Cross Sector Collaboration & The Co-operative Decade, AACUL, 8.1.13

Cross-‐Sector Collaboration & The Co-‐operative Decade

American Association of Credit Union Leagues Summer Meeting // Thursday, 1st Aug 2013 // Boston, MA

INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE ALLIANCE

BLUEPRINT FOR A CO-OPERATIVE DECADEJANUARY 2013

Our Opportunity

The 6th Principle of Co-operation

recognizes that co-operatives serve

their members most effectively and

strengthen the co-operative movement

by working together through local, national,

regional and international structures…

Our Challenge

…and yet, credit unions and other

co-ops rarely take advantage of opportunities

to work together across sectors to

grow our businesses, benefit our members, and influence

policy makers.

Core Questions

1.  Why collaborate across sectors? 2.  What are the challenges and

opportunities for collaboration? 3.  How can we take advantage of the

momentum of the Year of Co-ops and the Co-operative Decade?

4.  Is regional cross sector collaboration an opportunity for Credit Union Leagues?

Outline

1.  Our Context & Opportunity

2.  A Credit Union’s Perspective

3.  Food Co-ops’ Perspective

4.  Challenges & Opportunities

5.  Small Group Dialog

Our Context & Opportunity

•  Crisis of our economic system

•  Unemployment & inequality •  Diminished democracy

•  Corporate influence

•  Instability & change

•  Hunger for alternatives   Local, democratic, values based, sustainable, etc.

Co-‐operative Principles

•  Voluntary & Open Membership •  Democratic Member Control •  Member Economic Participation •  Autonomy and Independence •  Education, Training and Information •  Collaboration among Co-operatives •  Concern for Community

Co-‐operative Values

•  Self-Help •  Self-

Responsibility •  Democracy •  Equality •  Equity

•  Solidarity •  Honesty •  Openness •  Social

responsibility •  Caring for others

A Flexible Model

•  Credit Unions •  Food co-ops •  Agricultural & fishery co-ops •  Insurance co-ops •  Industrial & service co-ops •  Energy & utilities •  Housing co-ops •  Artisan co-ops

2012: International Year of Co-‐ops

Co-ops “in their various forms, promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of all people...” United Nations Resolution 64/136 December 2009

A Flexible Model

•  Credit Unions •  Food co-ops •  Agricultural & fishery co-ops •  Insurance co-ops •  Industrial & service co-ops •  Energy & utilities •  Housing co-ops •  Artisan co-ops

Co-‐ops Build a Better World

“Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

International Year of Co-‐ops

UN Goals for the Year:

•  Increase public awareness about co-ops.

•  Promote formation and growth of co-ops.

•  Encourage government policies, laws and regulations conducive to the formation, growth

and stability of co-ops.

Co-‐ops Are Successful

•  Scale

•  Competitive •  Resilient

•  Innovative

•  Relevant

Ontario Co-op Association // ontario.coop

Co-‐ops Have Impact

•  1 billion co-op members worldwide*

•  100 million employees worldwide** •  29,000 co-ops in the U.S.

•  U.S. co-ops hold $3.1 trillion in assets

•  1 in 3 Americans are members

* More than directly own stock in publicly traded corporations ** More than employed by multinational corporations.

A Co-‐operative Decade?

“The real opportunity is turning the International Year of Co-operatives into a Co-operative Decade, with the goal of the co-operative being the fastest-growing model of enterprise by 2020.” Charles Gould, Secretary General International Co-operative Alliance www.ica.coop/en/blueprint

INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE ALLIANCEBLUEPRINT FOR A CO-OPERATIVE DECADEJANUARY 2013

•  Environmental degradation •  Unstable financial sector •  Global governance gap •  Disenfranchised younger generation •  Loss of trust in political & economic

organizations

Global Challenges…



Co-ops are a Better Business Model

because…

•  Participation through ownership,

•  Economic, social and environmental sustainability,

•  Places people at the heart

of economics.

…Co-‐operative Solutions



•  Elevate participation to a new level •  Co-operatives as builders of sustainability •  Build the co-operative message & identity

(positioning) •  Legal frameworks for co-operative growth •  Reliable co-operative capital that also

guarantees member control

Strategy for a Co-‐operative Decade



Strategy for a Co-‐operative Decade

Sustainable Business

Legal Framework

Co-op Capital

Member Participation

Co-operative Identity

The UMassFive “Co-op” Brand

A Credit Union Perspective

To Co-op or not to Co-op UMassFive has always supported the co-‐operative movement and has positioned itself as a non-‐pro9it 9inancial co-‐operative established to serve it’s member-‐owners Over the past 15-‐20 years the credit union has actively tried to position itself as such in the marketplace.

