Sample Board Manual
A sample board training manual, including basic board roles and responsibilities, interactions with staff, and an overview of operations.
Governance Info / Legal Documents
Cooperative Housing Toolbox: A Practical Guide for Cooperative Success
This guide is designed for use by housing cooperative boards of directors, resident members and co-op partners.
Cooperation Begins With You
"Cooperation Begins With You: An orientation handbook for student housing cooperative boards of directors."
Written by Karin Evans for the North American Students of Coopration, Copyright 1981.
2007 - NASCO Board Annual Report
The Annual Report of the NASCO ("NASCO Education") Board, FYE 2007.
Bylaws - Qumbya Co-op
These are the bylaws for Qumbya Housing Cooperative (Chicago, IL). Qumbya is a multi-house system with 3 houses and about 50 members. It has one part-time staff person.
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Rent Payment Policy - Qumbya Co-op
The is the Payment Policy from Qumbya Housing Co-op (Chicago, IL) as of 2013. This policy was created in 2008 out of a response to series of siginificant member debt losses. The policy is relatively strict by co-op standards. It does allow for payment plans, which may be up to 2 months in duration, and must be approved before a debt is accrued, not after. The wisdom gained from the series of losses which we attempted to base this polic on are:
* If a member gets more than 2 months behind on rent, they are very unlikely to ever catch up.
Leadership Cycle
Finding good leaders in a student co-op is not an accidental process. If your methods for finding and nurturing new leaders are haphazard and less than successful you must institute change or the future of your co-op is at stake. Good leaders are not found, they are grown. Potential leaders must be identified early in their time in the co-op, they must be encouraged and nurtured. Most of all they must be rewarded for their involvement through success and recognition.
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Non-Profit Incorporation
What is a Nonprofit Corporation?
Not-For-Profit: Pros and Cons
Nonprofit Corporation FAQ's
Sample Co-op Bylaws
These sample bylaw can give you an idea of some simple boilerplate language for incorporating your coop. Of course, a coop should get these bylaws looked at before submitting them, but these should give you a good idea of what you may want to do, and let you change things where you need to do so in order to make these match your needs.
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The Book of Genesis - Creating Bylaws & Policies
Creating bylaws and policy in student cooperatives