r/cooperatives

The co-op transitioned their marketplace to a new technology and is now allowing non-member sellers.

Shop and sell genuinely handmade and support cooperative ownership: https://artisans.coop

I'm working on a concept called the American Resource Trust and I'd like feedback specifically on the ownership, governance, and distribution aspects of the idea.

The basic concept is:

• Every American citizen owns one equal, non-transferable ownership share.
• Ownership begins at birth and ends at death.
• Ownership cannot be bought, sold, traded, transferred, or inherited.
• Citizens elect a Board of Trustees.
• The Board hires professional management to operate the Trust.
• The Trust invests in productive assets and long-term revenue-generating opportunities.
• Trust assets are managed independently from politicians and political parties.

The long-term goal is to create an institution that serves current and future generations of Americans.

Any profits generated by the Trust would generally be used for:

• Reinvestment and growth.
• Annual dividends to eligible participants.
• Emergency reserve funding.
• Operating expenses.
• National benefit initiatives that support the country and its citizens.

What I'm interested in discussing is:

1. What are the biggest flaws in the ownership model?
2. Is an elected Board of Trustees a reasonable governance structure?
3. What safeguards would be needed to prevent corruption or political influence?
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of distributing benefits directly to citizens?
5. What would make you support or oppose a structure like this?

I'm intentionally not focusing on the funding mechanism in this discussion.

I'm more interested in whether the ownership structure, governance model, and distribution system make sense on their own merits.

I recently learned that the Detroit People’s Food Co-op is facing serious financial challenges and needs our help to stay in business.
▶️ Watch: Detroit People’s Food Co-op Faces Financial Challenges
For anyone unfamiliar with the idea, a grocery co-op is a community-owned grocery store. Instead of the benefits of the business primarily flowing to outside shareholders, a co-op is designed to keep more of that economic activity within the community. That can help make good food more affordable, provide better wages for workers, and keep much-needed money circulating locally.
And it made me think about AFC Wimbledon.
Nerdfighteria has already shown what can happen when a community comes together to support something that matters. What if John Green visited the Detroit People’s Food Co-op, talked with the workers, owners, and community members who make it possible, and helped tell their story?
Then perhaps Nerdfighteria could do what we’ve done before: everyone who wants to could contribute whatever they’re comfortable giving. A few dollars might not feel like much individually, but thousands of people each doing what they can can make a huge difference.
And someday, everyone who participated could tell the story: “I helped Detroit when it was down and out. I was one of the people who helped keep this community institution alive.”
We may not be very powerful as individuals, but we are incredibly powerful collectively.
Maybe this could be another example of what happens when Nerdfighteria decides to help a community keep something good alive.
DFTBA. 💚