STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT THAT ENCOURAGES MEMBER INVOLVEMENT?

Co-op stakeholder engagement through member involvement can determine a housing co-ops future viability, and sustainability of the non-profit co-operative housing sector.

What mode for engagement through member involvement will you as a co-op housing stakeholder embrace and support?

CHIE recommends that co-op housing stakeholders review information that may help you in finding questions, answers, and the next steps in achieving co-operative housing engagement that encourages stakeholder member involvement.

Deloitte, "Minding your stakeholders' business: the key to sustainability" - "A strategic approach to stakeholder engagement" Click link to access the 8-page document: http://tinyurl.com/4am3jo2

AND

CHF Canada, "Beyond Participation" - "Building a Foundation for real member involvement" Click link to access the 24-page document: http://tinyurl.com/3d29c56

Ken conducted some research in regards to Stakeholder involvement in the Canadian Non-Profit Co-op Housing Sector.

CHF Canada's Annual Report for 2013 indicated that 909 housing co-ops were CHF Canada members. There are 2,200 housing co-operatives that represent 97,000 co-op homes in Canada. Ken estimated that some 57,450 co-op units that may represent an estimated 180,000 people living in CHF Canada member co-ops outside the province of Quebec. 

 

In Ken's view, on May 23, 2017 CHF Canada reported on their website that they had 902 member co-op's as at January 2016. A decrease of 7 co-op's since 2013. Co-op membership dues represent 75% of CHF Canada's revenue. Other revenue comes from commercial services...

Ken's research findings conclude that the vast majority of Stakeholders engaged in the non-profit co-op housing sector are co-op staff who work in housing co-ops, either as direct employees or as co-op sector based operational services groups, followed by individuals on the Board of Directors at CHF Canada member housing co-ops.

Ken reached a conclusion that the Canadian non-profit co-op housing sector is well on its way to a 'Day of Reckoning' and perhaps eventually almost complete failure because only a very small amount of the estimated 180,000 co-op members are actively engaged or participating residents in CHF Canada member co-ops.

In Ken's view, based on some 20 + years personal experience and observations of Co-op Stakeholders, it appears evident that co-op member engagement or participation is discouraged and/or prohibited in financial oversight and making important decisions about some key areas of co-operative governance and management.

Some highlights of the research were noted in CHF Canada publications...:

There are some 100 co-ops registered with CHF Canada's 2020 Vision program. Only 25 co-ops are actively working towards 2020 certification as at June 23, 2014. Of the some 909 CHF Canada member co-ops, only 17 co-ops have certification through CHF Canada as a 2020 co-op between 2010 and 2015. 7 of these co-ops were certified as 2020 Vision program co-ops in 2015 

 

CHF Canada 2020 Vision program standards that member co-ops need to meet had been lowered to 5 from 8 back in 2011! - Registration for the current program will close December 31, 2015. For co-ops that have already registered, but not completed the program, online support ends on April 30, 2016 

 

CHF Canada held an End of Agreements (EOA) Member Network Webinar Demo on September 9, 2014. In Ken's view, 47 people registered for the Webinar event with only 11 attendees. CHF Canada claims in their October 2014 eNEWS release that nearly 100 people registered for the Webinar without stating the number of attendees! - CHF Canada launched the EOA Member Network in May 2014, and as at October 13, 2015 the EOA Member Network had 460 registered members, 20 threads, and 50 posted messages.  

 

CHF Canada hired one of Canada's leading polling firms, Ipsos Reid, to conduct a member survey in 2013. 1,067 people completed the survey. In Ken's view, few details of the survey results have been released by CHF Canada for its member co-op resident members.

In the fall of 2012 CHF Canada released some respondents results from the Sound Management Survey: 258 individuals completed survey, 47% were co-op managers, 31% were board members.

In Ken's view, only 22% of survey respondents may have been from other co-op members. Imagine, an estimated 180,000 people living in these co-ops and only 258 individuals completed the survey!

Perhaps the best example of very poor member engagement at a housing co-op could be Atkinson co-op that has some 500 members. The co-op had to re-schedule its AGM and GMM because quorum could not be reached to hold membership meetings. In Ken's view, the co-op requires only 4% of its membership to attend the Annual General Meeting to meet quorum! In Ken's view, the co-op is not truly democratic.

Click link to access more information :: http://tinyurl.com/oxyce85

Another example of poor member engagement at a housing co-op would be Athol Green co-op that has some 60 members. The co-op sometimes has about 25% of the membership attend membership meetings. In Ken's view, the membership support a status quo that places the co-op at a high risk to fraud and some other aspects of poor or bad governance and management. In Ken's view, the co-op is not truly democratic.

Click link to access more information :: http://tinyurl.com/au5jpnb

 

In my view, as at October 13, 2015, CHF Canada website indicated most reviewed webpages, webpage view-count statistics were shown only to CHF Canada Staff for online education resources such as How your co-op is organized, Good governance test, Your co-op's board of directors, LTB: non-profit housing cooperatives, and Modernize your co-op by-laws for the new eviction system in Ontario. 

 

In Ken's view, as at October 13, 2015, CHF Canada website stopped publishing links to their Annual General Meeting Minutes starting back in 2012

CLICK LINK 

 

CHF Canada 2014 Annual Report quoted: ..."over 400 people rallied on Parliament Hill during our Ottawa Annual Meeting in June, including partner organizations from across the country and MPPs from all parties."...

 

"In 2014, our YouHoldTheKey campaign partners helped more than 100 housing co-ops pass resolutions in support of the campaign." 

 

I noted no other statistics in the 2014 Report that are mentioned below in some other dated Reports

 

280 delegates and alternates attended CHF Canada's 2013 AGM held in Calgary.

