1. Let’s Talk About Membership

2. What we’ll be discussing today How to structure membership - e.g. how much to charge, family/household memberships, benefits/discounts, obligations Engagement and recruitment - open, let’s talk!

3. How to Participate Click on the YouTube logo Log in if needed We will try to answer all questions Live Via email Via comment

4. What benefits should we offer? Should we give discounts? We recommend against discounts. We recommend patronage refunds instead. Other benefits: run for the board, vote, discount on special orders, occasional discount day, special member sale items, and OPENING A STORE

5. how do you feel about setting a hard "go" or "no go" date with regards to member building, ie we need X # of members by this date or we dissolve the project? Set milestones for each stage so you know when you are ready to move on to the next stage. To start a capital campaign, you’ll need 2/3 of your total membership in order to sign a lease.

6. Do you have any ideas as far as planning and marketing a 'founder members' program; to honor and give incentives to the earliest members who join? Getting creative is always great! Set a goal for the number of founding members, but be careful not to alienate those who will come after. They should not get special treatment.

7. How do you know you have enough members to go to the next stage of development? Specifically, Are there any rules of thumb for member bench marks for launching a member loan campaign?

8. Don’t ever call it a LIFETIME membership

9. How do you keep excitement in the current membership base UNTIL the store is open? Do you have ideas for creating urgency to purchase an ownership. We find we have lots of folks who just have not yet "pulled the trigger".

10. How to translate Facebook "likes" into members?

11. Do you have any suggestions for getting volunteers from your ownership to actively help with recruiting new owners. Any ideas on how to start a membership campaign where the members are recruiting (ie dinner parties, etc?)

12. Membership Toolbox http://www.foodcoopinitiative.coop/nod e/18908 http://www.foodcoopinitiative.coop/nod e/18908

13. ideas on preferred equity shares? (class C/non-voting shares)

14. has anyone had success with kickstarter or indigogo with driving member-owner equity? are there issues with incentives offered via 'crowdsourcing?

15. Creative ideas for using Food for Change (the new co-op movie) as a way to ignite membership drive?

16. Other Tools and Services: Membership Toolbox: new on our website! Checklist for the tools you need. Membership Toolbox CDS Consulting Co-op: consultants who specialize in membership and capitalization CDS Consulting Co-op Webinars: available at foodcoopinitiative.coop → Resources → Webinars → Stage II: Feasibility & Planning Best Practices of Membership Programs Member Economic Participation

17. If you have question, please email us at info@fci.coop.