Other Cooperative Case Studies
Caring for the Community
National Cooperative Bank and Its Family
of Companies, Washington, D.C. Concern for community is
deeply embedded at the National Cooperative Bank. Each year, the
bank conducts a fundraising campaign called “Your Giving Campaign”
and participates in the Cooperative Development Foundation’s
United Co-op Appeal. The money raised from both appeals gets matched
by the Bank dollar for dollar to be used to finance the Corporate
Contributions Committee’s charitable activities throughout
the year. In January 2004, CCC began its year with more than $65,000
in its disbursement account. Meeting once a month, the committee,
made up of employees across the NCB family of companies, has distributed
so far this year over $34,000 to 40 non-profit charitable organizations,
with a geographic reach that extends to Alaska, California, Connecticut,
New York, Illinois, Ohio, and metropolitan Washington, DC.
NCB employees volunteer their time with such
programs as:
Food and Friends “Groceries
to Go” program—On the fourth Saturday of
each month, NCB employees prepare grocery packages for this Washington,
DC-based organization that provides canned and frozen foods to
their clients with HIV/Aids and other life threatening conditions.
Habitat for Humanity—NCB
employees will volunteer two days in October to help build houses
in a local low-income neighborhood in Washington, DC.
“Healthcare for the Homeless”—An NCB created
program working with the non-profit Unity Healthcare, Inc. Throughout
the year, NCB employees fill empty shoe boxes with a variety of
every day personal amenities like socks, gloves, toiletries, rain
ponchos and nonperishable snacks. Unity Healthcare then distributes
these boxes around the city to homeless men and women.
5K Race for Cooperative Development—NCB
participates as a team each year. In October 2003, NCB employees
raised $21,221 in support of the race sponsored by the Cooperative
Development Foundation. The event raises funds to support the
cooperative development work of CDF.
Caring for the Environment
ACE Hardware, Chicago, Illinois.
Striking a blow for energy efficiency, ACE Hardware teamed with
General Electric to sell 800,000 energy-efficient fluorescent light
bulbs over the course of a year. Its “Change a Light, Change
the World” campaign involved more than 450 ACE retailers in
eight Midwest states. The coordinated marketing program featured
store displays and sales rebates. The Department of Energy and the
Environmental Protection Agency recognized the program last fall
with an Energy Star Award.
Recreational Equipment, Inc.,
Sumner, Washington. To protect the environment and promote outdoor
activities, REI donates $2 million to the communities in which it
does business. Grants are made to organizations, programs, and projects
that protect and restore the environment, increase access to outdoor
activities, and encourage involvement in muscle-powered recreation.
Committed to Children
Carpet One, Earth City, Missouri.
Wanting to do something about child literacy, Carpet One in 2001
launched its Magic Carpet Time Tour. The program sends troupes of
actors to grade schools where children are engaged in creative storytelling.
The co-op’s member retail stores customize the program for
their communities. The program received a Silver Anvil award for
community relations from the Public Relations Society of America.
Unified Western Grocers, Commerce,
California. The co-op sponsors an annual summer youth employment
program in which high school students work for the co-op while they
learn the grocery distribution business. In addition to attending
seminars on various aspects of Unified’s business, students
tour the company’s facilities and its members’ retail
grocery stores. Students also have the opportunity to win scholarships
to further their education.
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