CooperationWorks

Cooperationworks!' Members, a national network of over 30 cooperative development centers and a dozen individual developers, work together to revitalize communities through effective cooperative enterprise development. Members provide expertise across all aspects of cooperative development including feasibility analysis, business plan development, training, and education. Cooperationworks! Connects and facilitates the national network to enable collaboration, resource sharing, and best practices to emerge. Cooperationworks! Redesigned its flagship training program and provided intensive training (the art and science of cooperative development: session 1) to 35 people. This training covers cooperative business basics, governance, feasibility, cooperative ecosystems, group dynamics, and site visits. Cooperationworks!' Members meet twice annually for a two day meeting that includes both a "business day" to keep them informed of what Cooperationworks!' Staff and board are working and to hold elections if applicable and a "professional development day" open to non-members for developers to share knowledge, build skills, and learn from each other or other field experts.