Cooperative Movement

In 2021, NASCO conducted interviews with 28 member co-ops using a standardized set of questions regarding several areas of co-op health: governance, legal obligations, finances, membership, education, maintenance, leadership, staffing, community engagement, and quality of life for members.

In this report, NASCO has aggregated the results of all co-op health assessments to offer an overall picture of our sector's health. The goals of this report include:

This is a discussion guide that offers participants the opportunity to reflect on ways in which the cooperative movement does and does not support indigenous sovereignty, and to brainstorm how co-ops can uplift the land back movement. These slides provide a few discussion prompts and resources to continue the conversation in your co-op.

Below, are the recordings for NASCO Institue 2020 sessions by room. Please share lessons learned with your cooperatives and communities. 

If you did not register for NASCO Institute and you'd like to support free and low-cost cooperative education, please consider contributing a donation amount that feels appropriate for you and/or your cooperative. Your donation makes it possible to offer cooperative education materials and resources free of charge. DONATE HERE.

With roots in the women's movement of the late 1800s, group equity co-ops have continued against the odds for almost 150 years, finding ways to create both affordable housing and community across North America.

Group equity co-ops are solidly rooted in the Chicago area, first rising as a practical solution to the very real needs of nineteenth-century single women. But this self-help approach eventually became an important option for anyone with financial need.

Many Hands: Building a Cooperative Future 

Filmed in 2013, this is an inspirational chronical of the cooperative movement in Austin, Texas, and also an organizing tool for anyone searching for a cooperative approach to broader empowerment and stronger community.

Presentation from a session at NASCO Institute 2017.

Video footage of the late Luther Buchele leading NASCO Institute 2007 participants in song. For many years, Luther sang these songs ("Come and Let us Work Together" and "I'm My Own Landlord") at NASCO Institute - though Luther passed away in 2008, the songs are still sung yearly at Institute in his memory. You may read more about Luther in the attached obituary.