Member-Owner Participation at Board Meetings
MNFC Board of Directors meetings are usually scheduled for 6:00 pm on one Wednesday a month, and these meetings are open to all MNFC Member-Owners. The meeting agenda always allots time at the beginning of the meeting for “member business”, an opportunity for Member-Owners to address the Board. Please reach out to board@middlebury.coop if you are interested in joining.
It may be helpful to understand some unique features of how MNFC works. The MNFC Board of Directors operates under the principles of Policy Governance, which means that we have spent a lot of time defining what we do and how we do it. We set policy guidelines and limitations for the General Manager (GM) and monitor adherence, but empower the GM to run the operations independently within those guidelines. When a Member-Owner makes a request or raises an issue or concern at a Board meeting, it will be determined if it relates to policy or policy implementation and hence relates to Board work, or if the request is operational and therefore falls within the responsibilities of the General Manager. For example, matters related to Member-Owner benefits, committee activity, and questions or issues related to bylaws, are generally Board work. Matters related to store policies, advertising, product line selection, donations to community organizations or activities, or specific issues of the retail organization have been delegated to the General Manager by the Board of Directors.
Some things to consider in making the best use of time are:
- If there are printed materials that provide necessary background, provide these to the Board President or the General Manager ahead of time so they can be disseminated.
- Please limit your comments during the Open Member Forum to five minutes.
- If you feel that five minutes is not enough time to address your concerns, you may send an email or letter to the Board of Directors.
- At the discretion of the Board President, and with advance notice, a Member-Owner’s input may be added as an agenda item.
- Requests for information and answers to questions from the Board of Directors will typically not be immediate, and will be discussed or resolved at the next scheduled meeting. The Board speaks with one voice and we want to make certain that we have given your comment or concern the attention it deserves.
- You may speak with any Director about your concerns at any time, but be aware that the Board speaks with one voice, meaning the Director can not respond to you on behalf of the Board without discussing your concerns at a full Board meeting.
- The Board may decide that your concern is an issue that is best delegated to the General Manager and therefore refer you to the GM for next response or steps.
We always look forward to hearing from you!