CDS Consulting Co-op believes that the cooperative difference is your competitive advantage. We help co-ops build member investment and loyalty. Effective member services and membership programs come from a thorough understanding of members’ needs and desires. Good research data about members and customers can help co-ops make strategic decisions to better service needs and build loyalty.
Every co-op needs a strong membership program that will serve the business and strengthen your co-op’s role in the community. Important to your co-op’s success are programs that promote the cooperative difference, store operations that support member equity growth, and an enthusiastic and well-trained staff. CDS consultants can assist co-ops with raising capital through member loans and equity drives, developing internal and external promotion of the cooperative difference, and sustaining long-term relationships with customers. Our experienced consultants use resourceful methods with proven results to strengthen the cooperative advantage. Click Best Practices to view “Best Practices for Membership Development in Food Co-ops”.
(Scroll down to see associated CDS Solutions newsletter articles and other resources.)
Member Linkages and Membership Development
Market Research
We work with co-ops to bring marketing and membership services coordinators together in recurring Let’s SOAR gatherings. The Fall 2002 Let’s SOAR (Let’s Share Our Abundant Resources) conference has resulted in a set of Best Practices for marketing and membership in cooperatives.
The Ownership Toolbox. Marilyn Scholl and Karen Zimbelman. Published by the Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund. 1999.
500 Co-ops in 10 Years! Marilyn Scholl. Cooperative Grocer. #119. July-August 2005.
Small Town Success from Building Membership. Mel Braverman. Cooperative Grocer. #114. September-October 2004.
Communicating ‘Co-op’ Patricia Cumbie and Peg Nolan. Cooperative Grocer #103. November-December 2002.
Member Relations: Maintaining Co-op Democracy. Ann Waterhouse and Peg Nolan. Cooperative Grocer. #98. January-February 2002.
Create a Marketing “Profit Center” with an Effective Newsletter. Patricia Cumbie. Cooperative Grocer. #91. November-December 2000.
Conducting Member Loan Campaigns. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #86. January-February 2000.
Encountering Cooperative Extremists: Proposed Solutions to an Oxymoronic Problem David Fowle and Marilyn Scholl. Cooperative Grocer. #83. July-August 1999.
Building and Improving Membership Programs Marilyn Scholl and Karen Zimbelman. Cooperative Grocer. #80. January-February 1999.
Building a Customer Service System Marilyn Scholl._ Cooperative Grocer_. #73. November-December 1997.
Cooperative Empowerment Stream. Bill Gessner. Cooperative Grocer. #63. March-April 1996.