START-UP TUTORIAL/RESOURCES FOR STARTING & OPERATING A CO-OP

WANT TO LEARN MORE? 

Starting and operating a cooperative is multi-faceted. This page include links to educational resources, beginning with videos from workshops presented at our annual CA Co-op Conference. Other videos are also included in links to resources by type of cooperative. We are appreciative of the videography contributions of Jai Jai Noire, Mighty Small Films.

Educational workshops from the 2012 California Coop Conference
Link to videos:

• John Restakis: Humanizing the Economy with Co-ops [watch video]
• WAGES: Role of Cooperative Incubators in Transitioning Workers to Management Roles (Goldberg) [watchvideo]
• Creating and Monitoring Budgets/Como crear y controlar los presupuestos de su cooperativa (Sansores) [watch video]
• Developing a Budget for Creating a Food Cooperative (Reid) [watch video]

Ready to learn more about what a cooperative business can do for you, and how you can start your own? Below are links to start-up and operating information that is specific to the type of cooperative

General Co-ops: A cooperative is an organization that is owned and controlled by the people who use its products, supplies and/or services.

Agriculture Co-ops: Agricultural cooperatives are organized to help farmers gain market power by joining together to market their crops, increase their bargaining power by achieving economies of scale, processing their commodity to add value, and/or to purchase supplies and services.

Arts and Crafts Co-ops: Cooperatives offer distinctive benefits to artists of all types, such as gaining marketing advantages, reaping quantity discounts on supplies through joint purchasing, sharing studio space and equipment, and maintaining control over the distribution of their work.

Child Care Co-ops: Preschool and childcare cooperatives provide care and/or instruction for the children of parents, who may either be members themselves, or employees of member businesses; parents may also informally share childcare services among each other through a babysitting co-op.

Consumer Food Co-ops: Consumer food cooperatives are formed to gain control over the type and quality of products available and to obtain lower food prices.

Credit Unions: A credit union is a member-owned, nonprofit, financial cooperative organized to provide financial services to benefit consumers.

Housing Co-ops: Housing cooperatives are democratically controlled corporations established to provide housing for members.

Student Co-ops: Student cooperatives are established to meet a variety of specific needs related to students' status and lifestyles, including housing, food, childcare, and books.

Worker Co-ops: A worker cooperative is a business that is owned and controlled by the workers.

Want to know more? Please call our experienced staff at (530) 297-1032 or email us at info@cccd.coop and we will be glad to help answer any questions we can.