1) Intro to Worker Cooperatives
What is the history of cooperatives globally and in NYC? What types of cooperatives exist? What is an ecosystem in NYC? What kinds of questions should you ask yourself if you are interested in starting a cooperative?
In this overview we will provide a broad context for cooperatives, explore the solidarity economy, and dive deeper into worker cooperatives specifically. We will work together to identify what makes worker cooperatives different from traditional businesses.
We will also review three areas of work to consider when starting a cooperative: Co-op Capacity Development, Business Development and Ecosystem Development. This workshop is tailored to those interested in learning more about worker cooperatives or those looking to start a worker cooperative.
2) Who’s Economy? Our Economy! Solidarity Economics 101: DESCRIPTION UNDER REVISION
Through this participatory workshop we will create a shared understanding of the economy and a framework for economic justice. Participants learn about existing cooperative models for housing, work, finance and agriculture that embody economic justice principles and promote community wealth, as well as ways they can plug into these existing initiatives and movements for economic justice in NYC.
3) Facilitating Decision-Making
This session introduces different types of democratic decision-making processes and the importance of meeting facilitation. Participants will be able to reflect on their experiences with making decisions, understand some options coops have for such processes and review skills that are key for facilitating decision-making spaces in cooperatives.
Using example scenarios we dive deeper into the consensus based model of developing, assessing and ratifying proposals. This is a useful tool for engaging stakeholders as holistically as possible and an applicable process for coops of different sizes and governance structures.
4) Governance and Culture
Through collective play and conversation, this interactive session explores the relationship between governance structure and organizational values and cultures. Participants are given space and tools to reflect on how white supremacy culture shows up in our work, and how creating governance structures should be a values-centered practice.
The purpose of this interactive session is to think about healthy coop culture and begin identifying the management and governance needs in a cooperative. We explore white supremacy culture as a whole and in small groups.
We introduce participants to three distinct roles worker owners play as owners and policy-setters of a business (governance), managers of a business (carrying out the policy), and workers in a business (engaging in the core operations). We will be focusing on the distinction between governance and management. We will also look at examples of decisions that cooperatives have to make as a resource in planning out aligned governance structures.
5) Business Model Canvas
Understanding business basics is essential for worker participation in a business governance. The Business Model Canvas is a tool that provides a simple democratic framework for business modeling and analysis that can be applied to any company.
Participants will learn the key components of a basic business plan. While reviewing the elements and purpose of the business model canvas and its relation to financials and business plans with anti capitalist lens, we will use the business model canvas tool to develop a strategy for an example business, analyzing its value proposition and key components of its cost structure and revenue streams.
6) Anti-capitalist Financial Projections
This workshop gives participants the tools to calculate basic revenue, cost and profitability projections for their business to answer the question “is my business economically sustainable?” while centering solidarity economy values.
This workshop picks up where the Business Model Canvas workshop leaves off and helps participants understand fixed costs, variable costs, net profit and key factors that will affect their business. Participants will leave the workshop with a tool for making their own financial projections.
7) Flow Like Water: Worker Coop Finance 101
(provided by Wholehearted Bookkeeping cooperative): A nature walk that helps participants dip their toes and dive into their finances.
Participants explore understanding the accounting system and finances using the metaphor of the water cycle including having the books ready for taxes. We also look at what healthy and problematic finance systems look like including common pitfalls and best practices, including in the relationship to your coop developer (if relevant).
Participants practice reading and working with financial reports in a democratic setting. Depending on time, there are also activities that teach participants about different kinds of accounts (assets, liabilities, equity, income and expenses) and what reports they live on. There’s also space for questions and answers with accounting and finance experts: bring your questions! We aim to create a fun, inclusive and encouraging environment. Participants will also receive a toolkit with: software, bank, and accountant recommendations, report examples, budget and cash flow templates and cooperative chart of account samples.
8) Legal Entity Options for Cooperatives:
In this session participants will learn about three options for legal structures for cooperatives (unincorporated partnership, limited liability company, and worker cooperative corporation) and the reasons why a cooperative might choose one option over others. We will cover the concept of limited liability and discuss which entity options have limited liability and which do not. Participants will also learn how tax, employment and immigration law applies to each of the entity options.
Thinking of Starting a Co-op? Here's Where to Begin
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