Incorporation
NASCO Institute 2020 Session Recordings
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.
Housing Type Comparison Chart
Chart comparing the Rental, Group-Equity Co-op, Equity Co-op (limited or market-rate), Condominium, and Single Family Home models, from the perspectives of control, finance, and liability.
Six successful 501(c)3 applications (Form 1023)
This archive contains the Form 1023s and supporting documentation for the following six cooperatives that have successfully become not-for-profit organizations:
- Bloomington Cooperative Living (Indiana, 2011)
- CHÜVA - Cooperative Housing at the University of Virginia (Virginia, 2005)
- Cooperative Roots (California, 2006)
- Kalamazoo Collective Housing (
Cooperative Housing Development Toolbox: A Guide for Successful Community Development
As community leaders seek affordable housing solutions, people continue to make difficult choices about where to live. Cooperative housing is one solution to increasing the availability of affordable housing.
Incorporating and Getting 501c3 Status - Developing New Cooperatives
Presented by Daniel Miller (NASCO Staff) & David "Rosebud" Sparer (Herrick & Kasdorf, LLP)
Why do co-ops become legal corporations? What does it take to incorporate? What are the pros and cons of different legal statuses? What does non-profit status do for a co-op, and does your co-op qualify? These resources will help give answers to these questions and more, with specific examples to help your co-op.
Getting Incorporated
These resources were contributed by Attorney David "Rosebud" Sparer as a resource for housing co-op organizers looking to incorporate as a non-profit or a cooperative.
Cooperative Business Planning
This resource includes several templates for cooperative business plans from actual housing cooperatives in North America. Other references provided are a blueprint for the development process, of which the business plan is a part, and a cooperative business plan presentation given at the 2009 NASCO Institute.
NASCO Co-op Organizer's Handbook
The Organizer's Handbook is a comprehensive guide to creating group-equity housing cooperatives. By explaining the cooperative movement, campus and community organizing, nonprofit incorporation, financing, and housing development, this important resource demystifies a challenging project.
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Sample Co-op Bylaws
These sample bylaw can give you an idea of some simple boilerplate language for incorporating your coop. Of course, a coop should get these bylaws looked at before submitting them, but these should give you a good idea of what you may want to do, and let you change things where you need to do so in order to make these match your needs.
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