Working with Different Kinds of Co-ops to Build Our Shared Story

What You’ll Learn

Food co-ops, credit unions, utilities and other types of co-ops may serve different needs, but we share many of the same stories. Cooperative educator Cathy Statz talks about the power of sharing the cross-sector co-op story with young people, then offers advice for building your local cooperative community.

Guest Speaker

Cathy Statz

Show Notes

Transcripts have been lightly edited for clarity and readability.

Intro: A production of Pioneer Utility Resources. StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shape their stories and connect with their customers.

Megan McKoy-Noe: What can different kinds of cooperatives learn from each other to build our shared story? That’s what we’ll be talking about on this episode of The StoryConnect Podcast. Hi, I’m your host, Megan McKoy-Noe, one of the storytellers at Pioneer Utility Resources, and I am joined by Cathy Statz, a long time cooperative educator and outreach specialist for the International Center for Cooperative Management at Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia. Cathy, thank you so much for joining us today.

Cathy Statz: Thanks, Megan. I’m glad to be here.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Now, you spend a lot of time working with co-op industry leaders across the nation and globally as well. A few times when we’ve talked, you’ve been different parts of the world just checking in, which is always fun. Cooperatives may serve different needs, and we’re talking about different kinds of cooperatives, whether it’s food cooperatives. You know, we are a communications cooperative, utility cooperatives. But we all share a lot of the same stories. So could you just talk to us a little bit about why you work so hard to connect people across different co-op sectors?

Cathy Statz: Well, to me it just makes sense. For me, the power of cooperatives has always surpassed any particular sector or industry. I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and saw early on the impact of cooperatives in my family’s life, in the family farm. And as I got more involved through the organization of Farmers Union, which teaches kids about co-ops from a really early age, I was fascinated to learn that they were all kinds of co-ops, right? Food co-ops, housing, credit unions, electric utilities, as you mentioned. And I thought the things that united them were so powerful, so important and weren’t just about getting the goods and services that we need every day, but also about building a civil society. Right? The skill sets that people gain by being involved in cooperatives are things that extend to the rest of our lives, right, around democracy, around respect, around making sure everyone’s taken care of. And those, I think are things that surpass all of the great work that we do in our sectors and industries. And part of why it’s so valuable for us to be able to tell that larger, cooperative story to others who might not know anything about cooperatives.

Megan McKoy-Noe: I always love saying just cooperatives make life better.

Cathy Statz: Right.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Any kind of cooperative, no matter where you are, we all share that same goal, which is wonderful. Now, when I met you, I think it’s been at least a decade ago. I mean, we both have been around a while. I’m getting very excited. I think co-op geeks tend to connect. And we make those really firm connections because we both recognize that we get excited about cooperation. But back then, we bonded over youth engagement opportunities. And I still remember we were talking and you said, “Oh yeah, I write co-op songs for kids.” And I thought, “Wait, you do what?” And you were like, “Yeah, I’ll send you a whole list of them.” And you did. It was a list of co-op themed songs that you had written over the years for youth leadership camps. I believe at that point, was it in Minnesota?

Cathy Statz: Wisconsin.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Yeah. Wisconsin. They were delightful. And maybe you’ll share your favorite with us at some point today. But I’m wondering, how do we get younger people really involved and engaged in the co-op movement?

Cathy Statz: Well, a number of years ago, at the National Cooperative Business Association’s annual meeting, a speaker was talking about generational differences and challenges in co-ops, and she said something I’ll never forget. She said the next generation loves co-ops. They just don’t know it yet. And I found that to be really, you know, kind of a pithy statement, but also a profound one, right? That this notion that unless folks have an appreciation for and understanding of co-ops, even at a very basic level, early on, they’ll just, you know, they miss out on the opportunity to see how they might fit into that, whether it’s as an employee, as a member, as a leader. And so I do really feel that young people gravitate toward all the things that co-ops stand for, and it’s just a matter of helping them see where they might fit into it and know anything about them in the first place, right? The fact that folks don’t know anything about cooperatives, often, even if they’re in business school settings, is really, like, unfortunate. And it’s actually the reason that the International Center for Cooperative Management at Saint Mary’s University got started was with the recognition that people were going through MBAs and never learning about co-ops. And so how do we change that? What do we, how do we do something about that? But so whether it’s at the university level, whether it’s in a business program, whether it’s in a high school or even with elementary kids, I think that kids, once they’re exposed to the cooperative idea, it makes sense to them.

Cathy Statz: It just seems very natural. I always sort of say that, you know, what’s the average age of a kid running a lemonade stand? They’re not an MBA student. They’re, you know, pretty little kids, and yet they know and appreciate, you know, sort of the basics of enterprise. And they certainly know fairness, justice and having a voice. And when you overlap those two notions, it’s actually not that hard for them to understand co-ops. And as they get a little older and they’re looking for work that might fit their value set their mission in life to do something bigger than themselves. I always fear that if they don’t learn about co-ops early enough, we’ll, for lack of a better way to put it, lose them to the nonprofit space. They might have an entrepreneurial or an enterprising mind, but they’re may be disenchanted with sort of what they see happening in corporate America today, if you will. And so we lose them in the co-op space. You know, not that nonprofits aren’t great, but we can help them see that there’s this intermediary space that’s both enterprise and community that we could really attract some great young minds to the work.

Megan McKoy-Noe: So how have you seen different types of cooperatives do that really? And I love that we’re not trying to lose them to the nonprofit because we’re all, you know, working to make life better in the communities that we serve. But how have you seen different types of cooperatives really reach out and engage those future folks that we want to attract and bring into our workforce, folks that get co-ops and can help carry us into the future and really strengthen the cooperative movement? Because I know for utilities, a lot of us have youth leadership programs. We send kids to Washington, D.C., every summer, but it’s getting harder and harder for folks to even get applications for that, because some kids think, or parents think, that we’re just trying to sell them something. So how have you seen folks really connect and get kids engaged in what a co-op is, and what it could do for them?

Cathy Statz: Well, as I mentioned earlier, I, you know, learned really early, you know, got hooked pretty early. And I think that’s one thing not to take it, or not to assume that that kids are too young to learn about them, right? And that maybe it means starting really locally, really young. So, you know, are you volunteering in the schools and being visible in that way, for example? But then I think really making a connection to what’s next. And one of the things I know of many of the fantastic youth programs that are out there, I’ve been a speaker at them, I’ve attended some of them, and they’re fantastic. And many co-ops also, and credit unions, do wonderful scholarships, right? And yet I have discovered that occasionally when I ask those folks, how are you keeping in touch with those individuals right after the conference happens, after the scholarship check has been sent? And I either get a kind of an embarrassed look or, you know, they’re just they don’t have much to say. I think we all do the cooperative space and our own cooperatives a disservice if we don’t think about how to continue to stay in touch with those folks once they’ve gone through those wonderful programs that we invest in, the scholarships that we set aside money for, and then we say, “Bye, have a nice life.” You know, let’s make sure we keep in touch with those individuals. And I think, let’s make sure we’re introducing them in those programs to all the kinds of cooperatives, including credit unions, that are out there.

Cathy Statz: Because, let’s face it, I grew up on a farm, but I didn’t intend to return to the farm. Didn’t mean there wasn’t a space for me in cooperatives, right? I may live in an urban setting and not be on electric lines that are co-op owned. You know, doesn’t mean I might not be interested in a membership at a food co-op, or with REI, or with a credit union, right? So, they need the path forward, I think displayed clearly and some outreach done to them to help them see where they could go next. And it might be a job. It might just be a way to feel engaged with their community. It might be a sense that they’re a part of something bigger, that they’re helping to build democracy, that they’re, you know. There are so many pieces of it that I think will gravitate to them, even if they don’t need the particular good or service that the co-op that kind of got them on their path has to offer, right? And that’s, you know, we have to think a little bit bigger about how we support all the cooperatives, because again, you never know, maybe that individual becomes an elected official. And they know now enough about co-ops to appreciate when an issue comes up, right? How that doesn’t just maybe affect a small group, but really affects the whole community.

Megan McKoy-Noe: I love that. Have you seen anyone do that? Have you seen any good examples of someone that has developed a storytelling tool about all the different types of cooperatives? Maybe something from the Cooperative Development Foundation, which I know you work very closely with. The National Cooperative Business Association you work with as well. Have you seen any tools like that that really tell the connected cooperative story that you could then send to folks that have had a good experience with you?

