The US Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC) holds its CoopEcon event next month, promising “workshops, shared learning, networking, and conversations focused on building strong, sustainable co-operative economies”.
The FSC, which was formed was formed in 1967 to connect Black farming co-ops across the southern United States, is running the event at its Rural Training and Research Center in Epes, Alabama, from 15-17 October.
“Many communities today are facing challenges such as limited economic opportunities, rising costs, and the loss of local ownership,” says the FSC. “Co-operatives offer a practical way for people to work together, meet shared needs, create opportunities, and build wealth that stays within their communities.”
Themed around sustainable futures, the event includes workshops on co-operative development, capitalisation and fundraising, record-keeping, taxation, marketing, supply-chain management, leadership, and more.
There are three main strands to the event, including co-op finance – taking in issues such as member equity, credit, fundraising and financial resources.
The second strand is co-operative management and engagement workshop, looking at marketing, storytelling, branding, customer outreach, supply-chain management and increasing member participation.
The third strand, governance, includes democratic decision-making, voting rights, consensus building, board leadership and member engagement.
