the project has A) identified possible means to increase cooperative trade by the end of
May 2004 and B) developed the first such tool to the point of public beta testing by
December 2004 and public official release by end of March 2005. Going forward, the
project will C) outreach to cooperatives to connect them with the tools during the spring
of 2005 and D) follow up to see if program(s) had intended effect by the end of August
2005.
Noémi Giszpenc was primarily responsible as project coordinator for moving the
program along. She received support from the staff of the Cooperative Development
Institute, the sponsoring organization of Cooperative Life, as well as from fellow board
members of Cooperative Life and interested volunteers. These groups had previously
demonstrated their commitment and enthusiasm to the project in the detailed feedback
that they provided on the draft survey and their willingness to use their networks to
obtain broad participation in the survey.
In the future, it may be necessary to achieve certain program objectives (such as
developing a bulk-purchasing program) to seek the services of a consultant. Every effort
will be made to find low-cost, pro bono, or free services provided by a government or
educational organization. The Cooperative Development Institute has a great deal of
technical knowledge related to government grant writing and the use of consultants.
These resources will be useful in any stage of program implementation that requires
specialized assistance.
Mission Statement (provisional): As a program conducted under the auspices of
Cooperative Life, whose mission is to build a thriving cooperative economy in the
Northeast, the mission of this project is to increase the amount of trade among
cooperatives in the Northeast and the benefits to cooperative members and employees
from this trade through provision of facilitating information, contacts, consultation for
negotiations, and coordination to participating cooperatives.
Participants
Initial participation was by members of Cooperative Life. There are currently about 20
members, but these include the Cooperative Grocers Association of the Northeast
(CGANE), which has about 18 members in New England and New York and may be a
good source of contacts with these coops.
Later, more cooperatives and other organizations, including locally owned businesses,
involved in building a cooperative economy in the Northeast region will be invited to join
the network. One source of participants will be businesses that participate in "buy local"
campaigns, Independent Business Associations, and Business Associations for Local
Living Economy Networks. See also the list of stakeholders below and in Appendix 4.