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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Cover Image What the right way to Approve board Minutes What is the right way to approve board minutes

Is it OK to indicate that board meeting minutes are approved based on, “Hearing no changes, let the record reflect that the prior minutes stand as approved?” Or should a...

Article  Coop Minutes
Cover Image What makes a good policy manual What makes a good policy manual

Policies are the collective wisdom of the board, passed on to future leaders. Policies interpret the bylaws and articles of incorporation, which are purposely broad in scope.

Article  Coop Policy
Cover Image What Makes a Great Meeting What Makes a Great Meeting

What makes a great meeting? The best of them leaves us focused and energized because the meeting's purpose was clear; attendees felt engaged.

Article  Board Meeting Board
Cover Image What Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know About Lawsuits What Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know About Lawsuits

This booklet is designed to inform nonprofit managers, board members, and staff about the litigation process, enabling them to work more effectively with us to manage lawsuits lodged against their...

Books  Books Portal
Cover Image What they are and the role of Members, Directors, Managers, and Employees What they are and the role of Members, Directors, Managers,...

Five chapters make up this guide. Chapter 1—What Are Cooperatives? is the most extensive chapter, generally describing where and how cooperatives fit into the American system of business, their unique...

Books  Books Portal
Cover Image what to do when EEOC Comes Knocking what to do when EEOC Comes Knocking

Has your co-op ever received a charge of employment discrimination? Such charges are often filed by co-op employees after termination.

Article  Coop Legal
Cover Image What went wrong at Agway What went wrong at Agway

On October 1, 2002, Agway filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Many people are asking what went wrong. This is a hasty attempt by the authors to analyze the situation.

Article  Coop Why Coops Fail
Cover Image When Guests Attend Board Meeting When Guests Attend Board Meeting

Board meetings are called for the purpose of governance in accordance with the bylaws, policies, and state law.

Article  Board Meeting Board
Cover Image When You Are the President When You Are the President

The mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership...

Article  Board President
Cover image Which Financial Records to Keep and How Long to Keep Them Which Financial Records to Keep and How Long to Keep...

You can't take everything with you, but the following are suggestions about how long you should keep business and personal records on file:

Cheat Sheets  Coop Legal
Cover Image Whistle Blower Sample Policy Whistle Blower Sample Policy

It is the responsibility of all directors, officers, and employees to comply with the Code and to report violations or suspected violations in accordance with this Whistleblower Policy.

Reports  Coop Policy
Cover Image who runs the cooperative Business who runs the cooperative Business

Cooperatives, as a form of business owned and controlled by the people who use it, can be compared to buying a car, in that several parties must come together to...

Article  Board Training
Cover Image Why the rent is too damn high- The affordable housing crisis Why the rent is too damn high- The affordable housing...

If you spent any time in the last few years searching for an apartment in the US, you likely came to the conclusion that current prices are, in a word,...

Article  Coop Affordable
Cover Image Working with Financial Statement Working with Financial Statement

This report is designed to help members understand and analyze their cooperative’s financial statements. The financial statements contained in a cooperative’s annual report are the members’ chief source of financial...

Reports  Coop Finance
Cover Image year of policy manual year of policy manual

The Form asks several questions about an organization’s policies. The aim is to answer the questions affirmatively by the time the form is used in 2009 for the 2008 tax...

Article  Coop Policy
Cover Image Young Lambeth Cooperative – Business Plan Young Lambeth Cooperative – Business Plan

The YLC is the first of its kind and is the most exciting and innovative development in the UK youth and commissioning sector. The London borough of Lambeth, in partnership...

Reports  Coop 101
Cover Image Your board recruitment package Your Board Member Recruitment Package

Here are some tips on what to include in your board’s recruitment package that you give to prospective board members. Deciding to join a board is a significant decision.

Article  Board of Directors
Cover Image Your family disaster supplies kit Your family disaster supplies kit

Disasters happen anytime and anywhere. And when disaster strikes, you may not have much time to respond.

Article  Coop Emergency Preparedness
Cover Image Your mission statement is not a holiday Your mission statement is not a holiday turkey

Boards sometimes create a mission statement, much like how we prepare a holiday turkey. They stuff as much as they can into the mission to satisfy everybody.

Reports  Coop Mission
Cover Image Your Mission Statement is not a turkey Your Mission Statement is not a turkey

Boards sometimes create a mission statement, much like how we prepare a holiday turkey. They stuff as much as they can into the mission to satisfy everybody.

Article  Coop Mission
Cover Image Your Timeline for Planning a Successful Annual Meeting- Your Timeline for Planning a Successful Annual Meeting-

Whether you are about to plan a meeting or have just hosted one, the following guide explains what your board should do.

Article  Coop Meeting Annual