This past spring, the Rooted Carrot wrapped up the first public phase of its Capital Campaign by raising an amazing amount: $725,191! These contributions were comprised of loans provided by Co-op membership and donations by members and non-members, too. With this financial support, the greater Cedar Valley community has clearly demonstrated a keen interest in launching the area’s only community-owned grocery store.
When the dust settled, we had raised 45% of our total goal of $1.6 million. (Since then, we’ve increased our totals and we’re now at $732,273!) Compared with other recent start-up food co-ops across the U.S., the Rooted Carrot Co-op was doing exceptionally well in its efforts to reach the campaign goal.
Over the summer months, our team of volunteers regrouped to prepare for the next phase of the campaign. At that time, we announced that the second drive would take place in the fall. (Fundraising would still continue behind the scenes, though!)
As the board and the Capital Campaign Committee assessed the work ahead of us and the strategies needed to be successful, we decided to push back the launch of the second public phase of the campaign into January 2022. The main reason why we decided to wait was because the building approval process is still ongoing. (See our Facebook page for updates on the building/site approval process. As of the deadline to publish this article for the Garlic Press, we fully anticipate full approval for the building/site plan by the City this fall.)
The additional months help our committee better prepare for the Phase II campaign for a number of reasons. One benefit is that we have more time to recruit more volunteers. The more volunteers engaged in this work, the less anyone volunteer has to do. Additionally, as we’ve reported on social media, the campaign is in the midst of a big project switching from an outdated database to a new system, which will be a significant aid in our work.
Of course, there’s no reason to wait until January if you are interested in investing in this project.
How Can I Help?
There are many ways to help with the capital campaign. As the saying goes, many hands make light work.
- Contribute. Make your loan (members only) or donation if you haven’t yet (or increase your contribution). Please contact us for details on how you can support this effort.
- Volunteer. We are recruiting a few more volunteers for various positions in the campaign (many of which don’t involve asking anyone for money!). If you’re interested in helping, please sign up to volunteer here.
- Tell your story. Share the reasons why you contributed with friends and neighbors and social media contacts. As an owner of this business, you can help us reach our goal!
Again, thanks for everyone’s support so far. We can’t wait to launch Phase II and reach our goal this fall! Please contact Committee Chair Tom Wickersham if you have any questions.