Cooperative Principles

Cooperatives exist in a liminal space within American capitalist socio-economic structures. Externally, hierarchy is seen as a norm and standard to uphold. Internally, strong democratic currents demand individual accountability and participation. Staff can be stuck in the middle, relying on structures familiar to external partners in order to generate relationships while at the same time ensuring the mission and culture of the cooperative is maintained to member standards.

Session materials from “Building Economic Democracy: Building Blocks for Co-op Strategy” presented by Steve Dubb at NASCO Institute 2024.  How can co-ops not just serve member-owners, but act as the life-affirming institutions that we need to build a more democratic economy, rooted in values of solidarity? This session introduced key strategies that can build wealth and power in communities —such as community land trusts, participatory budgeting, public banks, and employee ownership.

This workshop slide deck reviews cooperative members' responsibilities to each other, future members, and the co-op as a whole. We will provide tools to describe and promote member roles and responsibilities in your co-op.

Co-ops are businesses designed to pool resources to serve a specific economic need of their current and future members. At the same time, co-ops hold a principle of Concern for the Community and often use those pooled resources contributed by individual members to serve as a social safety net for the membership collectively. This is a discussion guide that offers a few discussion prompts and some practices for balancing the tension between these goals.

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.