What our members said…

Main Financial Institution (MFI)

  About 65% of respondents have their primary checking account at UMassFive.

  Among those who do not use UMassFive MFI, four banks were identi9ied by more than 5% as their MFI:   Bank of America   Florence Savings Bank (FSB)   TD Bank   Easthampton Savings Bank (ESB)

Us e UMas s F ive as MF I:

Y es65%

No33%

Don't know / refused

2%

Credit Union vs. Bank

  Overall, the 9indings indicate that UMassFive members feel having an account at UMassFive is signi%icantly different from having an account at a bank.

  Speci9ically, 75% of UMassFive members said it is signi9icantly different, and only 17% said it is not.

  In addition, 8% were unable to answer the question.

Y es75%

No17%

Don't know8%

Non-profit Financial Cooperative

 Overall, UMassFive members feel they have at least some understanding of what a non-pro<it <inancial cooperative is. Speci9ically, 52% of members feel they know fully what this statement means, and 43% feel they know somewhat what it means. 4% did not understand the statement.

 Overall, when provided with a description of a non-pro<it <inancial cooperative, members indicate that this has a highly positive impact on their image of UMassFive, with 82% saying it has a very positive impact and 15% saying it has a somewhat positive impact.

Don't unders tand s tatement

4%

S omewhat unders tand s tatement

43%

Fully unders tand s tatement

52%

Don't know0%

Negative0%

No impact4%

S omewhat pos itive15%

Very pos itive82%

Member Owner

 The majority of UMassFive members knew that by having an account at the credit union they were owners. Speci9ically, 63% of members knew this, and 37% did not.

 Overall, members feel being an owner has a positive impact on their experience with UMassFive, with 43% saying it has a very positive impact and 35% saying it has a somewhat positive impact.

Aware Was Owner:

No, was not aware37%

Yes , was aware63%

Impac t of Owners hip:

Don't know2%

Negative0%

No impact19% S omewhat

pos itive35%

Very pos itive43%

Member Advocacy

 Most UMassFive members do perceive of staff as member advocates with their best interests at heart.

 We then asked members how valuable this is to them as members.

 Most members feel that having UMassFive staff as member advocates is valuable, with 67% saying it is very valuable and most of the remainder (23%) saying it is somewhat valuable.

S hare Perception of S taff:

Y es71%

No7%

Don't know22%

How Valuable to Members :

Very v aluable

67%

S omewhat v aluable23%

Not v aluable2%

Don't know7%

Respondents read the following: “UMassFive strives for its staff to be member advocates, offering advice and guidance that is in the best interest of members regardless of the impact it has on the credit union.” We then asked respondents if they share this perception of UMassFive staff.

College students are likely to keep their accounts at UMassFive after they graduate.

Speci9ically, 57% said they are very likely and 24% said they are somewhat likely to keep those accounts.

Co-ops make for Good SEG’s Retail Deposit Balance Average River Valley Co-‐op Market: $21,995 General Membership: $14,337 Retail Loan Balance Average River Valley Co-‐op Market: $23,076 General Membership: $22,498

Co-ops make for Good SEG’s Percent of Households with Retail Loans River Valley Co-‐op Market: 43.7% General: 43.1% Single Service River Valley Co-‐op Market: 9.3% General: 21.5%

A Food Co-‐op Perspective

A food co-op is a co-operatively owned grocery store, owned and governed by its members.

Food Co-‐ops & Innovation

•  Community ownership

•  Healthy foods

•  Organic industry

•  Fair trade

•  Local economies

Food Co-‐ops & Local Economies

•  Democratic ownership & control •  Focus on meeting needs before profit •  Develop local skills & assets •  Ability to assemble limited member resources •  Address challenge of business succession •  Low business failure rate & are long-lived •  Difficult to move or buy-out •  Separate community wealth from markets •  Mobilize member loyalty…

Co-‐ops & Credit Unions

Build More stable, participatory, resilient and productive local economies.

