Cooperationworks

What it reported doing in 2024

Members of CooperationWorks, a network of 40 cooperative development centers and 20 individual developers, work together to revitalize communities through effective cooperative enterprise development. Members provide expertise across all aspects of cooperative development, including feasibility analysis, business plan development, and training and education. CooperationWorks provides the network for developers to connect, engage in peer learning, share resources and expertise, and collaborate. CooperationWorks organized four ongoing collaborations for CooperationWorks members, including Intake and Outreach Pipeline, Rural Food Systems, Worker Cooperatives, and Real Estate Investment Cooperatives. These collaborations support members in community-driven learning, developing tools and shared best practices, and as spaces for peer workshops and case studies. We held an annual meeting in Austin, Texas which was attended by 29 individuals from 22 organizations and 14 states. This 3-day program included professional development training for building strong cooperative ecosystems, effective messaging and communications, and ensuring development services are accessible to all community members. This also included a day of tours - one focused on the urban cooperative development in Austin, which visited consumer, food, and worker cooperatives, the other focused on the surrounding rural areas, which visited producer, meat processing, and consumer cooperatives. CooperationWorks introduced the revised CooperationWorks Principles for Cooperative Development (formerly the Madison Principles) during this meeting, where they were voted on and accepted by membership. These principles provide ethical and professional guidelines for this work. CooperationWorks also offered all three sessions of its flagships training for cooperative developers - The Art and Science of Cooperative Development. Toolkit Implementation and Finance Fundamentals were offered as virtual trainings, while Building Blocks was offered as a hybrid training with virtual and in-person components. These programs provide foundational training for new cooperative developments, including Co-op Business 101, Feasibility, Group Dynamics, Cooperative Governance, Cooperative Sectors, Market Research and Business Planning, and Developing Cooperative Ecosystems. The in-person component of Building Blocks included a tour of five different cooperatives, including a producer and worker owned food hub, two worker owned grocery stores, a worker owned bakery, and a group equity housing cooperative. In Toolkit Implementation, participants engaged in hands-on skill-building through the use of case studies, scenarios, and peer clinicals. In Finance Fundamentals, participants learn how to engage in feasibility analysis and build a pro forma. The Art and Science of Cooperative Development had 50 distinct participants across all three sessions coming from 25 states and 34 organizations. We also completed its Strengthening the Cooperative Economy Mentorship program, which connected 4 mentors with 8 mentees to develop connections, skills, and expertise in the field of cooperatives.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 70.1%; rating input score 70
• Program expense ratio: 67.8%; rating input score 68

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -3.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.16; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 51%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings