Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is celebrating its 50th year in operation, and the board of directors is focusing on creating a robust dialogue with community members. One tactic entailed holding “office hours” though the month of November as an opportunity to collect feedback and converse with members, with directors in the store to talk to members during peak shopping times.
“Our board is always thinking about and exploring ways to engage more and more with our members,” Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op board member Arnold Sowell said. “On top of our board meetings, we have events throughout the year where we engage with our members, such as the annual meeting, Spring Fling, Fall Festival, and what we call Sip and Savors. At each of these events we have product vendors, music, food and beverages, as well as a board table.”
Sowell said that although several board members are in attendance at these, the events often are not conducive for direct interactions and conversations between co-op members and the board. In an attempt to improve this, several months ago, one of Sacramento’s board members suggested holding in-store board office hours. After some discussion, the board members agreed this was a great idea, and they are now piloting the board office hours concept in store.
As part of the pilot program, the board is assessing which days of the week and hours of the day work best for engaging with members, as well as compiling the types of questions and issues that might be on members’ minds. Co-op staff promotes the in-store office hours through various social media and member engagement channels.
Throughout the week, two or three board members sign up for two-hour time slots to table in the store’s seating area. Conversations have ranged from issues regarding policy governance, board accessibility, and the co-op’s upcoming election process, as well as store product offerings and other operational issues that are passed on to the appropriate co-op staff.
Sowell said the board plans to have a discussion about what they have learned from the in-store office hours at their December board meeting.
“I will be very interested in hearing what my fellow board members have to say,” Sowell said.
