Cooperative Movement

We have much to learn from the rich history and vibrant energy of cooperatives (including credit unions) from across the spectrum: large and small, established and emerging, near and far. At the close of the United Nations 2025 International Year of Cooperatives, we'll explore a model that demonstrates global presence and local impact through the power and purpose of member ownership, control, and benefit--and the particular impact of P5 (Principle 5: Education, Training, & Information) x P6 (Principle 6: Cooperation Among Cooperatives). 

“Co-ops are practical, not perfect” and as an entity, they can often get caught up with an expectation to be a utopian alternative to capitalist structures. Through a discussion of learned experiences, this session aims at providing an honest lens into managing collective work and lateral power, creating systems that empower cooperative workers in ways that make every individual feel heard, while keeping the expectations of what it means to be in a cooperative realistic, restorative, and hopeful.

Session materials from “Organizing across Movements” presented by Camila Tapia-Guilliams at NASCO Institute 2024. 

Cooperatives are organized by community members collectively meeting their needs as mutual aid. They are rooted in a diverse history across movements for people power. While community organizing is foundational to many cooperatives’ history and practice, it is often an unspoken tactic or framework. 

Session materials from “How NASCO has inspired European Student Housing Cooperators” presented by Anke Schwittay and Jim Jones at NASCO Institute 2024. This workshop will introduced the Pan-European Student Cooperative Housing Network (PESCHA), which is an ecosystem of cooperatives in six European countries that aims to grow the number of student housing cooperatives. While some members (UK, Germany, Switzerland) have well-established coops, other members (Ireland, Hungary, Italy) are at the beginning of their coop journey.

In 2021, NASCO conducted interviews with 28 member co-ops using a standardized set of questions regarding several areas of co-op health: governance, legal obligations, finances, membership, education, maintenance, leadership, staffing, community engagement, and quality of life for members.

In this report, NASCO has aggregated the results of all co-op health assessments to offer an overall picture of our sector's health. The goals of this report include:

This is a discussion guide that offers participants the opportunity to reflect on ways in which the cooperative movement does and does not support indigenous sovereignty, and to brainstorm how co-ops can uplift the land back movement. These slides provide a few discussion prompts and resources to continue the conversation in your co-op.

Below, are the recordings for NASCO Institue 2020 sessions by room. Please share lessons learned with your cooperatives and communities. 

If you did not register for NASCO Institute and you'd like to support free and low-cost cooperative education, please consider contributing a donation amount that feels appropriate for you and/or your cooperative. Your donation makes it possible to offer cooperative education materials and resources free of charge. DONATE HERE.

With roots in the women's movement of the late 1800s, group equity co-ops have continued against the odds for almost 150 years, finding ways to create both affordable housing and community across North America.

Group equity co-ops are solidly rooted in the Chicago area, first rising as a practical solution to the very real needs of nineteenth-century single women. But this self-help approach eventually became an important option for anyone with financial need.

Many Hands: Building a Cooperative Future 

Filmed in 2013, this is an inspirational chronical of the cooperative movement in Austin, Texas, and also an organizing tool for anyone searching for a cooperative approach to broader empowerment and stronger community.

Presentation from a session at NASCO Institute 2017.