Your Vote Matters! Voting closes Sunday, April 19

Information for Board of Directors Election

This year’s vote will be held electronically. For 2026, there are four board seats open, three seats for representatives of Shared Capital’s cooperative members and one seat for the individual member representative. All seats have three-year terms. Candidates must be nominated by a cooperative member of Shared Capital. No more than two representatives from any member co-op may serve on the Shared Capital board at the same time.

For biographies and candidate statements of this year’s candidates, click here. For more information on our existing board, click here.

Information for Proposed Changes to Organizing Documents

There are two proposed changes to articles and bylaws to membership. The first is a change to the criteria to be on the board of directors in the bylaws and the second is a change to the purpose statement in the articles.

Ballot Question 1: Proposed Changes to Bylaws: Director Qualification
Bylaws: Article III Board of Directors Section 3. Qualification and Selection.
Add: A qualified representative of an organizational member shall be a current employee, director, or member of such Member. No more than two (2) representatives of any organizational member may serve on the Board of Directors at any time.
Delete: No more than two (2) employees or directors of any organizational member may serve on the Board of Directors in any capacity.

Explanation: The Board of Directors has approved the above changes to clarify the criteria for qualifications to serve on the board of directors and to strengthen the connection of directors to the membership. The Board is recommending approval by the Membership. A red lined version of the bylaws is available here, see page 3.

A YES vote would update the bylaws to the proposed language, requiring all board members to be either a director, employee, or member of a cooperative member of Shared Capital.
A NO vote would keep the language the same in the bylaws with no changes.

Articles of Incorporation Article III (Purpose):
Change to: The purpose of this association shall be to promote equitable community and economic development by providing financial and development assistance to existing cooperatives and to individuals, groups, cooperatives, and organizations operating or intending to operate on a cooperative basis, with a focus on communities historically excluded from access to capital.
(the remainder of the section which continues “In order to accomplish these purposes….” remains as is.)

This replaces the current language: “The purpose of this association shall be to provide technical and financial assistance to existing cooperatives, and groups of individuals, cooperatives, or organizations operating or intending to operate on a cooperative basis….”

Explanation: The proposed revision modernizes language and more clearly articulates Shared Capital Cooperative’s community development purpose, which is consistent with the expectations of the CDFI Fund to qualify for CDFI certification, while anchoring the purpose in our core activities, cooperative mission, values, and strategic priorities without changing the organization’s mission or scope. A red lined version of the articles of incorporation is available here, see page 1.

A YES vote would update the articles to the proposed language, updating the purpose.
A NO vote would keep the articles and bylaws the same.

Thank you

We are appreciative of members like you taking time to review and vote. You can see our current articles of incorporation here and our bylaws here. If you haven’t received credentials, if you’d like a paper ballot or if you have any questions, please email adam@sharedcapital.coop.