Cooperative Development Institute: Northeast Center for Cooperative Business

The Cooperative Fund of New England's Winter 2010 Newsletter is ready to read. This year marks the Cooperative Fund's 35th anniversary -- see photos of Rebecca Dunn's home office then and now.

Co-op Power's Energy Efficiency programs are launching this month under Paul Schmidt's leadership. Paul has 23 years experience in energy efficiency and Co-op Power excited to be able to now be able to insulate and air seal your home. Email pam@cooppower.coop if you're interested in finding out how to upgrade your home.

Several positions are currently available at the New England Farmers Union. NEFU’s goals for the next three years are to bring together policy makers in Washington with leaders and consumers in six states to fashion a food policy and a 2012 Farm Bill that benefits the farmers, foresters and fishermen in this diverse and resourceful region.

Positions include:

The Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) provides loans and technical assistance to cooperatives, worker-owned businesses, land trusts, nonprofit groups, low-income housing development organizations, health services, and community based organizations in New England. Thanks to the support of our generous investors, CFNE now has more funds available to finance start-ups, expansions, renovations, and upgrades, as well as to meet general working capital needs.

Equal Exchange seeks highly motivated individuals to work as Interfaith Program Representatives. Equal Exchange’s Interfaith Program works in partnership with 12 national faith-based organizations and thousands of congregations across the country to involve communities of faith in Fair Trade. Our work includes sales, outreach and education.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to:
Susan Sklar, Interfaith Program Hiring Committee
Equal Exchange

The Western Mass Jobs with Justice Educational, Organizing, & Membership Conference will be held starting at noon on Saturday, March 6, at Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke. Registration is FREE but the organizers must be notified by February 19. Workshops will discuss "Who Decides?" about Unemployment, Education, Good Green Jobs, and Health Care.

The National Cooperative Business Association will be hosting its Annual Cooperative Conference, "Cooperatives Transforming the Economy," May 4-6 in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol Hilton. On Tuesday, CDI will be giving a pre-conference workshop on co-ops growing the cooperative economy by seeding other co-ops.

Mark your calendars. The third National Worker Cooperative Conference will be held August 6-9, 2010, at the Clark Kerr Conference Center at UC Berkeley. The conference will be co-hosted by the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, NoBAWC, and Bay Area worker cooperatives. Registration begins in March.

The Cooperative Fund of New England is seeking a Part time Regional Loan Outreach Officer for Boston Area, Rhode Island, and Maine.

Responsibilities include marketing and underwriting CFNE loans, visiting potential and existing borrowers, providing technical assistance or identifying technical assistance needs.

"The purpose of co-operative business is different from that of investor owned business, so it needs a set of business tools and ideas that are just as powerful, but different."