On behalf of our co-ops, NCG acts as an advocacy voice for food co-op issues on a national level. Although the number of issues that face us are many, our time and resources are unfortunately limited. As a result, NCG must prioritize the shared concerns of our co-ops.

This is no small task and we are grateful for the help and support of NCG’s Advocacy Advisory Committee (AAC), whose primary purpose is to serve as a resource for input and feedback on our advocacy guidelines.

The committee met quarterly in 2014 to give these guidelines a thorough review and presented recommendations to co-op DRs at the 2015 spring meeting. Subsequent reviews are generally conducted on a biennial basis.

Co-ops can get involved in NCG’s advocacy work through the AAC in two ways. First, any NCG co-op may make a recommendation to revise the advocacy guidelines by taking these steps:

• Draft a proposed new guideline or changes to an existing guideline. Your proposal should be specific. In the case of new guidelines, please include information about which existing guidelines should be deprioritized in order to support time and resource allocation to new activity.
• Follow your co-op’s internal process as appropriate (e.g. consult your general manager and/or board) to receive your co-op’s formal support for the proposed revision.
• Your NCG designated rep should send your proposed revisions to NCG advocacy senior manager Allie Mentzer, who will distribute them to members of the advocacy committee.
• Your proposed changes will be reviewed by AAC members and NCG staff. If supported, the committee will present recommended changes to the full membership at the next possible annual member meeting.

The second way to get involved is to apply to serve as a committee member. As terms expire or committee members retire, NCG issues a formal call for interested candidates. All candidates must be GMs/DRs or co-op employees for whom marketing, communications or advocacy work is included in their job description. All candidates must also be reviewed and recommended by their corridor steering committee.

Serving on the committee is both an opportunity and a responsibility, as committee members represent not just their own co-op but the interests of all co-ops. It also provides a front row seat to learn first-hand about NCG’s strategy, approach and ongoing work on advocacy issues.

If you are interested in serving on AAC, contact your corridor advisor or NCG advocacy senior manager Allie Mentzer when you hear our call for candidates.

To learn more about NCG’s advocacy work, read the latest Advocacy Report, or NCG Advocacy Behind the Scenes.