Animas View MHP Co-op in Durango, Colo., had its 2022 Annual Members Meeting this month and it went really well — lots of Member participation, good reports and good questions.
But as I have visited other communities that work with ROC USA® I find myself concerned about ongoing Member participation and volunteerism. I hear comments from Members of other ROCs about how for a variety of reasons Members are not attending meetings, not volunteering for jobs around their neighborhoods, in short not stepping up to the plate to help out.
It’s not too surprising. We all have lives, jobs, families and other tasks we attend to every day. But one of the core principles I came to understand was that community building was among the highest priorities for our ROC USA communities, plus our populations change as people leave and new people who don’t know the history of their co-op or may not understand the importance of maintaining our sense of community.
The ROC Association is looking at this as a new challenge to revitalize that sense of ownership and pride. I think we are heading in a new and right direction. Stay tuned for more!
I just wanted to share a little more about my own community’s meeting. As it turned out it was a perfect day in Durango and a perfect day for the Animas View’s second Annual Meeting.
The attendance for the meeting was good for a ROC of 120 homes, around 50+ Members, more than enough to certify a quorum. Members enjoyed coffee and pastries, some homemade, as President Kevin Miller opened the meeting promptly at 10 a.m. The Board of Directors were roundly applauded for their service over the last year and the meeting proceeded with a well-created agenda that covered all of the co-op’s annual duties and brought up new ideas and issues of concern to all its Members.
The meeting continued in a very orderly and upbeat tone until noon. Some of the ideas and issues were delegated to committees for further review and exploration with a promise of providing reports in a timely manner, while other items such as last year’s minutes and the upcoming 2022-23 Budget were discussed and approved.
Of course, some Members remained for another hour after adjournment to discuss ideas, visit with one another and to finish off the pastries and coffee. In my mind it was as productive, interesting and orderly Annual Meeting as any co-op could hope for.
