A survey of Economic Development Professionals in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Members who use the cooperative own their co-op because they finance it in a variety of ways. They share both the business risks and the business profits. Each cooperative determines...

Examples of Cooperative or collective action can be traced back to our prehistoric predecessors, who recognized the advantages of hunting, gathering, and living in groups rather than individually.

Cooperatives are typically based on the cooperative values of "self-help, self-responsibility, democracy and equality, equity and solidarity" and the seven cooperative principles.

This is an educational guide for teaching basic information about cooperatives. It explains what cooperatives are— their business, principles, and structural characteristics, as well as the responsibilities and roles of cooperative...

This booklet introduces you to the attributes that distinguish a cooperative from other ways to organize and conduct a business. Its purpose is to help you understand what makes cooperatives...

Build skills for assessing needs in a community context, build skills for identifying when a cooperative is and isn’t an appropriate solution to meet needs

The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for ensuring the credit union is operated in a safe and prudent manner and for ensuring adherence to standards of prudent and sound...

Applies to Co-operative Corporations, Business Corporations and Not-For-Profit Corporations. Generally, directors, officers, and members/shareholders are not liable for the actions or wrongs committed by a corporation.

The Self Assessment Workbook: Corporate Governance - Board of Directors (the “Workbook”) is for use by all credit unions

A neglect of governance weakens the framework of accountability and carries multiple risks to the business and its strategy over time. Conversely, good governance supports the board of the co-operative...

Families all across the United States are struggling to afford the cost of a home. Everywhere you look — cities, suburbs, rural areas — the stability that home should bring...

Cost of Risky Debt in Cooperatives

While most boards carry liability insurance for the directors and officers, would it protect you in the event of legal action? Or could you be forced to pay legal fees...

Thus far, we have accounted for just over 300,000 units of the 425,000 estimated to have been produced, 166,608 of which are still limited equity. In the document below, we...

Sample

The agendas included a dozen reports and updates that ate up valuable time. Discussions were not innovative, inspiring, or visionary. Directors whispered, “This is a waste of our time.”

An elevator speech is a concise, easily articulated description of your organization. The term comes from the need to communicate a message in the time it takes to ride an...

This tool is not a complete handbook for your cooperative. Rather, it serves as a framework for you to create a handbook for the members of your cooperative staff who work...

Every co-op should have a Conflict-of-Interest Policy as part of its bylaws or policy manual.

“The world is such a changeable place that you need to have a well-articulated long-term sense of where you’re going, which gives you the base, the confidence, to take on...

Sample Guide

Every co-op or condo has rules and regulations that have been established to define the board’s authority and limitations of power, as well as outline the rules governing the community, residents,...

The board’s fundamental task in a crisis is to ensure that the organization operates legally and ethically. It may also be called on to perform nontraditional and unexpected duties.