Training

It is never a bad time to review the basics. In this training, we cover the different types of co-ops, the principles of cooperation, and how your co-op fits into the bigger picture.

This essential workshop is for co-op boards for all shapes and sizes. Board members attending this workshop will learn about their duties, functions, and legal responsibilities to their cooperative organization.

For more seasoned board or board members, we also offer a "Beyond the Basics" Board Roles workshop which includes defining the scope of your board, governance styles, board practices for sustainability, and discussion scenarios. 

Budgets aren't just a spreadsheet, they're a way that your co-op can tell its story and a tool to help members understand how the organization works. This workshop is meant for any co-op member, not just for Treasurers!

Meetings should be a high point in your co-op life, but sometimes difficult issues or an unclear meeting process can get in the way. This workshop will focus on how to make meetings fun and productive with recommendations for your process within meetings as well as best practices for delegating work, building consensus, and getting unstuck. 

For more seasoned co-opers, we offer a "Beyond the Basics" Meeting Facilitation workshop which includes de-escalation tools, facilitating online meetings, and interactive scenarios for participants to practice facilitation tools. 

We will help you create an open and respectful environment in which members can work together creatively and individuals feel safe, sharing their ideas and opinions.

Financial records go beyond checkbooks or spreadsheets. This workshop gives your members and officers a clear understanding of what records are relevant for your co-op, and how these records can be used to improve your group's decisions or make life better for members.

This workshop reviews cooperative members' responsibilities to each other, future members, and the co-op as a whole. We will provide tools to describe and promote member roles and responsibilities in your co-op. 

Quickbooks is a common tool for co-op treasurers but can be confusing start with. This training will cover the most common tasks your finance officers will need to keep books that are well-organized and easy to understand.

Your co-op's role as a provider of housing comes with a responsibility to offer that housing without illegal discrimination. This workshop will cover the Fair Housing Act's protections against discrimination, including what counts as discrimination, and who is protected from various forms of discrimination. The workshop includes policy recommendations to avoid problems. This workshop is focused on the US Fair Housing Act but overlaps with the Canadian requirements as well.

As cooperators we don't just contribute our rent dollars–we also contribute our energy, our ideas, and our time to make our co-ops better. This training will help your members find the labor system that's the best fit for their needs, offer tools for accountability, and make sure that your labor system is accessible to all members.

When will your roof need to be replaced? How do you know if you have a foundation problem? How is your co-op going to pay for big projects when they come up? This workshop will explore the intersection of maintenance, finance, and the member experience in co-ops. Participants will take away tips to spot serious issues, to plan ahead for predictable problems, and to track whether or not you're financially prepared in the long run.

One of the most important tasks for any cooperative is to find new members to keep your community running for the future. Membership decisions are also sensitive, personal, and important for creating a co-op culture that's safe, welcoming, and inclusive. This training will focus on what works for other co-ops in attracting and retaining members, what to watch out for in designing a membership approval process, and how to deal with the complicated issues before they come up.

Sharing means can be one of the most rewarding or frustrating parts of the cooperative experience. This workshop will focus on the logistics and labor questions your co-op will face to provide meals to members while keeping kitchens clean.

We recommend at least one evaluation per term for board and staff members. Does your co-op have a system in place for evaluating those in leadership positions? In this workshop, we will go over evaluation templates and best practices for your co-op.

Whether your co-op is just starting to develop guidelines for approaching conflict or has already established protocol, this workshop will support your members to unlearn harmful approaches and build an adaptable and transparent conflict support toolbox. We'll discuss the limits of conflict resolution, review proactive processes and tools for navigating conflict, and provide additional resources.