy Street Co-op’s outreach and promotion in preparation to open two of their three stores, and get actionable ideas that can be scaled depending upon your budget. 

Presented by: Brendon Smith

Session Location: Badger State

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Heather Lazickas will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s Vision sessions all about knowing our history, building our vision cooperatively, and getting the word out about our future. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to succeed. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day! 

Presented by: Heather Lascikas

Session Location: Badger State

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Insiders’ Guide to Project Management

What’s a Project Manager anyway? What do they do? Should we hire one? When should we hire one?

We’ll look at the process of developing the co-op—the organization, the store and the staff. We’ll talk about the many tasks and roles involved and how to decide whether to hire someone to be responsible for some—or most or all—of them.

I’ll share my experiences developing stores for Durham Co-op Market and Whole Foods Market. You’ll share your insights and thoughts about your own co-op and together we’ll see what answers we find!  

Presented by: Don Moffitt

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

– Governance: How to Get Stuff Done

This interactive workshop will explore best practice approaches to being productive as a board of directors. We’ll dive into board culture, best practices for meetings, clear roles and delegation, systems and tools, JEDI/DEI, and how to have fun along the way. We’ll explore accountability–what it looks like, what it takes to do well, creating reporting standards, and combining accountability and kindness. You’ll leave with concrete examples and tools for your board toolbox.

Presented by: Joel Kopischke

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– All Things Committees

It’s impossible for a board of a startup to lead its co-op through organizing to open without a whole lot of delegating to and empowering of others, and that means committees are a necessity! Yet how many startups have attempted to launch a committee only to have it crash or, worse, have launched a committee only to have it somehow take more capacity out of the board than if they had just done the work themselves? Which committees should a startup have? Which ones tend to work? What the heck is a “committee charter”? Nevermind, we know what a charter is, but what’s the point of it, no one reads it! In this session we’ll answer all the burning questions about creating committees that empower owners to engage and actually expand your startup’s organizing capacity. This will be an interactive session, come ready to share your experiences (the good and the ugly) as well as engage in group activities. Bonus:  you’ll walk away with sample committee budgets and reporting documents you can put to work at your co-op!

Presented by: JQ Hannah

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Siobain Mitchell will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s Talent sessions focused on effective board work and delegation to staff and committees. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to succeed. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day!

Presented by: Siobain Mitchell

Session Location: Starkweather Creek

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Store Development “Weather Report”

The past few years have shown us that the way customers obtain and consume their food is changing – almost as quickly as the weather! We’ll check the store development forecast by exploring what’s happening on the ground in co-ops right now with Kevin (Operations Manager at Hunger Mountain) and how that impacts and informs startups. We’ll hit on store design trends (including models that break with the traditional natural foods co-ops), programming (especially prepared foods!), and how to be ready for the changing conditions.

Presented by: Nicole Klimek, Kevin O’Donnell

Session Location: Blue Mound

– Capital Campaign Data Management Success Stories

Talking about data doesn’t sound all that fun. But it’s so VERY important, especially when your co-op is on the verge of a capital campaign. Join industry experts Patti Mckenna and Katie Novak to talk about the importance of data in relation to cooperative capital campaigns. You’ll learn data preparation best practices AND check out two potential strategies for organizing and using that data to raise money.

Presented by: Katie Novak, Patti McKenna

Session Location: Blue Mound

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Managing Consultants

So you’ve secured some funds to hire help – now what? Learn how to maximize consultants’ expertise and time to enhance your own capacity in understanding cooperative development and the grocery business. 

Presented by: Cassia Herron

Session Location: Blue Mound

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– How to Raise Capital through Donations

Ownership equity and participation are a necessary cornerstone of cooperative finance for every start-up food co-op. However, some community members might want to support the co-op through other methods. Cooperative Development Services has pioneered a tax-advantaged charitable contribution approach and is expanding options nationally. This panel of cooperators will share strategies for leveraging individual contributions, donor-advised funds, employer matches, community foundation grants, and more.

Presented by: Kevin Edberg, Facilitator; Panelists: Vicky Chaput, Jess Buttimer, Rusty Foszcz

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

– Accounting and Taxation for Start-ups

Learn what startups need to maintain accountable and legal financial records, pay taxes and manage the income from capital campaigns. You may not be open for business, but the IRS is watching!

Presented by: Bruce Mayer, Brian Dahlk

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

– Everything You Need to Know about Capital Campaign Timelines

The FCI Capital Campaign Workbook, aka the Capital Campaign Bible, is the foundation for successful cooperative fundraising. In this session, we’ll take that foundation and build both a timeline and workplan to ensure that your co-op is on the right track to raise the funds needed to open its doors.