Cathy Statz: Absolutely. I mean, the you mentioned the Cooperative Development Foundation and NCBA CLUSA, which for years have run a really great program. It’s been called under a few different names over the years, but the current iteration is something called Cooperative Leaders and Scholars. And it does bring together mostly young, and when I say young, I say I mean 18 to 35. And individuals who are perhaps less than five years in the cooperative space recognizing that, you know, sometimes folks come to cooperatives later in their life. They were in, you know, maybe an IOC kind of environment. And they then come to a co-op, and they are sort of astonished and amazed to know that these co-ops have been here all this time, and they’re really excited about them. And so a program like that convenes a group of about 16 or so in an eight month cohort to learn more about the about NCBA CLUSA and the Cooperative Development Foundation, what those organizations do on a national level around advocacy, education, thought leadership, development, right? But they also are learning from each other, right? They’re interacting with folks outside of their cooperative sector. And I just always think, wow, what if more young people in co-ops had that kind of interactive, cross-sectoral experience early on? It would surely color the lens through which they view cooperatives for the rest of their career. You know, they would look for opportunities to engage with, cooperate with, you know, do business with other cooperatives in the space, whether that’s on a local level or globally. And it also just gives them a greater appreciation for what co-ops are doing in far flung places too to lift people out of poverty. Some of the great work that’s happening by NRECA, the development work that the National Cooperative Business Association does through their international development side and feel a sort of solidarity, you know, with this great idea that’s been doing so much for so long with just everyday working people, you know, who come together to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Megan McKoy-Noe: I like that. You know, when I was at my electric co-op in Georgia, I was there for several years, and I remember we would go to Chamber of Commerce events. And everybody from our utility would kind of sit at the same table. And I was like, why are we doing that? Why aren’t we sitting at other tables? And then it broadened when I went to conferences, people tend to sit at the same table with folks that work at their utility, instead of getting ideas from folks that work at different utilities. And I think it’s important to consider all the different types of cooperatives that are out there. You know, Pioneer is a big supporter of the Cooperative Communicators Association. And through that group, we talked to and interact with different types of communicators at co-ops from, you know, the folks at land O’Lakes, the folks at Tillamook, the folks, you know, different types of co-ops and a lot of credit unions. And we share ideas, you know, so get out from your table sitting with folks that, you know, doing the things that you do and getting to those other tables sitting down, especially when you have young folks that have just joined your cooperative. I really like that idea of trying to get them excited about cooperation as a whole. I think might help keep them with your co-op longer. You know, we’ve got folks getting charmed away from electric co-ops and telcos to work in different industries. And if we start when they’re young and get them involved in programs like this, I think it can help solidify their love of cooperation. So I love that you were doing that. One last question before I let you go, though. Cathy, what can utility communicators do to connect with these other types of co-ops? You know, you mentioned the Cooperative Leaders and Scholars Project, which is through CDF and NCBA. But what else can they do to really get engaged and learn from these different sectors and form those relationships?

Cathy Statz: So I was really pleased, actually, that you mentioned the chamber a few moments ago, because there’s a great example there that’s easy, doesn’t have to cost much, and it can build a great cooperative community locally. Many of our cooperatives and credit unions are members of the Chamber of Commerce in their communities. I don’t know that they always make themselves known within the chamber as cooperatives, right? So, for example, a few years ago, our chamber of commerce in Wisconsin, in Chippewa Falls decided to start a new networking, a monthly networking, opportunity called  The Chamber Coffee. And they were looking for organizations to, you know, sponsor $50. And, you know, the folks would come in and have a chance to learn about your organization. Well, I said, “Well, I’m with the farmers union. We don’t need to talk about the farmers union. What I would like to do is, – it was NAB October, the coffee in October because October is co-op month.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Yes. Yes, it is.

Cathy Statz: And then I looked. Yep. I looked through our chamber directory, and I picked out every co-op and credit union and invited them to join us that day at that event, and to be recognized as a cooperative group at that chamber event, right? They all got a little name tag that said, ask me about my co-op and credit union. I got a chance, you know, as the sponsoring organization when we took the mic, we didn’t just talk about our organization. We said, look at all of these successful businesses in this community who all are from very, you know, disparate industries and sectors doing different things, different sizes. But they have this thing in common, which is unique. And, we just want you to know about that.

Cathy Statz: Of course, at that event, you’re expected to bring a little door prize. Well, what was the door prize? It was examples, little sample sizes, you know, small containers of cooperatively branded products. Ocean Spray, Blue Diamond, you know, Equal Exchange, Sunkist, Welch’s. I mean, right, there’s a lot that you can find in the grocery store. I bought as many of them as I could from the local food co-op, right? And so some of them were conventional products. Some of them were natural products. And what were they held in? A basket made by a women’s artisan cooperative in Africa that was on sale at the food co-op, right? So every part of that door prize held a cooperative story. And I could point that out, you know, before giving it away, like even this item that we have today, you know, to celebrate our gathering, you know, is an extension of cooperatives all – not just around the country, around the world. And so that was, I think, a really powerful way to share the story with the larger chamber community. But it also built some opportunities for those co-op and credit union folks to connect with each other. And I’ve, you know, since moved from that community, but I hope that, you know, that notion of, hey, we can come together in ways that don’t even necessarily need a separate event, like a new event. Like this is something that’s already happening in the community, but we can lay claim to it and make it a way to showcase who we are and what we do, and build those connections amongst each other in the process.

Megan McKoy-Noe: I love that so much, Cathy. You know, we have on our blog, we have a shopping list that we shared last October, and we’ll link to it in the podcast@pioneer.coop/podcasts. But it’s the shopping list so that you can stock your utility break room with co-op sourced food. But I love taking that idea a step further and laying claim to October at your next chamber event, right? And making it a chance for you to showcase your story with the other types of cooperatives in your community. And that’s a great first step. I also think groups like CCA is amazing for reaching out to different types of communicators across the nation, and I love being able to see you. We met at CCA. But I love watching the work that you’re doing, as a national [and] international cooperative educator, seeing what you’re doing to bring people together. So thank you so much for sharing your story with utility pioneers. She is cooperative educator Cathy Statz, and I’m your host, Megan McKoy-Noe at Pioneer Utility Resources. And until we talk again, keep telling your story.

Outro: StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources, a communications cooperative that is built to share your story. StoryConnect is engineered by Lucas Smith of Lucky Sound Studio.