Most co-op websites open with the history and the principles. A new visitor wants to know what they get and whether they are allowed in.
What should a co-op say first?
What a member gets, in one sentence a stranger understands. Lower prices, a share of the profits, a vote, a say in what goes on the shelves, cheaper power, better rates: whatever is true for your co-op, said plainly at the top of the homepage. The history and the principles belong on the site, further down. Right under the opening line, give the practical facts: where you are, when you are open, and how to buy, sign up, or get service.
How do I explain how ownership works?
One plain paragraph, no jargon. Who can join, what it costs to join, what you get back, and who decides. Words like patronage dividend, equity share, and member-owner need a plain translation the first time they appear. If your staff cannot read the paragraph aloud to a customer in under a minute, it is too long. I write it with the general manager and one board member in the room, so it is accurate and it sounds like the co-op.
Do I have to be a member to shop here?
Answer it near the top of the homepage, in those words, because it is the question every new visitor has and many leave without asking. If anyone can shop and members get extra, say so. If membership is required, say what it costs and how fast someone can join. Put the same answer on the membership page and in the FAQ.
What should be on a co-op members page?
- The real numbers your co-op already publishes. Member count, the last dividend or patronage return, the share price. Use what the annual report says, and update it every year.
- How to join, step by step. Online if possible.
- What members decide. Board elections, the annual meeting, how to run for the board.
- Where the money goes. One short paragraph from the last annual report.
Numbers you cannot back up do more harm than no numbers. Use the published ones and date them.
Why show the people?
A co-op is owned by people, so show them. Photos of real members, staff, growers, or makers, with names when they agree. A board page with faces. A short line from a member about why they joined, in their own words, with permission. Stock photos of smiling strangers say the opposite of what a co-op means.
What does it cost?
A one-page website that answers all of the above is $1,500. Brand identity, if the co-op needs a new look along with the words, starts at $2,500, and a fuller website starts at $6,000. Co-ops, nonprofits, and arts groups can ask for my sliding scale, down to pro bono, two slots a quarter, and anything over $3,000 can be paid by the month with no interest. See brand and web, and the nonprofit budget answer for ways to stretch the money.
Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.