Our Spring Purchasing Program Calendar
Copier Leases, Electricity, Insurance, Janitorial + Meet Chi!
We celebrated the start of the 2023 in style as over 50 people gathered on zoom for our first ever All Co-op Meeting!
We are growing the Community Purchasing Alliance of Massachusetts to be a powerful organization capable of supporting an increasing array of your operational challenges, while leveraging our collective purchasing power for sustainability, justice, and racial, economic, and gender equity.
A few highlights from our meeting:
We heard stories of impact, strategic success, and major savings from First Baptist of JP, Bethel AME of Lynn, and Excel Academy Charter Schools
We announced a $400,000 investment partnership our co-op has been awarded thanks to Boston Impact Initiative and the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast
We introduced everyone to our new Director of Business Development, Chi Mokel (more on her below)
We laid out our program agenda for the year
And we officially launched our membership campaign for organization purchasing with us to become owners of the co-op
We are coming into this year with momentum to do big things! What’s your next step?
Spring 2023 Program Calendar
Join us in one of our cooperative group purchasing program opportunities coming up over the next few months.
Co-op Copier Lease
Fill out this form to participate and receive pricing
Deadline: February 22
More details here
Questions: copiers@cpa.coop
Commercial Insurance
Fill out this form to participate and receive pricing
Deadline: March 1
More details here
Questions: insurance@cpa.coop
Electricity Group Purchase
Fill out this form to participate and receive pricing
Deadline: April 18
Info Call: March 22nd, 2pm - RSVP here
More details here
Questions: energy@cpa.coop
Janitorial & Property Maintenance Group RFP
Contact Chi Mokel to express interest - ma-janitorial@cpa.coop
Deadline: Flexible - RFP release targeted for April pending group needs
More details here
Who in your network can you share this information with?
We are stronger together. Our co-op's power to get the best rates & make real social impacts comes through having the largest groups possible. Tell your denominations and associations. Invite your peers to submit their bills. Collective power is the key to our individual success!
Meet Chi!
We are thrilled to welcome our second employee at CPA MA. Chi Mokel began her role as Director of Business Development on January 4th and dove straight into the work of organizing institutions to join our co-op. She shares about her journey into this role below:
Our co-op is a collective of places and people. In these first few weeks with CPA, I have found myself in two boiler rooms, one rooftop, three towns, many Zoom rooms, one co-working space, a certain Jamaica Plain café multiple times, and the welcoming spaces of several co-op partners. These spaces have been historic, calming, homey, replete with children, and everything in between.
It is my honor to move these spaces with you and consider the throughline of the furnace to the food pantry or the custodians to community meeting spaces. Operations! It isn't always glamorous, but it is crucial for each of our institutions. Boston has been my home for the past nine years. Here, I have worked a range of jobs from executive assistant to shoe saleswoman. These assorted roles have solidified my sense for how operational teams can connect directly to the mission of their organizations, most recently as a Development staff member with the Conservation Law Foundation (♻️🔌🐋). It's hard to fundraise for environmental advocacy without passion for clean water regulation or taking down oil giants!
Here at CPA, I am excited to continue the great work of Nathan, our steering group, and sister co-ops. Furthermore, I am excited to expand our efforts to make sustainable practices more accessible, convene our network for community dialogues, and connect to new types of organizations, such as arts institutions. Have a rec for a prospective event, partner, vendor, or program for CPA? Please get in touch!