What is a cooperative?

A cooperative is an organization that is owned and controlled by its workers or members, not by investors or private individuals. A cooperative distributes benefits to its members on the basis of use or investment of their labor. Those benefits are called patronage.

What is patronage?

Patronage and patronage points translate to a portion of the net profit that a cooperative makes and are returned to their members. More information about how patronage works specifically at TDC can be found here!

Is a co-op a non-profit?

A cooperative is not a non-profit. Instead, its mission is to generate profit and subsequently share that profit with its members who created the profit.

I’ve heard about something called a cooperative principle. What’s that all about?

Cooperatives around the world operate according to the same set of core principles and values, adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance:

  1. Open and Voluntary Membership: Cooperative membership shall be voluntary and open to all persons who accept the responsibilities of membership, without discrimination on the basis of gender, social class, race, political affiliation, age, sex or religion.

  2. Democratic Member Control: All members shall have equal rights in the control of the Cooperative. All elected officials shall serve as fiduciaries to the membership.

  3. Member Economic Participation: Member economic participation shall be equitable and democratically controlled.

  4. Autonomy and Independence: The Cooperative shall remain an autonomous and independent entity in all of its activities, notwithstanding agreements and activities with other organizations.

  5. Education, Training, and Information: The Cooperative shall provide training and education to Cooperative membership to empower members to contribute effectively to the Cooperative’s development. The Cooperative also shall provide information to the community about the nature and benefits of cooperation.

  6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives: The Cooperative shall promote cooperation among cooperatives by working together through local, regional, national and international organizations.

  7. Concern for Community: While focusing on member needs, the Cooperative shall establish policies to promote sustainable community development.