With our innovative Points & Tiers Policy, all co-op members can earn “points” towards both buy-ins and tiers through a variety of patronage contributions to the co-op. One of the most important of these types of contributions is “Member Activities.” In this post, we’ll explain what Member Activities are and how you can sign up to earn points by performing these activities.
In our post on Membership, we explain more about the one-time, buy-in investment that can be paid in all cash, all points, or a combination of cash and points. There are options to pay the total amount up front, to pay over time using a payment plan, or to make a membership pledge with a self-specified combination of cash and points that will be paid/earned over the course of 6 months.
How We Value Member Activities
In our post about the Points and Tiers Policy, we explain more about the different types of patronage contributions to the co-op, each worth a specified number of points. The Points and Tiers Schedule linked in the policy post lays out the current value of points.
Member Activities are valued by the number of hours spent on an activity by a Member. We aim to approximately benchmark 1 hour to a USD dollar equivalency based on the MIT 2023 national average living wage for a family of four (source). At the time of this writing, the Schedule sets Member Activities at 25 points per Hour. In other words, one hour spent on a task x 25 points/hour = 25 points. But what are the types of Member Activities that are available for members to perform in exchange for points?
The Member Activities Board
The Member Activities Board is a member-only list of the activities available for members to earn points. Points are intended for accumulation by members, whether for buy-in as part of a membership pledge, or tier placement for the allocation of dividends. For this reason, the live Member Activities Board is only available in the members-only portion of our website, and in the Membership Application itself for use in calculating the viability of a cash and points combination pledge for buy-in.
Some of the activities require activity-specific skills or experience, such as data-analysis projects or writing a blog post. Other activities are nearly limitless and available to all, such as putting up fliers at relevant venues like art supply stores and food co-ops, passing out business cards at a craft fair, and social media posts.
If you have a great idea of an activity you could do to help the co-op, but it’s not listed on the Member Activities Board, we want to hear about it!
The actual board is updated regularly – usually every Monday – with the list of activities that are actually available to be performed.
Below is an example of a sample board (abbreviated to fit in the format of this article), with typical activities.
How It Works
There is a simple form linked in the actual Member Activities Board. When you see an activity you’d like to perform, fill out the form. The form will request some information such as the number assigned to the activity you are interested in, your relevant experience for the activities that require skill or experience, and your membership ID (your registered member email address).
If you have a great idea of an activity you could do to help the co-op, but it’s not listed on the Member Activities Board, you can use the form to communicate your ideas too.
The form goes to the People Team Lead, who will reach out to you for a quick conversation, and will link you up with the Team Leader who is relevant to the activity you want to perform. For example, if you wanted to hang up fliers around town, you will be linked with the Grassroots Team Lead.
It is important to talk to the relevant Team Lead before you start performing the tasks, because for many of these activities, there will be instructions for specific methods or formats that need to be used. The points awarded for activities are also time based, so the Team Lead will let you know if there is a limit, a specified time allotment, or an time span expectation for each activity. The Team Lead will also provide a form for you to use to report the points that you earn.
It is possible to earn a significant number of points for a membership pledge, which has a 6 month window. You can find membership information, and a link to the Membership Application on our Membership page, and more details in our blog post “Now Enrolling Members!”
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Hi. I’ve already joined as a member. I want to refer a good friend who would be interested in selling on your platform. I wasn’t sure where I could input referral information. Her name is Angie Taylor. She lives in Southern California. She is a watercolor artist and she is working on her 3rd watercolor illustrated children’s book based on bible stories. Her animal characters are very whimsical yet realistic. I told her about Artisan Coop and she is very interested. Thanks.
Hi, Beverly, I’m so glad you’ve joined us! When Angie fills out the membership application, there is a question asking who referred her – she would enter your information there as the person who referred her. Thank you for spreading the word!
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I am Diana from Kenya and a resident of DRC as well. I am happy to join artisan coop and would like to spread the word about it. I will soon be selling some artisanal jewelry handmade and created from different precious stones and metals to support the vulnerable and marginalized communities in Congo and some parts of Eastern Africa where artsisans are struggling with poverty and I think this platform can change their lives positively and the can also be an empowered society
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