Purpose
From Articles of Incorporation:
The purposes for which the Cooperative is organized are to: (i) transact all lawful business for which Cooperatives may be incorporated pursuant to the Colorado Cooperative Act; (ii) to challenge oppression in all of its forms; (iii) support the health, wellbeing, and happiness of all its members; and (v) create a tangible positive impact on society, taken as a whole, from the business and operations of the Cooperative.
Let's break these down.
Transact Lawful Business
We exist to do lawful business. We're stating something that is entirely common-sense but it is standard when incorporating. Transparency is a key component of a good business, and as such you'll notice a few obvious statements in this Handbook.
Challenge Oppression
Groups that are not explicitly anti-oppressive comply with cultural norms that are oppressive.
The dominant culture of our time is one of oppression. From the business man interrupting his female co-worker to the prison/slavery industrial complex to the domination of nature, systems of oppression are deeply ingrained. We choose to be explicit in our stance against oppression. This means that we will do our best to never engage in acts that support oppression. When we inevitably do, we hope that this explicit expression will invite people to check our behavior and feel comfortable discussing it with us.
Support Members
A central purpose of the cooperative is to support its members health, wellbeing, and happiness. We don't want our members to run themselves ragged working. We value the health of the whole person above efficiency, output, or avoiding hard decisions.
Positive Impact
The cooperative should leave the world better than if was found. We want to work, be supported, and do work that makes a positive impact.
Values
From our bylaws:
- Work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed;
- Equally value labor in all of its forms;
- Uphold the ideals of:
- authenticity
- solidarity
- prefiguration
- transparency
- Aim to achieve, in all of our work:
- partnership
- liberation
- empowerment
- efficacy
- Do excellent work
- Support good people doing good work.
Work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed. We believe it is better to try and fail than to do something crappy or unethical in order to succeed.
Equally value labor in all of its forms. The person cleaning the dishes is of equal value as anyone else is the same way that any human is of equal value as any other human. Compensation might be different but the labor is still labor, and each person's time and life is equal in our eyes. Time ticks past just the same no matter who we are.
Authenticity. Let's be real, let's be honest, let's avoid being fake. We can create and live in a way that is real and authentic.
Solidarity. We stand with anyone who is trying to create a more just world, who fights against oppression.
Prefiguration. We strive to act as though the future is now. Our processes, culture, and systems will model the future we want to see in this world.
Transparency. We value radical honesty and openness. By allowing light into as much of our business as possible, we make ourselves accountable to our principles and values.
Partnership. We strive to create real, authentic relationships, based on mutual aid rather than extractive or usurious relationships.
Liberation. We work to increase freedom for our members and the world at large.
Empowerment. We want to see the power to change the world redistributed. This means teaching the skills to do rather than doing for.
Efficacy, we want to see the better more just world. We want to win. As such we will do our best work to achieve this.
Do excellent work. We can't just be doing work that is justice oriented, we have to do the very best work on top of that.
Support good people doing good work. We aren't here to save the world ourselves, but rather to support the people who are going to birth this the world. Service and support comes from a place of humility. If we are going to lead it will be because we are setting a good example, not because we are marching out in front.