How-to

Guides drafted in spring 2009 for union-led conversions to worker co-ops from other business forms, by the Western Labour-Worker Coop Council.

Financing and Financial Management for Cooperatives


Ontario Co-operative Association, 3 pp. Chart comparing the co-operative, corporation, partnership, and sole proprietor business models on a wide variety of attributes from values and decision making to survival rate and taxation. A second chart compares the co-operative with the investor-owned business and nonprofit organization based on principles, voting, shares, securities regulations, distribution of surplus, and dissolution.

Government of Saskatchewan. Benefits of co-operatives to farmers and communities. Comparison of co-operative with other business structures.

Rural Adaptation Council Inc. and the University of Manitoba. Describes sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, and co-operative business structure and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Guide to Making Proposals

How to Read Financial Statements

EFFECTIVE PRACTICES In STARTING COOPERATIVES: 

The Voice of Canadian Co-op Developers
BOOK & DVD By the BC Institute for Co-op Studies

Attached is the Book and DVD order form.

EFFECTIVE PRACTICES In STARTING COOPERATIVES: 

The Voice of Canadian Co-op Developers
BOOK & DVD By the BC Institute for Co-op Studies

Attached is the Book and DVD order form.

A generic job description form.

Developing a co-op.

 Excerpt:

Introduction

Co-operatives are a well-proven model for doing business and providing for people’s needs.  They have a very successful track record in Canada, with nearly fifteen million members of co-ops, credit unions and caisses populaires.  

Decision making document.

 Excerpt:

The most effective style of decision-making depends on the situation.  Small co-operatives often make major decisions (like working hours, pay rates, customer service policies, by-law changes, etc) using consensus.  Why?  Because properly facilitated consensus decisions allow everyone to express their point of view, listen to others, and come to the best decision for the group as a whole.  Consensus provides ample opportunity for respectful disagreement and when a decision is reached it’s usually the best solution and people are committed to making it happen.   Consensus decreases the chances that people will change their minds after the decision is made or feel left out of the decision and therefore unmotivated to contribute to its implementation.

Co-operative governence document.

 Excerpt:

1. What is governance?

Co-op governance means the processes and structures used to direct and manage the co-op’s operations and activities. Good governance helps organizations use their resources more effectively and ensures that they are managed in the best interests of their members and principal stakeholders. 

A document about co-op feasibility.

 Excerpt:

Co-op Feasibility

Written by Russ Christianson

All right, you have already completed the Co-op Self-Assessment.  If you still feel confident that a co-op business is the right thing for you and your group, the next step is to investigate its feasibility.  A feasibility study involves gathering, analyzing and evaluating information with the purpose of answering the question:  “Should the co-op go into this business?”

A self assessment procedure for co-ops.

 Excerpt:

This is a self-assessment in the truest sense.  You won’t be asked to score a number of questions, total your score and then be told where you fit on an arbitrary scale that purports to measure temperament, attitudes or motivations.  Rather, it’s an opportunity to reflect, talk to friends and family and potential members of your co-op.

A co-op business plan template.

 Excerpt:

INTRODUCTION

A business plan is a vital document for any successful co-op.  Ideas are simply that until they can be effectively communicated and implemented in a systematic manner.  A comprehensive, written document that expresses ideas and assigns specific responsibility to individuals and\or teams within your co-op provides the map for the whole organization to follow.  Without a written plan, people go in their own directions, their destinations always moving before they arrive.  A co-ordinated effort in a co-operative organization depends upon a written plan that everyone can follow and use as a basis of evaluation for their performance.

A series of toolboxes that can be purchased through the Northcountry Cooperative Foundation, they include: "Financial Management for Directors and Managers of Natural Food Co-ops","The Governance Toolbox", "The Ownership Toolbox", "A Relationship of Respect: Evaluating Your General Manager", "Hiring a General Manager", "The Cooperative Housing Conversion Toolbox", and "Expansions and Relocations Toolbox".

A practical guide for co-operative success in co-operative housing development.  This guide is designed for use by housing cooperative boards of directors, resident members and co-op partners. It defines what a co-op is, highlights the history of the cooperative movement, explains how co-ops are managed and governed, explores what co-op members can do to recognize and weed out problems early on, and provides guidelines that allow the best elements of cooperative living to take root and grow.

