Membership Corner: Have We Got a Committee for You

by 
Kirsten Bernal, Weavers Way Membership Manager

This month, we are renewing our commitment to an active and engaged Membership Committee. We want to develop a task-oriented structure that will allow committee members to focus, very specifically, on three aspects of membership that will promote member education and retention. 

  • Members of the committee will be responsible for reaching out to new members to welcome them and ensure that their initial Co-op experiences are positive ones. 
  • The Committee will also be tasked with increasing attendance at the New Member Welcome Meetings. As you may know, attending a Welcome Meeting is no longer required to become a member of the Co-op. While this change lowered barriers to becoming a member, it also left many new members with a limited picture of what a co-op is, what Weavers Way Co-op is and what we have to offer. 
  • Beyond that, we will focus on recruiting working members. Again, working Co-op hours is no longer required for membership. But I encounter many members, new and old, who want more opportunities to be involved in what we do and aren’t sure how to get started. So our rejuvenated membership committee will walk new members through the working membership process, including assisting with signing up for shifts when necessary. 

We hope to recruit enough members for the committee that we can assign a small group to each area of focus. 

Working on the Membership Committee will allow you to support and grow your Co-op while you make connections with other members. It’s also an interesting, engaging and efficient way to fulfill your household’s working member hours. It is a plus if you are familiar with the Co-op, but that is not a deal-breaker — if you are a new member, we’d love to have you.

We have eight to 12 spots on the committee. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact me at 215-843-2350, ext. 119, or kirsten@weaversway.coop