A Fairer and More Sustainable Business Model

Cooperatives offer an alternative to typical corporate structures. They are run democratically, by and for their members – not corporate shareholders. This simple change makes things better in ways that are almost miraculous. On top of that, most co-ops originate out of a desire to do something good for their members, customers and communities. Typical motivations include:

• Protecting small businesses facing big corporate competition
• Ensuring fair trade and fairer sharing of profits
• Improving the quality of goods and services
• Filling gaps in services that other businesses ignore (think insurance for low income people, credit unions or rural electricity)
• Sustaining and growing the communities where they operate
• Protecting the environment
• Protecting the rights of employees and consumers

Cooperative business models power these goals by giving individuals and businesses the strength and advantages typically only available to larger, more powerful entities. As businesses, co-ops are also more sustainable. The strength they get from member and community support results in a success rate for co-ops of 90% (after 5 years) versus less than 10% for traditional businesses.

For all these reasons, the Cooperative Management Group values cooperatives and sees them as an ever-more important part of a successful, more equitable, sustainable and community-focused economy.