Worker Cooperatives
Worker cooperatives are businesses that are owned and governed by the people who work in them. Worker-owners have a voice in how the business is run and share in its success.
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Producer Cooperatives
A producer cooperative is owned by people who produce the same type of product or service. Members may be farmers, artists, forest landowners, or other independent producers.
Consumer Cooperatives
A consumer cooperative is a business owned by the people who use its products or services. Common examples of consumer cooperatives are credit unions, food co-ops, housing co-ops, and utility co-ops.
Cooperatives play a significant role in the agriculture sector. There are several different types of cooperatives that provide services to farmers, ranchers, and other cooperatives. Marketing cooperatives handle, process and market virtually every commodity grown and produced in the United States. They bargain to help their farmer members obtain reasonable prices for the commodities they produce. Farm […]
Finance
Adequate financial resources are fundamental to start, operate, and grow any business. There are also finance issues that are unique to cooperatives, since cooperatives are structured to provide benefits to patron members, rather than capital investors. Members, as owners, provide equity capital in proportion to their use of the cooperative. It is part of members’ […]
Governance
Cooperatives have a unique governance structure that reflects the fact that they are owned and controlled by their members. Effective cooperative operations depend on four groups: members, the board of directors, management, and employees.
Startup & Conversion Resources
Discover resources for starting a cooperative or converting an existing business to cooperative ownership. Explore guides, toolkits, and expert information on planning, governance, financing, and implementation to help build and sustain a successful cooperative enterprise.
Success Factors
There are many things that determine whether or not a new cooperative will be successful. However, experience has shown that the following list is a good place to start to make things work. Successful new co-ops: Potential risks to a new co-op include:
Elements to Starting A Co-op
Starting a cooperative? This resource explores the essential building blocks of cooperative development, from identifying a shared need and engaging potential members to establishing governance, financing, and operations. Whether you’re launching a new worker, consumer, producer, or purchasing cooperative, it provides practical guidance for turning an idea into a sustainable, member-owned business.
Cooperative Principles & Values
One of the ways cooperatives differ from other business structures is their adherence to cooperative principles and values that reflect social, political, and business concerns. The seven principles used by the International Cooperative Alliance today are generally accepted by cooperatives worldwide.