A guide to co-operative housing development as a tool for successful community development. As community leaders seek solutions to the affordable housing crisis, people continue to make difficult choices about where to live. Cooperative housing is one solution to the affordable housing crisis. This guide is designed to assist community leaders in determining whether co-op housing is right for their community, and helps with choosing, planning and organizing co-op housing developments.

New Guide Supports Worker Co-op Formation and Expansion Developed by the Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (Minnesota), the Worker Co-op Toolbox provides a new set of resources to assist potential worker co-op members and their partners in choosing, planning, organizing, and supporting new and existing employee-owned cooperatives. Thanks to Northcountry for granting permission to republish. For more information, www.ncdf.org/Toolboxes.html

An index of topic that The Co-operative Grocer provides information on based around Board of Directors and Governance.

Excerpt:

How do you Incorporate a Co-operative without share capital? 

To incorporate a co-operative without share capital, you need to send to the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, Licensing and Enforcement Division: 

Excerpt:

How do you Incorporate a Co-operative with Share Capital? 

To incorporate a co-operative with share capital, you need to send Credit Unions and Co-operatives 

Excerpt:

WHAT CO-OPERATIVES CAN DO FOR YOU  AND YOUR COMMUNITY 

For many years, Ontarians have used co-operatives as a way of combining their energy, skills, and resources to reach shared goals and fulfil common needs. People form co-ops to: 

The purpose of this Guide is to help you navigate the financial planning and marketing process for your co-op.

There is really no distinction between what your business plan and/or financing proposals need in order to get approved by financiers and what your co-op needs in order to succeed. As a general rule: whatever is of priority to potential financiers is also important for your co-op’s business success.

A guide to the business resources available through the Government of Canada.

A two-part book (U.S. based) on the benefits of forest owner co-operation and steps to forming forest owner co-operatives and associations.

This is a user-friendly guide (U.S. based) for people interested in organising a co-operative to create in come and employment opportunities. It includes organising steps, discussion of feasibility study and business plan, examples, and an annotated bibliography.

This is a user-friendly guide (U.S. based) to incorporating a marketing cooperative. It presents an overview of the basic steps of the co-op organising process and examples of contemporary marketing cooperatives. **If you order this guide eb sure to ask for the Second Edition (2000).

A How-to guide for starting a co-op in Ontario under various conditions

 Excerpt:

• WHAT CO-OPERATIVES CAN DO FOR YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY 
• For many years, Ontarians have used co-operatives as a way of combining their energy, skills, and resources to reach shared goals and fulfil common needs. People form co-ops to: 
• ! Lower the cost of business supplies and consumer goods. Because business service co-ops and consumer supply co-ops buy in bulk, members benefit from lower costs on everything from food to fertilizers. 
• ! Start their own businesses and create their own jobs. Worker co-ops are enterprises owned and operated by their employees. Worker co-ops can be formed for any business purpose, from carpentry to film production. 
• ! Get better prices for products and services. By forming marketing or producer co-ops, people can earn more from their products and services by selling directly to the public. These co-ops also help producers lower their marketing and distribution costs. 
• ! Obtain convenient, reasonably priced child care. Child care co-ops give parents an important role in shaping the care of their children. 
• ! Find affordable housing and have a chance to help make the decisions about the upkeep of their homes. 
• The co-operative way of doing business and providing services is guided by some basic principles: • ! Open, Voluntary Membership: Anyone who can use a co-op's services and is willing to accept the responsibilities of membership may apply to become a member. 
• ! Democratic Control: Members have an equal voice in running their co-op. Each member has one vote, no matter how much he or she has invested, and only members may vote. 
• ! Limited Return on Capital: Since the main purpose of co-ops is to provide goods, services or jobs for their members, people do not generally invest in co-ops for speculative purposes. By law, co-op shares may appreciate in value only to a limited extent.
• ! Co-operative Education: Co-ops are committed to educating their members and the general public about the co-operative way of delivering services and doing business. 
• ! Co-operation among Co-operatives: To encourage the growth of co-ops, co-operatives and co-op organizations actively develop local, provincial, national, and international networks.