2025 Board Election

Our ownership is diverse and talented. We know that many of you are qualified and willing to serve. Serving on the Open Harvest Board is a responsibility and an opportunity open to all Owners in good standing*.

Within the cooperative structure, Open Harvest Owners, Management, and the Board each have their own particular duties to perform. Guided by the mission statement and goals of the Co-op, the Board concentrates on strategic decision making, long-term planning, and on the business’s financial soundness. An active, well-qualified board is essential to a healthy co-op.

*Good standing: membership must be paid in full and in applicant’s name, not the name of another member of your household.

Directors serve for a term of three years and commit to working at least 3-5 hours per month. That time is spent reviewing the Board Packet materials prior to a meeting; the monthly, 2 hour board meeting; and it’s typical to have at least one committee meeting, action items, and/or activities per month. The board also has events and trainings we attend throughout the year. 

For their committed service, directors receive an annual stipend of $150, provided quarterly as a store gift card. But there are so many other benefits to board service including leadership development, personal and professional growth, having a positive impact on our community and co-op, building financial acumen, practice in strategic thinking and planning, and learning about Policy Governance.

The board uses a formal system known as Policy Governance to establish a structure for our work. The Policy Register is the document which sets out the details of how we apply policy governance. The Register describes the roles and responsibilities of the board, and the methods it uses to oversee the co-op. Check out the Board Policy Register for the complete set of board policies. 

• Support and develop the Ends Statement and other policies to reflect the needs of owners
• Ensure financial solvency and integrity of the co-op by reviewing monitoring reports
• Support the mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives of the co-op
• Keep informed on the affairs of the co-op and come prepared to discuss issues before the Board
• Evaluate performance based on monitoring reports and external audits
• Learn about the natural foods industry and cooperative organizations
• Learn about and practice Policy Governance   
• Consider at all times owners input in decision making
• Keep owners informed about the affairs of the cooperative

These are some of the skill sets that lend well to work with the Open Harvest Board, and are desired, but not required, in our next set of directors.

• Critical thinking: Capacity to be objective and open-minded to evaluate information with reason, reflection, and analysis.  
• Continuous learning: A passion for learning new concepts through training and independent research, and contributing to building the board’s collective wisdom.
• Communication and interpersonal skills: Ability to write articles, speak in public, and other communication with small and large groups. To also convey ideas, problem-solve, listen, and participate in consensus decision making processes with respect.
• Social justice experience: Understand systems of oppression.
• Natural food and retail industry: Knows the trends, opportunities, and challenges of the retail industry, specifically the natural food market.
• Board experience: Knowledge of the qualities of effective boards.
• Legal knowledge: Ability to read and understand legal language, concepts, bylaws, and other legal materials.
• Financial acumen: Understand financial benchmarks and documents.
• Community representation: Experience representing a community through engagement.