Working to unite, promote and strengthen cooperative businesses across Montana

Final Call for all Montana Council of Cooperatives' Membership to register and virtually attend the Annual Membership Meeting February 18th, 2021 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm MCOC members, please register for the zoom link to attend at www.montanacouncil.coop For Questions please call Juanetta at 406-727-1517 or email juanetta@mcdc.coop

Governance vs. Management A New Training for Montana Cooperatives MCDC has recently completed the design of a new training program for the Montana Cooperative Community on Board Governance. Building a strong Board is essential for Cooperatives to thrive. Our trainings are hands-on and at your location. Contact our Director Tracy McIntyre today to discuss your board training needs and learn more about MCDC's services to existing cooperatives. MCDC's services are outlined on our website and can be altered to fit the need of the cooperative we are working with.

Montana Council of Cooperatives' NEW Website Revealed

During the January MCOC's virtual learning sessions, the staff of MCOC revealed the new website and the new members-only section of the website. This membership section is designed to provide a portal for MCOC members to network, ask questions, start discussions, share news about their cooperatives, and more. Each MCOC member cooperative and association has received a postcard with a unique pin to share with staff and board members to create their own portal sign-in. As the membership portal is used, the more topics will be added. The portal is also a place to share your news with others across the State. If permitted to do so, the news gathered through the portal can be shared through the MCOC/MCDC newsletters and social media to promote our cooperatives' successes across the State. If you are a member of MCOC and did not receive your cooperative's unique pin, please email Juanetta Keeler.  In addition to the member's only portal, the new website has information about the overall Montana Cooperative Community.  This includes an interactive map for all existing MCOC cooperative members. We ask our members to review this map. If your cooperative or association is not included, if your cooperative has more than one location we should include, or any other information is viable to share, please contact our IT/Data Manager, Donnie Harvell. He is excited to be updating the MCOC website and building new services for our membership! It is a work in progress, and feedback on utilizing and upgrading the website is welcomed.

If you are not a Montana Council of Cooperatives member, we encourage you to join today. To join, please email Juanetta your interest, and she will send you the application and answer any questions your cooperative may have. Follow the new MCOC website as we will be adding a "becoming a new member" page in the near future.  The Montana Council of Cooperatives is a place for all Montana Cooperatives to come together regardless of industry to "to unite, promote, and strengthen cooperative business across Montana".

Regional Cooperative Days- Reimagined

Montana Cooperative Development Center is heading your way! Within the 2020-21 work plan, MCDC created a program to showcase Montana Cooperatives and host workshops on cooperative development. With COVID-19 still lingering, these cooperative days are being reimagined, focusing on more one-on-one interactions and smaller, more impactful gatherings and discussions.  Starting in April of 2021, MCDC Director Tracy McIntyre and Program Director Davey Madison will be dedicating time throughout the summer and into the fall, to visit cooperatives across the State. Along the way, they will be working with the Cooperative Development Specialist network (see map below) to lead community discussions all across the State on how the cooperative business model can be addressing economic and community needs. From childcare to housing to grocery to food development to rural news to workforce development and more, MCDC is here to help communities find local solutions using their own resources. Want us to visit your cooperative or your Montana community? Email Tracy or Davey and they will work with you to visit your community!

If you would like us to post your upcoming co-op events or information in the Montana Cooperative Update send event information to: tracy@mcdc.coop