Co-op 201 Training Sessions

Co-op 201 training sessions for
managers and employees

Cooperative Development Institute
P.O. Box 244
South Deerfield, MA 01373
phone: 1-877- NE COOPS, 413-665-1271
fax: 413-541-8300
info@cdi.coop

The Keep Local Farms program connects consumers with New England dairy farmers through promotion of all dairy products, education on farm activities and the potential for consumers to directly support dairy farmer-members of the New England Family Dairy Farm Cooperative. If you are interested in local food production, productive open land and your local community – click to learn more about the Keep Local Farms program.

Above photo: Mad River Glen, a skier-owned mountain cooperative in Waitsfield, VT. www.madriverglen.com.

Session 1: Cooperative Governance and Initial Business Strategy
Purpose: to help groups identify their initial business strategy and decision making process
Agenda: legal structure, roles and responsibilities, business strategy, creating a decision making structure to oversee development

Session 2: Conducting Market Research and Feasibility Analysis
Purpose: to help groups understand the steps they need to go through to decide if they have a viable business
Agenda: securing and interpreting market research, building your business plan on your market research, designing member surveys, conducting a feasibility study

Session 3: Creating a Business Plan
Purpose: to help groups understand the steps they need to go through to create a business plan
Agenda: vision, mission, values, objectives, and strategy; competitive analysis; market research; business strategy; governance; marketing plan; membership development; staffing structure; operations; capitalization plan; financials; measures of success

Session 4: Cooperative Governance Issues and Legal Structures
Purpose: to help groups understand what they will need to do in order to incorporate their cooperative, adopt by-laws and membership agreements, and govern their cooperative
Agenda: model cooperative by-laws and membership agreements; key questions for drafting by-laws and membership agreements; board, member and management roles and relationships; key elements of effective board leadership

Session 5: Financial Considerations
Purpose: to help groups establish financial systems and responsibly oversee the money moving through their cooperative
Agenda: financing, risk management, insurance, capitalization and equity structures, patronage dividends, accounting, bookkeeping, cash controls and financial reporting

Session 6: Reaching Out
Purpose: to help groups connect effectively with their customers, members, and business partners
Agenda: marketing and sales, alliances and strategic partnerships, and membership recruitment, and member relations

Session 7: Human Resources
Purpose: to help groups build effective systems for working with staff and management
Agenda: hiring, staff policy manuals, contracts, pay and benefits, evaluation and supervision systems, board/management relations, and transitioning from a start-up board to an elected cooperative board

Session 8: Business Plan Presentations
Purpose: to help groups strengthen their business plans
Agenda: Each group presents an overview of their business plan to their peers and a panel of experts for review and suggestions

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