Last month I reflected on the importance of our co-op values to bring us together for the good of all. This month I want to highlight our co-op principles. These seven principles are the lights that lead us to a more powerful, sustainable and equitable way to structure our businesses and from there to rebuild our whole society.
Cooperative Principles
- Voluntary and Open membership. All are welcome to join cooperatives and no one is forced to join a cooperative. They are open to any persons who are able and willing to join, accept responsibility as a part of the organization and can use the organization’s services.
- Democratic Member Control. Co-ops serve their members and use the democratic principle of one member, one vote to empower everyone in the co-op to have an equal voice.
- Members’ Economic Participation. Each member of a co-op invests equitably into their co-op to become a member. Money should always be considered a servant of the members. It is a means by which the co-op can develop and grow. Additionally, creating a democratic process for allocating capital ensures the co-op spends it with its people in mind and prevents any major excess.
- Autonomy and Independence. Each co-op governs itself. No government controls them. They must follow the law, of course.
- Education, Training, Information. Continual education is crucial for a cooperative to function. Regardless of how far a co-op’s outreach goes, there’s always a core purpose in mind — to nurture a more complete understanding of the nature of cooperation as well as to emphasize its benefits.
- Cooperation Among Cooperatives. Forming networks allows co-ops and their collaborators to gain a mutual benefit from one another, rather than to compete against one another for profit, like non-cooperative businesses. Working together emphasizes the value of solidarity.
- Concern for Community. Maintaining local and global concern is important for several reasons. As other principles dictate, cooperatives are independent organizations that work best in a collaborative effort. So, each co-op has their own way of contributing to sustainable development, and they also work within their networks. This enables cooperatives to take action on a level that can affect the world.
(Thanks to the National Cooperative Business Association for these additional notes)
I think many of us believe that we are at a major tipping point for our civilization. We are all seeing where blind, self-centered capitalism is leading us – down a path toward authoritarianism, willful ignorance of the damage being done, and leaving a majority of humanity in the dust.
Thank goodness there are people of goodwill working to build a better way to do business through cooperation, equitably sharing our resources and basing our actions on what is good for all of us. Our cooperative principles are the lights that lead us to this more powerful, sustainable, and equitable way to do business and from there to rebuild our civilization. We definitely have our work cut out for us and I, for one, appreciate everyone of our GR Food Co-op owners who are joining us in this powerful work. Together we can do anything!