A Simpler CGN Dues Structure

The Cooperative Grocer Network (CGN) board of directors held a retreat in early March 2017, before and during the Up & Coming food co-op conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One result of our work was a decision to simplify our annual dues structure. Our goal is to ensure that CGN membership is affordable for food co-ops of all sizes, including startup groups that don’t yet have “doors on the store.” We aim to build and maintain an organization that is broad, diverse, vibrant, and inclusive.

We decided to adjust and lower our annual dues, using a structure that encourages startup teams to join and encourages established co-ops to support them. CGN has always been an information hub that helps groups and individuals identify, select, and understand the resources available to them. From the smallest co-ops to the largest multi-store operations, we encourage the growth of our sector and the sharing of co-op experience and wisdom.

And of course we love plants and the natural world. We are using the metaphor of the forest—of a strong co-op canopy of trees bound by a common root system—to describe the resilient cooperative community we are a part of.

During our membership drive this July, your co-op will see an invitation to join or continue affiliation with CGN during the upcoming year. Members receive two free subscriptions to Cooperative Grocer magazine, free job listings at grocer.coop, and access to the member-only portions of the CGN website. We have exciting plans this next year for more connectivity and easier organic sharing among our co-ops and their support organizations. We also spread the good word to the general public about our common goals and aspirations.

Please join us and consider a sponsorship that makes CGN available not only to the board and staff of your own co-op (or associate member organization), but also to one or more of the emerging groups that are bringing the principles and values of cooperation to new communities across the U.S. and Canada. And thank you for the work you do on behalf of food co-ops! ♦