Co-op resources
Useful resources for running a co-op
- Cooperative Principles – a handy image to remind you of the 7 Cooperative Principles
- Sign Up Sheet – collect details from friends and neighbours who might want to join your co-op
- Cooperation Town general poster – can be printed as A3, A4 or A5, great for giving a quick intro to food co-ops (Ask us for an editable file)
- Poster with space to add your event – (can be printed as A3, A4 or A5) and instructions for adding text.
- Cooperation Town logo -for use on flyers, posters and other promo materials. Let us know if you need a black or white version or another format. If you are using colour, please only use the linked version (no other colours, please).
- A letter asking local shops for support – drafted by Cooperation Boundary Hall members
- Template shopping calculator – handy for keeping track of what you’re spending. Make sure you read the instructions on the right before starting. Select your group size and then and enter your items only in the white cells – the yellow cells will automatically update with your calculation. Created by Cooperation Alexandra Rd & Ainsworth members (copy and paste into a new spreadsheet to edit your own)
- Example of a wholesale fruit and veg list – (for north and east London co-ops). This list changes every week, so please use for reference only
- Example Felix Project/FareShare delivery note – this delivery was for our Gospel Oak hub, which serves multiple co-ops. Single co-ops receive fewer crates, but you can see the range of items you can expect from the Felix Project (in London) or FareShare (anywhere else in England).
- Template weekly pay spreadsheet – to keep track of who has paid each week (copy and paste into a new spreadsheet to edit your own)
- Template co-op rota – keep track of who’s responsible for each job (copy and paste into a new spreadsheet to edit your own)
- Template weekly sign-in sheet – a weekly list of who’s picked up and paid, and who to expect next time
- List of Key jobs – from Cooperation Sundial
- If your co-op is not using cash, we recommend using Kin.coop to collect membership fees and pay expenses, instead of a personal bank account. Kin.coop is a new credit union, which is working with Cooperation Town to adapt their online platform for co-ops to manage their finances. Get in touch with us on info @ cooperation.town to find out more.
A google folder containing all the above resources
Group dynamics
Conflict, boredom and disorganisation can cause tensions in any group. Left unaddressed, they can lead to members leaving and the group collapsing.
We collated here a few resources to help your co-op avoid these challenges, as well as suggestions for how to keep your group engaged in the long term, ensure workload is shared and that tricky group dynamics are dealt with.
Seeds for Change have lots of useful information here.
Consent decision making
In addition to the information in the pack, here are a few videos about Consent Decision Making and a flow chart that explains a bit more about the process:
Great meetings
Here are a couple of resources about how to run effective and engaging meetings: