Our Services

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In order to achieve the greatest success in creating a cooperative economy, Cooperation Richmond provides a variety of services that span the range of cooperative development from beginning to end, including customized technical assistance and access to capital based on the needs of each project.

These services include:

• COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
• ASSESSMENT
• COACHING
• CAPITAL and CREDIT DEVELOPMENT
• MATCHMAKING

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION

• This service includes outreach and education about cooperatives for partners and the general public as well as participatory and popular education workshops on cooperative economics, financial literacy, and just transition.
  • Check out our past and upcoming Workshops

ASSESSMENT

• Assessment of capabilities, needs, business plan, programs, products, and/or skills to strengthen the worker-owners or cooperative
• Each team (at least 3 cooperators who have chosen to create a worker cooperative business together or a community cooperative) is interviewed in detail 1 or 2 times after having completed extensive questionnaires as part of their application. They are being assessed for solid, reliable participation in a program designed for them and must show commitment. Their business idea will receive supportive scrutiny at this point with an evaluation of the business plan and a critical examination of what would move them to success.
• The staff and coaches then assess the team in regard to their ability to operate as a cooperative. This assessment itself can stand alone as a service and maybe all that’s needed for some teams.

COACHING

• Cooperation Richmond provides coaching as part of a team-specific program developed from the assessment. Cooperation Richmond can recommend and arrange a specific program of courses, coaching, and mentoring in business and cooperative skills that are required for the team’s success.
• Cooperation Richmond works with our projects to create Business Development Plans to accomplish succinct business development goals. These plans are then used to assess and allocate the types of assistance needed.
• Cooperation Richmond provides, in-house or contracted training, or coaching in a variety of issues needed for cooperative business development, such as:
  • The traditional core business fundamentals of sales and finance, including tax rules
  • Accounting set up and management training
  • Sustainability principles and values
  • The skills of communication, democratic management, and decision-making that distinguish a cooperative from other kinds of businesses.
  • Legal assistance with business incorporation and structuring
  • Website development and other marketing assistance
  • Training and support in fundraising
  • Mentorship in funding pathways for members of each cooperative team.
• Coaching and mentoring are relevant for building capacities found to be needed in the team during the assessment. Some cooperative teams know what they need and only need specific coaching and mentoring.
• Ongoing assistance and support toward independence: Independence is usually reached in 3-5 years. The cooperative then becomes a member of a community of coops through the incubator and beyond. Cooperatives will be able to access a peer-support network on an ongoing basis.
• In addition to supporting start-up enterprises, we provide comparable assistance for converting existing businesses to cooperatives.

CAPITAL and CREDIT DEVELOPMENT

• Cooperators are assisted in establishing and developing credit to improve access to capital under more equitable terms without extractive debt
• Resources are provided to support financial literacy, knowledge, and expertise on the financing necessary to form sustainable enterprises.
• Cooperation Richmond has funds for investing and may choose to invest in qualifying enterprises whose teams go through the assessment and capacity-building. The incubator may choose to engage other lenders for this purpose as well, such as the Richmond Worker Cooperative Loan Fund or others.
• The revolving loan fund is an aggregate capital from a variety of sources, including divestment capital, individual lender-supporters, and gift funding. The revolving loan fund will operate on the principles of Non-Extractive Finance, creating not only capital resources for projects, but also expanding local wealth generation by re-investing to create more projects through profit-sharing of the existing cooperatives

MATCHMAKING

• Cooperation Richmond offers a “matchmaking” service for prospective cooperative starters and owners looking for others with whom to form an enterprise via messaging, websites and occasional events meant to gather interested people together.