Download Center

Welcome to our Cooperative Housing Download Center — your gateway to a vast collection of educational materials.
Use the search box to explore and filter downloads by book type (Articles, Guides, Books, Reports, and Journals) or by category to quickly find the information that best fits your needs.

Our Portal Library is a comprehensive resource curated from trusted cooperative and housing organizations. It brings together a wealth of articles, guides, books, reports, and journals focused on cooperative housing, governance, leadership, and community development. Each publication is selected for its relevance and practical value, helping cooperative board members and leaders strengthen their knowledge in areas such as: 

Governance and Legal Frameworks –

Understand your duties, responsibilities, and ethical obligations.

Financial and Business Planning

Learn strategies to keep your cooperative strong and sustainable.

Operations and Maintenance

Gain insights into maintaining property value and community trust.

Marketing and Member Engagement –

Explore proven ways to build community participation and satisfaction.

Sector-Specific Studies

Dive into focused research on housing, agriculture, finance, and more.

Whether you’re seeking research-based insights or practical management tools, our Download Center serves as a one-stop hub for cooperative knowledge—supporting informed decisions and effective leadership across all cooperative communities.

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When you click on an item below, you’ll be taken to a page with a quick overview of that resource so you can learn more before downloading it. At the bottom of each page, you’ll see a five-star rating section — please take a moment to rate any items you’ve looked at! Your feedback helps me know which resources people find most useful and which ones might need to be updated or removed.

Cover Image Board Member Handbook Board Member Handbook

Nonprofit organizations serve society through a unique, charitable structure that differs from both the business and government sectors. Nonprofits do not have owners in the traditional sense; however, they must...

Books  Books Portal
Cover Image Board Member Job Description Board Member Job Description

The mission of ABC Organization is [mission]. As the highest leadership body of the organization, and to satisfy its fiduciary duties, the board is responsible for

Article  Board of Directors
Cover Image Board Member Orientation Checklist Board Member Orientation Checklist

This checklist is a general outline to guide the orientation of new board members. Your organization should modify it as needed to ensure that all new board members are provided...

Cheat Sheets  Board Orientation
Cover Image Board Member Rules Board Member Rules

“Many board members stumble into their positions and are left to their own devices to figure out their role and responsibilities, often with negative results. Board Members Rule is an...

Books  Books Portal
Cover Image Board Member Tips – How to handle Conflicts of Interest Board Member Tips – How to handle Conflicts of Interest

As the board of directors, you must know that both real and apparent conflicts of interest can occur while conducting business

Article  Coop Conflict Resolution
Cover Image Board Member Tool Board Member Tool

Our mission is to help you not only succeed, but to achieve success with a minimum amount of anxiety. Hopefully, we can even help you enjoy the experience

Books  Books Portal
Cover Image Board of Directors Evaluation Check List Board of Directors Evaluation Check List

The following table can be used by all board members and the chief executive to gauge the board's performance. The table is a rather basic form for board evaluation. However,...

Cheat Sheets  Board Evaluation
Cover Image Board of Directors Evaluation- Board of Directors Evaluation-

The board of directors is central in a co-operative business. The directors need to be able to make informed decisions to ensure the co-op remains healthy, and they should strive...

Cheat Sheets  Board Evaluation
Cover Image Board of Directors Handbook Board of Directors Handbook

Ideally, Board Members should be individuals who are interested in governing the organization but are not in a management role. An organization can utilize other professionals by establishing advisory ad...

Books  Books Portal
Cover Image Board Of Directors roles and responsibilities Board Of Directors Roles and Responsibilities

The overarching legal responsibilities of a non-profit Board are to ensure that the organization stays true to its mission, operates effectively, and acts in the best interests of its stakeholders....

Reports  Board Responsibilities
Cover Image Board excellence Board of excellence

Techniques to improve the governance and management of associations, chambers, and nonprofit organizations.

Cheat Sheets  Board of Directors
Cover Image board orientation board orientation

Some have gained governance knowledge by educating themselves and serving on other boards. where they have successfully applied their specific expertise to their governance duties_ But no potential board member...

Cheat Sheets  Board of Directors
Cover Image Board Orientation Workbook Board Orientation Workbook

Directors require access to documents to perform their duties effectively. They must be familiar with the organization, including finances, programs, lines of authority, subsidiary organizations, strategic plan, and governing documents.

Reports  Board Orientation
Cover Image Board Orientation Workbook-Jan-2021 Board Orientation Workbook-Jan-2021

Governing practices and principles can seem awkward to new volunteers. While each person brings their passion and expertise, the duties of governance require a distinct skill set. Governance is influenced...

Reports  Board Orientation
Cover Image Board Orientation Board Orientation _

Whether the orientation of your new board member is approached informally or formally, be sure to include the basics needed for new board members to become engaged in the work...

Article  Board Orientation
Cover Image Board Passages Stages-Lifecycle Board Passages Stages-Lifecycle

What follows are brief descriptions of the three nonprofit board types identified by Mathiasen. We present them as a point of consideration only — not as necessarily the best board...

Cheat Sheets  Board of Directors