About Maple Street Co-op

From "Maple Street Co-op News", Apr/May 2003
Vision Statement and Strategic Plan
by Suzanne Davidson

My first meeting as a new director of the Maple Street Co-op – an all-day Strategic Planning Workshop on Sunday 9 February [2003] – turned out be an unexpectedly fun, interesting, worthwhile and productive day. Facilitated with considerable skill and good grace by Jill Jordan, and hosted at the home of director Trish Brunton (with special catering by staff member Sue Verstraten), the meeting was attended by directors Leigh Findlay, Al Tudorin, Kamala Alister, Sidonie Bouchet and myself, together with Co-op Manager Alan Harrington, Secretary Mary Meadows and dedicated staff member Rod Castle.

As one of the founders of the Co-op, Jill suggested it would be helpful to reflect on where the Coop has come from and what it has achieved to date.

The Maple Street Co-op has been in existence for 24 years, having been established in 1979 in response to a need expressed within the Maleny community to buy and sell healthy food, and a conviction by a small group of pioneering locals that they could form a cooperative to make this happen.
Withstanding birthing pains and periods of financial difficulty, not to mention social, environmental, technological, legal and political change, the Co-op has evolved and matured into the viable, vibrant organisation with a main-street presence that it is today.

Our Vision Statement

Looking towards the future, the strategic planners created a Vision Statement for Maple Street Cooperative:

"Maple Street Co-operative is a colourful community hub of creative and vibrant energy which provides friendly, efficient and positive service by a happy, empowered staff.

"The pro-active directors, staff and supporters strive to 'walk their talk', providing education and access to natural, non-toxic organic products and services that are holistic, ethical and healthenhancing to an informed and discerning membership.

"Housed in a state-of-the-art, environment-friendly building [well, this is a vision], the Maple Street Co-op is a progressive and all-embracing model for other sustainable cooperatives."

Our Strategic Plan

However beautiful a vision this may be, it means little without the actions to support it and help it
become reality. These six key objectives were identified for the Co-op over the next couple of years:

1. Develop ideas and implement physical spatial changes;
2. Expand our product base;
3. Improve and extend communications;
4. Set goals and improve profitability;
5. Improve our accountability measures;
6. Develop alliances/partnerships.

Ideas to implement these objectives flowed in abundance, but practicalities of time and money naturally impose their limitations. Some potentially interesting ideas were of necessity left by the wayside due to lack of "ownership". However, Jill ensured that we each took responsibility for those activities we prioritised as most important, otherwise they simply weren't going to be implemented. So, to fulfill the above objectives, the directors and staff of the Maple Street Co-op have undertaken to carry out the following key activities:

• Improve the use of shop space

This recommendation includes improving the lighting and free-standing shelving space, and designing and building a new counter. This will be co-ordinated by director Al Tudorin, who will work in conjunction with the Co-op Manager, Staff and interested Director Sidonie Bouchet. Al is an architect with expertise in interior design and project management, and also has a focus on environmentally sustainable building designs and materials.

• Conduct a member survey

Aquestionnaire is to be developed and distributed to members and customers as a means of researching new product lines and services that the Co-op can provide. It's to be co-ordinated by Alan Harrington and the Co-op staff, especially Rod Castle and Lori Sturtz. The survey will enable your Co-op to keep in touch with members' needs, and to identify areas for improvement and expansion of products and services. We hope members will be actively involved in supporting this objective by completing the questionnaire and sharing their ideas.

• Develop a Maple Street Co-op website

We think this is an exciting initiative! The initial purpose of a website would be to provide information and education, with the possibility at a later stage for commercial transactions. "Maple Street Co-op News" editor Ruth Parnell has prepared a detailed proposal on this. She suggests that a website
could:
- disseminate a wealth of information from past and current editions of the newsletter;
- include links to other like-minded information sources as well as Co-op suppliers and newsletter contributors and advertisers;
- make available documents such as "The Start-up of Maple Street Co-op", Jill Jordan's history of the formation and evolution of the Co-op, and a link to the website source for the Cooperatives Act;
- expand the profile of the Co-op locally, nationally and globally by highlighting the Co-op's ethical principles, practices and processes and expanding access to Co-op resources, information and products.

In time, the website could potentially provide a service to members for ordering various goods, and could even include an Internet mail order service.

An "in principle" agreement has been made by the Board to proceed with the website, and an initial Website Steering Committee has been established, comprising Ruth Parnell, Kamala Alister, Suzanne Davidson and Alan Harrington. The committee is developing a broad map of site content and investigating time-frames and costings to establish and maintain the website. Stay tuned!

• Establish educational programs and alliances

The Co-op has already hosted a number of workshops and information evenings on health matters. Mary Meadows and Sidonie Bouchet have expressed an interest in continuing to develop this educational
program, identifying topics of interest to members and the community and sourcing presenters. Possible topics for future workshops or seminars relate to matters of physical, emotional and spiritual health, growing plants and food, healthy cooking, environmental and social issues, and more. Your ideas and suggestions are welcome!

Another important role that the Maple Street Co-op currently performs is in providing education and information on the formation and function of cooperatives. Alan Harrington is frequently asked to give tours of the Co-op and advice to school groups and Australian and overseas visitors, which indicates that there is a local, national and international demand for information on cooperatives.

As Maleny has more cooperatives per capita than anywhere else in the world except Spain, the Board will be looking at the potential to develop this educational role for the Co-op. Kamala Alister is particularly
interested in creating a network of Maleny cooperatives through which to expand alliances and partnerships with overseas co-operatives. Kamala and her husband Paul Alister have produced a video documentary on Maleny's co-operative movement – "Creating Prosperous Communities" – which serves as a useful educational tool.

• Develop a social audit

Trish Brunton, Leigh Findlay and Al Tudorin have expressed interest in preparing and implementing a "social audit" to examine and evaluate ways in which the Co-op interfaces with the community. A "suggestions/comments" book is to be set up in the shop to encourage and invite members' and
customers' feedback to the Co-op. Trish is also interested in looking at ways of improving the Coop's profitability and accountability, including implementing triple-bottom-line accounting measures. There will also be an annual review of the Co-op's strategic plan and internal policies.

All in all, the Strategic Planning day was a great success. It is indeed encouraging and inspiring to be a member of the Co-op Board alongside such dedicated directors. A big thank-you goes to Jill Jordan for her gifted facilitation which was integral to the day's success. Let's all look forward to seeing our cooperative efforts translate the vision into reality!

[Edited from "Maple Street Co-op News", Apr/May 2003]

[Suzanne Davidson was a Director of Maple Street Co-op from late 2002 to early 2005.]