One-stop shopping for co-op governance resources

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is working on a project to create a web portal to house resources and tools on co-operative governance.

Erin Hancock, CCA’s manager of research and education, told participants in the International Co-operative Governance Symposium  that the idea for the portal emerged from a scan of co-operative education undertaken by CCA and the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network, a five-year research initiative to measure the economic, social and environmental impact of co-operatives.

CCA also consulted the executive directors of provincial co-operative associations,academics and sector representatives from co-ops who engage in organized governance education.

The portal will include tools (such as board evaluation tools), publications, presentations, videos, links to co-operative legislation and other resources, such as an inventory of co-operative governance consultants. The portal will be bilingual (English and French), with resources posted in the language in which they were created. 

“Through the process of putting this all in one place we can see where the gaps are and inform the creation of new tools and resources,” Ms. Hancock said.

Ms. Hancock is currently collecting suggestions for resources to be included in the portal, which she plans to launch in January or February 2014.  Even after it’s launched, it will be a “work in progress”, adding tools and resources as they become available.

If you have suggestions for material to be included in the portal, contact Erin Hancock at [email protected].