Presented by: Katie Novak

Session Location: State St. Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Food for All

We all want our new food cooperatives to be welcoming and accessible to everyone.  That drive is in keeping with our shared principles and values.  However, as enterprises, we must maintain a viable business.  Many of us have and are struggling to synthesize thoughtful solutions while feeling the strain of the tension created between these associational purposes and business imperatives – even more so as we experience inflation and economic volatility.  In this workshop, we will discuss the strategic and tactical approaches that have produced positive results for cooperatives as institutions and for those that might have otherwise been marginalized due to economic hardship.  Yes, we can embrace our full communities and build even stronger businesses through Food for All!

Presented by: Dan Arnett

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

– Help Us See What U(&)C: How to Make Social Media Posts Accessible

Nikki Jackson, Disabled accessibility advocate, is joining us again this year to teach us step-by-step how to make our social media posts accessible to all. She will share best practices for writing and implementing image descriptions, Alt-text and closed captioning. Platforms covered in this interactive learning experience will include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Added bonus: these skills are transferable to other print communications, ie emails, newsletters, and flyers as well! If cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive co-op is important to you, don’t miss this workshop.

Presented by: Nikki Jackson

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Beyond the Words: Moving the Co-op Community towards Racial & Economic Justice

Food co-ops, their development support organizations, funders, and others have increasingly devoted attention to articulating statements emphasizing commitments to racial and economic justice – especially focused on achieving these through equity and inclusion efforts. How do these institutions demonstrate an understanding of the systems of oppression that have led to these injustices? How can they identify ways in which they may have been complicit in the reproduction of those harms? And, what visible action might they take to address the problem beyond statements? Based on findings from interviews with Black food co-op developers and consultants outside of the co-op community who are effectively leveraging equity and inclusion strategies internally and with clients, as well as others, this session will present tangible recommendations for addressing these questions. Participants will be invited to discuss and reflect on these challenges and solutions together. New opportunities to heal, forge, and renew relationships in our cooperative communities are ahead of us.

Presented by: Jamila Medley

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Jade Barker will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s JEDI sessions focused on walking our talk as food co-ops and creating our new cooperatives with JEDI principles woven into the very root of our co-ops’ origins. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to truly represent and empower our communities. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day! 

Presented by: Jade Barker

Session Location: Williamson St. Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Advocating for Cooperatives

Join R.L. Condra with National Cooperative Bank and Kate LaTour with National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA for an overview on Congressional and federal policies that affect the development of food cooperatives. Advocacy is a critical component to helping co-ops and the cooperative movement grow and thrive. In this session, you’ll learn about programs that impact start-up food co-ops and how you can help be an advocate for them.

Presented by: R.L.Condra, Kate LaTour

Session Location: Military Ridge

– Why Some Co-ops (Still) Fail

No one sets out to start a co-op that will fail, but some do. Yet even co-ops that had to close have succeeded in exposing their communities to cooperation and built new social connections. What else can we learn from them? You can prepare for potential challenges by understanding what caused other co-ops to struggle and often by avoiding common mistakes. Based on true stories! (and you do NOT want to be featured in a future version of this presentation!)

Presented by: Stuart Reid

Session Location: Military Ridge

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom

– Organizing for Black Food Sovereignty (Panel)

How can food co-ops be a tool for not just providing healthy food for communities but also to further movement for racial and economic justice? How do efforts to develop Black-led food co-ops in cities connect with the movement to restore Black farming and Black ownership of land? What is the role of shared learning and study within the Black food justice and cooperative economics movement? Join us for a spirited conversation with Black cooperators from Gem City Market, Fertile Ground Co-op and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance.

Presented by: Darnell Adams (Facilitator), Dr. Jasmine Ratliff, Kenya Baker, Erin Dale McClellan

Session Location: Military Ridge

– Community Table Session

Join us for a facilitated peer conversation about everything and anything that was covered in this track today! Stuart Reid will be facilitating this space where we’ll identify the topics the room most wants to discuss from the day’s Big Picture sessions about imagining the future of our movement. We’ll break into dynamic, shifting peer groupings to discuss the topics identified by those in the room and we’ll use these group conversations to capture insights, and identify where there might be more information/tools that we, as a movement, need to truly represent and empower our communities. These sessions will be incredible opportunities to build your connections with peer co-ops across the country as well as solidify your learning from the day!

Presented by: Stuart Reid

Session Location: Military Ridge

Location: Capitol Square Ballroom