Cooperative Basics

Guidebook

We’ve created this guide to provide ideas, insight, and resources for Board Chairs or the staff coordinating a board at an association, club, or nonprofit.

The 10 steps to forming a co-operative occur in three stages: developing the business idea, assessing interest and viability, and start-up.

This guide outlines the process of organizing and financing a cooperative business. Rather than being a comprehensive handbook, this publication highlights the key elements to consider when forming a cooperative.

This guide outlines the process of organizing and financing a cooperative business. Rather than being a comprehensive handbook, this publication highlights the key elements to consider when forming a cooperative.

Incident response focuses on the actions implemented upon notification or discovery of situations that affect the immediate safety and well-being of our residents and staff.

Multiple studies have analyzed the outcomes of affordable housing developments. The three main types of affordable housing programs that researchers have studied are public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), and the Low-Income...

A growing body of research suggests that stable, affordable housing may increase children’s opportunities for educational success. A supportive and stable home environment can complement the efforts of educators, leading...

Below are some guidelines on the significance of income limits to your HDFC. Note: any figures quoted regarding the current AMI are from 2005.

The guide was developed in partnership with the provinces and territories and was designed to provide Canadians with essential information on the co-operative business model.

On May 15, 2020, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) launched a $300 million fund to support sustainable, affordable housing.

Consensus decision-making is a process that seeks to arrive at decisions that everyone can live with by seeking to resolve or mitigate the concerns of the minority.

The Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law is the official publication of the Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development of the American Bar Association, with three issues per year. It...

Successful housing cooperatives typically share common key operating practices and philosophies. These include a need to understand some basic cooperative concepts, such as the joint ownership and user-owner nature of...

Since 2001, new cooperative laws have been adopted in five states—Wyoming, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin—and introduced in the Nebraska state legislature. These laws do not replace existing cooperative statutes.

Besides offering limited liability to its members, both the LLC and the LCA also provide a choice in tax treatment. The organization may elect to be taxed as either a...

A limited equity cooperative (LEC) is a homeownership model in which residents purchase a share in a development and commit to reselling their share at a price determined by a...

For all issues, Board members should discuss their concerns with the President/Chair, who will address them and, if necessary, escalate the matter to the Executive Director/Manager.

What is co-operative living? The simplest answer is that it is people living together in a self-governing group so that everyone benefits from the group's success. This house is your...

Throughout this booklet, we use the term “insurer” to refer to the company that collects premium dollars and pays out money to defend and settle claims. Whatever the form of...

Like many metropolitan regions in the country, the Twin Cities are experiencing rapidly rising rents and a lack of affordable homes for sale.

This Developer’s Guide to MHDC Multifamily Programs (“Developer’s Guide”) is a reference document for developers, owners, and all members of the development team.

The mission guides the organization daily, while the vision highlights the organization’s long-term impact. Use this guide to help your organization review and revise your mission and vision statements.

Our cooperative principles promote quality housing and services. As individuals, we are empowered through democratic participation to create a community equally accessible to all.