So you want to be a member of Outpost’s Board of Directors – PLEASE APPLY NOW! 

This is an awesome opportunity to meet other skilled and interesting folks who love Outpost and bring their experiences and judgment to the table.

There will be three openings and we have a total of nine members of the Board.  Our election runs for 15 days starting on March 20, 2016 for a three-year term.  We continue to seek to diversify our members in all realms of personal background and experience. 

I will have served six and a half years on the Board when I “retire” this spring. When I first applied in 2009, I did not know much about co-operatives and their role in the community, and nothing about how a co-operative board operates.  It is probably different from any other board you may have served on – we actually set some concrete goals and strive our best to achieve them in a timely manner. 

Our board is NOT an “honorary” board where attendance is optional.  With only nine members, each person’s input is expected and valued at every meeting.  There is NO fundraising, but there is quite a bit of hands-on committee work with progress and results reported to the full Board for its consideration.

And unlike other boards you may have served on, board members have no day-to-day responsibilities for the running of Outpost; that is in the capable hands of our management team and general manager.  We “only” deal with policy, long-term strategic planning, monitoring of our general manager’s performance, capital allocations, community outreach, etc.

As with any organization, the more you give, the more you get.  I have acquired new skills including strategic thinking, increased financial literacy, consensus building and a lot about the retail cooperative grocery business.  Outpost has taught me so much about the values of a co-operative and the impact of co-operative principles upon community building.

So please, please, lend us your skills, congeniality and passion and APPLY NOW!  The deadline for applications is February 1 at 9pm.  The application can be found at www.outpost.coop/board_nominations. As a co-operative, democracy is one of our cardinal principles and we strongly invite YOU to participate!  See you at the Annual Meeting on March 20 when the voting begins!

Nancy Ettenheim

Board Treasurer