Board of Directors

Open Harvest’s Board of Directors is comprised of nine elected co-op owners who serve the co-op for three-year terms. The board typically meets virtually 12 times a year on the first Tuesday of the month, at 6:30 p.m. Co-op owners are welcome to observe; your advance RSVP is politely requested. Please email board@openharvest.coop in advance of the meeting to indicate your intention to attend. This will allow us to provide you the virtual meeting link.

How Does the Board Operate?

Open Harvest’s Board of Directors uses a formal system known as policy governance to establish a structure for its 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. This type of governance uses policies to guide the General Manager (GM) to progress towards stated goals (Ends) of the co-op while staying within established boundaries. Through reports from the General Manager, external reports, and the board’s internal monitoring, policies and goals are evaluated and updated regularly. The policies and Ends Statement serve as a guide for the General Manager and establish guidelines for the board’s evaluation of the GM’s performance.

Using Policy Governance helps ensure that the board does not involve itself in any areas of co-op operations, while ensuring that the business runs optimally. Through the Ends Statement, the board establishes the vision and goals that co-op management is to pursue and achieve. The GM decides how to achieve these Ends and presents the board with documentation showing that they have achieved them. The board then reviews the presented information, determining if the Ends have been met.

In addition to managing the General Manager through Policy Governance, the co-op’s board also embarks on study to garner a greater understanding of food co-ops and related industry issues.

Board Policy Register, May 2024

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee meets monthly on the Third Wednesday of each month from 7pm- 8pm

To request an invitation, click here.

Board Meeting Minutes

The Open Harvest Board of Directors meets at 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM on the first Tuesday of each month. Meetings are open to all member-owners who wish to attend. If you would like to suggest an item for the agenda, or to express your viewpoint on an issue coming before the board, please contact the Board Chair at board@openharvest.coop before the next scheduled meeting.

Board Calendar 2023-2024

Board Meeting Minutes

To request additional meeting minutes, please email board@openharvest.coop

Bylaws & Articles

Bylaws

The Bylaws set out the terms of Co-op membership, election and duties of the Board of Directors, duties of officers, duties of the General Manager, and meetings of the membership. The bylaws are set by the Board of Directors and changes are approved by a vote of the membership.

Open Harvest Bylaws, November 2023

Articles

The Articles of Incorporation set out the business structure and purpose of the Co-op. They also set out how the Co-op is capitalized (through the equity payments of member-owners), and they empower the Board of Directors to draft and amend bylaws.

Annual Report

Each year the Co-op releases a report around the time of the annual member meeting. This report includes a report from the GM, the balance sheet, and an income statement compared to previous years. The annual report gives member-owners an opportunity to track the Co-op’s progress over time.

View our latest Annual Report here: https://openharvest.coop/annual-report/