California Center for Cooperation Development

Cooperative Education and Outreach.CCCD provides education about how the co-op business model can be used to create and save jobs, create housing opportunities, offer childcare, help farmers or entrepreneurs join together to gain purchasing power or better compete in the marketplace, increase food security though cooperative owned groceries, and capture other opportunities by working together. We also provide education to groups on democratic governance, leadership, reading and understanding financial statements and related topics. General cooperative education is provided via our website, public outreach, and responding to inquiries. During 2023, www.cccd.coop logged 45,281 unique visitors who used the site's start-up tutorial, downloadable publications, co-op news, videos, and links to additional resources. During the year we added a series of worker co-op videos that can be accessed via U-tube and the website. During 2023, CCCD responded to more than 315 substantive telephone and email inquiries. CCCD also reaches out via Facebook and other Social Media Platforms.

Cooperative Conferences and Events.In 2023, CCCD convened our annual Agricultural Director and Executive Conference in Sacramento, with 42 registrants. Our annul California Co-op Conference convened in San Jose with 315 attendees. The two-day conference included 38 panels and workshops, with over a third of them either presented in Spanish or offering simultaneous interpretation. A suite of workshops offered MCLE credits for attorneys. CCCD staff also presented and participated in conferences and events.

Technical Assistance.CCCD provides technical assistance in many ways, including development assistance, governance training for co-ops, and cooperative business support. Development assistance includes performing feasibility & business planning, start-up, expansion, and related support. Our work with housing, worker, and farmer cooperatives continues to grow. CCCD helps residents in Manufactured Home Parks to cooperatively purchase their community; through democratic resident control they are able to strengthen their community, stabilize housing costs and optimize their housing security. In February a Fresno manufactured housing community we have been assisting was able to close escrow and become a resident owned community. The purchase put an end to a long struggle they had with an investor owner, and enabled residents to reduce their monthly assessments and initiate a number of park improvements. We completed a two-year project that focused on helping people with employment barriers improve their employment through worker cooperative enterprise. Almost 300 individuals participated in the program. Funded with a grant from the state we were able to award $75,000 in micro-grants to 21 worker cooperatives. We also produced a series of worker co-op videos in English and Spanish.