Minnesota Archives - CooperationWorks!

Ed Potter
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Ed Potter

Ed Potter

Ed is an international cooperative development practitioner with over 20 years of experience working in North American, Latin American, and Caribbean countries. He previously served as executive director of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation’s Americas Regional Association (ICMIF/Americas), representing 67 cooperative and mutual insurers from Canada to Argentina. He co-founded the Cooperative Law and Regulation Initiative (CLARITY), which promotes cooperative legal and regulatory reform and advocacy with secondary and tertiary cooperatives in developing economies. Ed led a USAID Cooperative Development Program grant supporting ICMIF/Americas members’ capacity to develop and deliver affordable microinsurance financial [...]

By Alex Stone|2023-07-19T10:20:00-07:00July 17th, 2023|Comments Off

Brian Donovan
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Brian Donovan

Brian Donovan

Brian Donovan is the former Executive Director of the Austin Cooperative Business Association (ACBA), a regional cross-sector trade association for cooperatives. From 2005-2013 Brian managed the Univ. of Texas Inter-Cooperative Council, a student housing cooperative. Brian served on the board of NASCO Development Services for 8 years and the NASCO Board for two years. Presently he is Co-Director of The Cooperation Group, a non-profit cooperative development organization based in Detroit, Michigan. Before working in co-ops Brian worked for Apple as the manager of the Inside Sales team serving educational institutions. He also [...]

By Samantha Foust|2021-02-22T16:19:17-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Rural Grocery Initiative
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Rural Grocery Initiative

Rural Grocery Initiative

The Rural Grocery Initiative, housed within K-State Research and Extension, aims to sustain locally-owned rural grocery stores to enhance community vitality and improve access to healthy foods by identifying, developing, and sharing resources that support grocers and rural communities. The Rural Grocery Initiative supports rural grocers and communities through technical assistance, research, informational resources, and events. We provide support to communities across the country, however, currently have a foothold in Kansas and the midwest. One are of expertise is in alternative ownership models. In Kansas, in particular, this has included nonprofits, public-private [...]

By Alex Stone|2023-01-04T14:14:56-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation
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Northcountry Cooperative Foundation

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation helps communities take control of their futures through cooperative ownership. We specialize in the development and support of affordable housing cooperatives, providing low-income residents with technical expertise and organizational support needed to create successful cooperatives and sustain them in the long-term. Development Services: We help co-ops assess project feasibility, secure financing, and develop strong organizational and management structures. Technical Assistance: We help ensure cooperatives thrive by providing tailored technical assistance, training, continuing education, and peer to peer engagement opportunities. Advocacy: We work with co-op leaders to advocate for legislation [...]

By Alex Stone|2022-08-17T12:19:34-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

NASCO
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NASCO

NASCO

NASCO provides education, outreach and project management support to individuals, groups, and developers wanting to create resident-controlled, affordable housing co-operatives – usually student, youth, or campus-oriented. NASCO Development Services also assists new or existing co-ops in obtaining acquisition and gap financing, as well as permanent funding and refinancing packages, usually on a fee-for-service or success fee basis. The Development Services program aims to support proactively those groups who have been underserved – including low-income, minority, differently-abled, working, and re-entry students. We believe that cooperative development and cooperative living transform peoples’ lives by [...]

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T16:09:18-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

National Cooperative Bank
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National Cooperative Bank

National Cooperative Bank

National Cooperative Bank (NCB) provides comprehensive banking services to cooperatives and other member-owned organizations throughout the country. What makes NCB unique is that the bank was created to address the financial needs of an underserved market niche – people who join together cooperatively to meet personal, social or business needs, especially in low-income communities. Our Mission NCB’s mission is to help cooperatives grow by supporting and being an advocate for America’s cooperatives and their members, placing special emphasis on serving the needs of communities that are economically challenged. Our Customers NCB’s customers are cooperatives, [...]

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T16:08:14-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Food Co-op Initiative
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Food Co-op Initiative

Food Co-op Initiative

Food Co-op Initiative paves the way for new food co-op excellence, leading to better fed, healthier communities with local control and connections. FCI improves the success and sustainability of new food cooperatives by providing information, training, technical assistance, peer connections, and other support. We also engage in research to blaze, maintain and improve the development path for new food co-ops. We work with communities across the country, so if you are wondering if a food co-op might be a good way to meet your community's needs, or if you've been trying to [...]

By Samantha Foust|2023-01-06T11:18:44-08:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Democracy at Work Institute
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Democracy at Work Institute

Democracy at Work Institute

The mission of the Democracy at Work Institute is to expand the worker cooperative model to reach communities most directly affected by social and economic inequality, specifically people of color, recent immigrants, and low-wage workforces. We are a movement-based think-and-do tank supporting worker cooperatives to grow to a scale that creates meaningful change in the economy. The Institute brings a birds- eye view of the national stage and a hands-on understanding of cooperative business and its benefits, making sure that our growing worker cooperative movement is both rooted in worker cooperatives themselves and [...]

By Samantha Foust|2022-07-20T15:57:00-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Cooperative Development Services
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Cooperative Development Services

Cooperative Development Services

Cooperative Development Services shares a vision of people working together cooperatively and responsibly to achieve their social and economic well-being through organizations they own and control. The mission of CDS is to support, build and strengthen organizations that contribute to cooperative and sustainable development through consultation and participation in the development, restructuring and expansion of cooperative organizations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Brief History Cooperative Development Services is a non-profit organization founded in 1985. Since its inception, CDShas been committed to providing a range of innovative, results-oriented, and cost-effective services to cooperatives [...]

By Samantha Foust|2023-08-02T13:30:31-07:00September 25th, 2017|Comments Off

Cooperative Development Foundation
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Cooperative Development Foundation

Cooperative Development Foundation

The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) promotes self-help and mutual aid in community, economic, and social development through cooperative enterprise. CDF is a thought leader in the use of cooperatives to create resilient communities, including the housing and care needs of seniors and people living with disabilities. Through its funds, fiscal sponsorships, and fundraising, CDF makes grants and loans that foster cooperative development domestically and abroad. CDF provides recovery grants to cooperatives impacted by disaster, scholarships to train local cooperative leaders, and funding for research and education to advance the understanding of cooperatives. [...]

By Alex Stone|2023-01-06T15:43:12-08:00September 23rd, 2017|Comments Off