Six Questions about the Food Co-op Impact Survey

What is the Food Co-op Impact Survey and why should my co-op complete it?

The Food Co-op Impact Survey is a questionnaire that asks all NCG co-ops the same 23 questions about different aspects of their social and environmental impact.
Many co-ops tell us that this survey helps their general manager with data collection for annual reporting to their board and membership.
Co-ops complete the survey in NCG’s sustainability database, Co+efficient, or for co-ops that prefer completing the survey in an Excel spreadsheet, that option is also available. Guides are available to assist co-ops in using either option.
The Food Co-op Impact Survey webpage is the best place to find information about the survey, including a list of survey questions, guides for using Co+efficient or Excel to collect data, and guides that offer advice for collecting data for each question.
For more support, check out the Co+op U Food Co-op Impact Survey Webinar series, which includes guidance on how to prepare for and complete the survey, as well as webinars designed to assist different staff roles at your co-op in finding the data for answering questions pertaining to their area of expertise (i.e., marketing, HR, finance, point of sale specialist). You can also watch short interviews with tips from your peers at co-ops that regularly complete the survey.
Participation in the survey is optional, but it’s very important! The survey supplies NCG with data we need to communicate how much food co-ops benefit their communities to shoppers, industry partners and Congress.

Data released to NCG in the survey is confidential. Only a few NCG staff involved in data analysis have access to individual co-ops’ answers, and individual responses are not used or shared by NCG.
NCG shares some of the combined results of the survey in an annual Food Co-op Impact Report, published each spring. The report shares the impact of “the average food co-op.”

We ask each co-op to designate two contacts who are able to complete the impact survey in Co+efficient. Only one person needs to complete the survey (one survey per co-op); the other person can assist or provide back-up.
If you’d like to see who your designated “Co+efficient Users” are, search for your co-op on NCG’s website. You will be able to see designated staff roles.

The survey is open throughout the year and metrics can be entered at any point in time, but each year’s data must be completely entered and released to NCG by February 28 to be included in reporting.
For co-ops that release a full set of food co-op impact survey metrics by our early bird deadline of February 19, NCG will offer $1,000 payable to the co-op to help offset each co-op for staff labor hours.

Yes! In fact, there are optional “bonus questions” included in the survey for this purpose.
Co-ops that answer bonus questions in the “optional” areas of the survey will be entered into a drawing to win $2,500! For each bonus question answered by February 28, your co-op will be entered into a drawing for $2,500, payable to the co-op. Four prizes will be awarded.

Co+efficient is the name of NCG’s online sustainability database.
Co-ops can use Co+efficient to collect data for annual reporting, business planning and goal setting.
The name Co+efficient was thought up by sustainability staff because “coefficient” is a math term (h/t to the data crunchers out there) that describes a multiplier effect, kind of like how co-ops can have a positive multiplier effect on our world when we work together!

Still have questions? Please get in touch with me (Cole Hawthorne), I’m here to support you.