How to Celebrate Co-op Month…

Each October, cooperatives look for new ways to celebrate Co-op Month. Below are more than 30 ideas for activities and events you can start planning now and launch during October as part of your Co-op Month observance activities.

Use these suggestions as a starting point in formulating your own celebration plans…

…With Your Employees and Members

Include articles and commentaries about cooperatives in the October issues of your employee or member publication. Stress co-ops’ commitment to community, with specific examples from your co-op as well as examples from the case studies in this tool kit.
Include one of the ready to use Co-op Month advertisements in your October member publication. You can customize the ads with your cooperative’s logo.
Hold a company meeting or social event promoting to your community the value of cooperation and the contributions of your cooperative, its employees and members.
Launch an awards program for those in your cooperative who exemplify cooperative values through commitment to community. Present the awards at a ceremony in October.
Hold a contest in October among your employees or members for the best suggestion for enhancing your cooperative’s community involvement.
Offer time off to employees to volunteer in community programs during October. Or make a cash contribution to match each hour of volunteer work performed by an employee or retiree. (For an example of how one such program works, see the Land O’Lakes Foundation website.)
Schedule a board training session for October and invite board members from other co-ops to participate. Include co-op education as part of the training session. If you need help finding other co-ops in your area, visit the co-op directory or contact NCBA at www.ncba.coop.

…With the Media

Develop a media kit on cooperatives and their involvement in your community. Use local examples as well as examples from this tool kit.
Invite local media to your internal and community-based Co-op Month events.
Prepare a report, fact sheet or news release on the contribution of your co-op to the community. Add up…
- Your co-op’s total employment, in individuals and salaries
- Total membership, dues and sales
- Charitable contributions
- Volunteer contributions

The total reflects your co-op’s minimum contribution to the community. Point out that this money stays in the community. Contrast your co-op’s ties to the community through membership with other types of businesses. Many businesses are owned by people who live thousands of miles away. The revenues they generate leave the community. By contrast, co-op earnings stay local.

Distribute the report or fact sheet widely to media, to local officeholders, and to other community leaders.

Submit an op-ed or letter to the editor to the local newspaper on the contribution of co-ops to the local community. Check the newspaper’s submission guidelines.
Invite local media to your Co-op Month events or to a briefing or roundtable discussion about the cooperative difference. Highlight co-ops’ contributions to the local area.
Buy ad space in your local newspaper during October and run a Co-op Month advertisement. For ads that are ready-to-use, see the advertisements section of this tool kit.
Develop a public service announcement for broadcast media.
For a photo opportunity, fill a shopping cart with co-op products and display it in your lobby to highlight co-ops’ contribution to the economy. Include products from local co-ops as well as national ones like REI, Land O’Lakes, and Ace Hardware. Invite the media to a ceremony unveiling the display.

…With Your Community

October is the height of the political campaign season.
- Launch a voter registration drive in your community to encourage civic involvement
- Invite local candidates to your cooperative for a debate or town hall meeting.
- Call the local political party offices for help in setting up the events. Ask candidates to comment on their views on cooperatives and be ready to educate them on things your co-op is doing in the community.
Host a block party for the community.
Sponsor a fall carnival at a local fire station. Include education on fire safety or collect donations for a local burn unit or to help a volunteer fire department purchase badly needed equipment
Launch a community recognition program with awards for community leaders. Present the awards at a ceremony in October.
Many community festivals are held in October. Reserve a booth at a festival for your cooperative to distribute information on its involvement in the community. Alternatively, join with other local co-ops on a booth. Your local government as well as Chamber of Commerce or business association probably have a schedule of coming events, as well as names and numbers of contacts on booths.
Invite members of the public to your cooperative for an open house or tour during Co-op Month.
Launch a community website for co-ops in your area.
Sponsor an exhibit on cooperatives at a local library, shopping mall or other public place.
Work with the local school system to encourage education about cooperatives in October.
For elementary schools, provide information, offer to speak to a class or assembly, or offer to coordinate a field trip to your co-op. Sponsor a writing or poster contest in the school focusing on cooperative values.
For secondary schools, partner with others to create a curriculum that weaves in the co-op message. Or sponsor an essay contest with a scholarship or cash award as the prize.
Organize a food, coat or school supply drive. Consider partnering with other co-ops or local businesses on these projects. Contact a local American Red Cross chapter for help and ideas.
Work with area veterans’ groups to organize a letter-writing or gift package campaign for members of the military serving overseas. Contact a local chapter of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wards for help.
Work with a local health clinic to organize free health screenings at your co-op, especially for low-income residents of your community. Hold the screenings on your co-op’s property in October. A local office of the state public health agency can probably help you organize the event.
Host a blood drive at your co-op for the surrounding community. Contact the local American Red Cross chapter for help.

… With the Cooperative Community

Organize a fundraising race benefiting co-op development or another charity. A useful model is the Cooperative Development Foundation’s annual 5K Race for Cooperative Development, held annually on the first Saturday in October. If you can’t organize an actual race, consider a virtual race piggybacking on the CDF event.

Final Words

Whatever you do, let us know about your Co-op Month projects by submitting information about them and related materials to the Co-op Month Community Commitment Gallery at www.co-opmonth.coop. We’ll post them under your name for others to see and build on.

Whether you celebrate in a big or small way, have fun!