 

495 participants from 166 co-ops attended CHF Canada's regional education events held across Canada in 2013.

 

7,400 Member visits to CHF Canada's Members Resource Center on the CHF Canada website in 2013. 

 

More than 350 co-op members from 130 housing co-ops attend regional education events held across Canada in CHF Canada regions and unfederated areas in 2011.

3,411 people have watched CHF Canada's "co-op crossroads" video on youtube.com (2011)

4,100 people subscribe to CHF Canada eNews in 2011

In Ken's view, CHF Canada's Social Networking websites that include 'Co-op Talk', Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are dominated by CHF Canada and its federations, co-op staff who work in housing co-ops, either as direct employees or as co-op sector based operational services groups.

Examples:

chfcanada.coop - 'Co-op Talk' was established on or about October 2000 and access to view co-op talk is for only registered members through CHF Canada.

As at January 4, 2013 - In Ken's view, the total posted messages in non-restricted locations that all Co-op Talk members could post messages were an estimated 7,300 in that 12-year span since 2000. Ken noted 3 co-op managers combined had posted over 3,000 messages in most locations, and in recent years very few people post messages on co-op talk.

Ken noted in March 2013 that due to very low traffic Co-op Talk discussion boards were deactivated by CHF Canada with the exception of the co-op staff meeting room.

In Ken's view, it was inevitable for 'Co-op Talk' being deactivated because members' with posting privileges that were critical about their home co-ops management or critical about the non-profit co-op housing sector were made to feel unwelcome or some had their posted messages deleted and/or their posting privileges removed by the moderators on co-op talk. When CHF Canada and some of their hard line or misguided supporters make people feel unwelcome to post messages, they tend to stay away and others that read those posted messages can also feel unwelcome to interact & post messages that CHF Canada and their supporters disagree with or dislike.

Ken had some of his posted messages removed and his posting privileges terminated by moderators and CHF Canada that made 'judgment calls' that are highly questionable.

CHF Canada joined twitter.com on March 12, 2009 and maintain a Site that the general public-at-large can view and respond to tweets or re-tweet tweets.

As at March 30, 2015 - In Ken's view, CHF Canada had 1694 tweets/re-tweets, about 125 photos/videos, and 973 followers. :: CLICK HERE for updates. 

CHF Canada joined Facebook.com on May 21, 2010 and maintain a Site that the general public-at-large can view and post information or comment on posted messages.

Ken is no longer permitted to share information and post comments. Ken is now on CHF Canada's "Restricted List" and Ken can now only see posted information that's made public. Ken also noted that his few posted messages appears to have been hidden out of view for others to see by CHF Canada, although CHF Canada has the ability to change views as administrators of the site.

Ken is now unwelcome to post on CHF Canada's Facebook page, as Ken was also sometimes unwelcome to post information and comments on the CHF Canada's 'Co-op Talk' and sometime later, Ken had his posting privileges removed.

As at March 30, 2015 - CHF Canada's Facebook Site had "973 Likes" and "13 Visits". :: CLICK HERE for updates.

As at November 17, 2013 - In Ken's view, CHF Canada had 338 Facebook members'. - In Ken's view, CHF Canada's Facebook Site 'You Hold The Key'...has refused to allow Ken to join their group to share information and views...

Click link to view site:: http://facebook.com/groups/youholdthekey

The following link offers some proof about Ken's claims of being refused to join the CHF Canada administered site 'You Hold The Key'...

CLICK HERE to view photo's, information, and Ken's comments...

CHF Canada joined Flickr.com in 2009 and maintain a Site that the general public-at-large can view. Membership approval by CHF Canada is required to post photographs and comments on this Site.

As at June 23, 2014 - In Ken's view, CHF Canada's Flickr Site had a total of 25 photographs published by 9 members, of that are 14 photos published by CHF Canada. Latest post was 41 months ago. :: CLICK HERE for updates.

As at June 23, 2014 - CHF Canada had some 27 videos watched by some 18, 575 times with some 82 subseribers. CHF Canada joined Youtube on June 1, 2010. :: CLICK HERE for updates. Its Ken's sincere hope stakeholder engagement with individuals residing in member housing co-ops increases substantially, but its difficult to be optimistic about improved engagement based on research findings.

CHF Canada's website noted As at: April 2013: 17 Federations and Associations.

Ken noted on the website that 2 Federations closed. Ken also noted that Lakeridge Co-operative Housing Federation ("Lakeridge CHF") is no longer listed with other federations and associations as active federation on the website.

CHF Canada's 2002 Annual Report noted 21 CHF Member Federations

In Ken's view, an estimated 34 million Canadians that represent over 250,000 people living in co-ops across Canada are not seen viewing or being engaged through participation in CHF Canada's Social Networking Sites open to the general public.

IN KEN'S VIEW, there are plenty of news or social media outlets that report some negative information about co-op housing and CHF Canada member co-ops that can often be ignored and hidden away from view. 

 

Poor co-op housing member engagement, combined with stakeholders that pander to each other along with the inherent problems that create crisis situations in non-profit housing co-operatives explains why very few new housing co-ops have been built across Canada since 1995! Co-op housing has been described as a drain hole for Taxpayers' money where many have come to feast that is explained in a Toronto Star article

Lobbyist groups have been described as professional moochers that use their influence peddling, trying to shape public opinion that via for and expect Taxpayers dollars to support special interest that include themselves.

Profiting in the Canadian non-profit co-operative housing sector, CHF Canada lobbyist expect Taxpayers money to solve the inherent problems with this type of housing that has been on the long road of self-destruction for over 40-years!

Ken is the organized voice that offer fair criticism about CHF Canada and its member non-profit co-ops in Canada.

Information noted above may be revised and/or deleted without prior notification.

Ken Hummel, Administrator, CHIE