Neighboring Food Co-‐op Association

“Our vision is of a thriving regional economy, rooted in a healthy, just and sustainable food system and a vibrant community of co-operative enterprise.”

Neighboring Food Co-‐op Association

•  Regional 2nd Level Co-op (similar to a CU league)

•  35 Co-ops & Start-Ups •  80,000 memberships •  1,500 employees •  $29 million in wages •  $200+ million revenue •  $30 million in local

purchases

http://nfca.coop/members

Co-‐ops & CUs in the Northeast

New England & New York •  8,860 co-ops •  9.5 million members •  Employ 55,000 people •  $2 billion in wages •  $100 billion in assets •  $14 billion in revenue

http://reic.uwcc.wisc.edu/ http://nfca.coop/co-opeconomy

Cross Sector Collaboration

•  Cross-Sector Collaboration: Promoting Co-operative Difference

•  New England Farmers Union: Food Policy & Co-op Advocacy

•  Producer & Worker Co-ops: Sourcing & Education

•  Valley Co-op Business Association: A Model for Cross Sector Collaboration

Value Added

•  Members see themselves as part of something bigger

•  Partners that “get it” •  Peer professional support •  Access to shared resources •  Legitimacy as business model •  Influence policy & advocacy •  Educational institutions

Challenges & Opportunities

•  Education   Limited understanding of history & impact of our movement.

•  Philosophy   Do we have confidence in our model and movement?

•  Expectations   We have high standards for each other.

•  Mainstream business influence   We are encouraged to think like individual businesses.

•  Development models   Focus on isolated businesses, not development of systems.

•  Sector & Industry Silos   We rarely act together as a movement or system.

Co-‐operative “Silos”

Producer Co-ops

Food Co-ops

Credit Unions

Worker Co-ops

Energy & Utilities

OtherCo-ops

Cross Sector Collaboration

•  Vocational school in 1956 •  256 co-ops & subsidiaries •  $20 billion in Sales (‘11) •  84,000 employees (‘11) •  Largest domestic grocery •  Cross sector: Industry,

financial, agriculture, education, tech, etc.

•  Integrated credit union

Mondragón, Spain

•  4 million people •  8,000 co-ops •  30-40% of GDP •  2/3 are members of co-ops •  Vibrant local traditions and

food culture •  Strong sectors combined with

an integrated, cross sector movement

•  Integrated credit unions

Emilia Romagna, Italy

Shared Characteristics

•  Strong co-operative identity   Co-ops & credit unions as community assets

•  Development guided by co-ops   Emphasis on co-op to co-op business

•  Integrated Financial Sector   Capital for growth and development

•  Regional cross-sector associations   Supported by sector based organizations

Bridging Sector Divides

•  Shared history •  Common values & principles •  Basic business model •  Collective economic impact •  Cross sector business •  New models for collaboration •  A common message

A Common Message

Co-ops & Credit Unions… •  …put people before profit, •  …are democratic, •  …are rooted in community, •  …are innovative, •  …are successful, •  …are resilient, and •  …build a better world.

Toward the Decade of Co-‐ops

•  Seeing the co-op landscape   Opening the dialog with other sectors

•  Focus on shared identity & impact   Values, principles, history, structure, impact

•  Start with those that “get it”…   …and others will follow

•  Immediate opportunities for collaboration   Educate members, marketing, engage policy makers

•  Collaboration as economic driver   Innovation, business development, growth

Why Bother?

•  Access markets & committed members •  Share capital & resources •  Raise the profile of co-ops & credit unions •  Influence policies and legislation

affecting co-ops & credit unions •  Engage educational institutions •  Grow our co-ops & credit unions

Some Questions for You

•  Do you buy it? Does cross sector collaboration benefit credit unions and their members? Why or why not?


•  Strategically, what is the most compelling opportunity for cross sector collaboration?


•  How can credit union leagues take a leadership role in cross sector collaboration and add value for their members?

Contact

Erbin Crowell Neighboring Food Co-op Association

[email protected] www.nfca.coop/iyc

Jon Reske

UMASSFive College Federal Credit Union [email protected]

www.umassfive.org

Cross Sector Collaboration & The Co-operative Decade, AACUL, 8.1.13

Economy & Finance

year of coops

growth of coops

stability of coops

cooperative decadejanuary

food coops perspective

cooperative message

international community

coop members