Projects/Findings

Findings: 

Cooperatives and other alternative ownership models need more state and federal infrastructure in order to make them more accessible. 

Summary: 

During my time at SELC I worked for a coalition of non-profits called the Worker-Owned Recovery California Coalition. The mission of the coalition is "to advance worker ownership for a more equitable California through advocacy, outreach, and education." SELC is a part of this coalition among many other CA- based non-profits focusing on advancing worker ownership and creating technical assistance for worker cooperatives.

I participated in and co-created a community engagement project so that the needs of the community were reflected in the goals of the coalition. I was able to interview local Bay area worker cooperatives to build relationships and understand their needs. During my interviews, I learned the importance of political education about labor movements and alternative business models. Many worker cooperatives had trouble finding people willing to take on the responsibilities of a worker-owner even though it would ultimately lead them to have much more control over their work conditions. 

Political education will be very important as we create a new economy based on collaboration and cooperation. I also learned about the necessary local and federal infrastructure needed to increase the accessibility of alternative forms of business models. 

Findings: 

 Most legal information is gate-kept to those that can afford and are willing to go to law school by creating confusing legal jargon and by the cost of hiring a lawyer. 

Summary: 

One of my main projects at SELC was to help with the redesign of Co-oplaw.org.  which is a free legal website that was created by SELC attorneys and staff to increase the accessibility to legal information for cooperatives.  Legal information is usually very unavailable and expensive. Most legal procedures or documents are written in a way that only lawyers or accountants can understand which gatekeeps vital knowledge to those that are willing and able to go to law school or spend many hours understanding and reading legal documents.

I spent many hours reading legal documents and translating them to plain speak, creating cartoons to describe confusing legal concepts, and, or creating compact lists or diagrams. 

When constructing the new site I learned there are underlying assumptions many legal and academic information have. Including assumptions about common knowledge, language, and jargon. 

By reading through many documents about cooperative law I was also able to increase my legal expertise on the subject. I cultivated knowledge of creating things like bylaws and operating agreements when starting or converting into a cooperative.

Findings: 

Worker -self- directed non-profits can be very successful in decreasing the negative effects of the non-profit industrial complex because they are completely democratically run and lack any hierarchy including an executive director. 

Summary: 

During my time at SELC I was able to participate fully in their democratic processes. This gave me a much better understanding of what it means to be a member of a  Worker- Self Directed non-profit. I learned the power of co-creation and democracy. SELC is a non-hierarchal organization meaning that there are no bosses! 

I learned tools on how to exist in a non-hierarchical and cooperative space. I managed to uproot a lot of previous assumptions I had about efficiency and human nature.

I found that worker-self directed non-profits still exist within the non-profit industrial complex but exist at its margins. They rely less heavily on funding and are able to get more funding from places that align with their mission due to their structure. This structure has also decreased burn out and turnover due to the democratic and participatory systems. The system also takes advantage of everyone's skills and passion which allows for the org to succeed.