Funded support for new and emerging coops

Hello everyone, looking for some ideas and guidance on how we can take advantage of the funded pathway for existing coops to grow;
https://www.uk.coop/the-hive/apply/pathway-2

Chapel Street Studio embarked on a new venture in July 2018 – taking out a lease on a
building and carrying out extensive refurbishment works – to create a building that
accommodates office space and a café. With it came an increase in our membership and a reforming of our organisation to become Bradford's "co-operative association", which now includes Bread+Roses (co-operative cafe and workspace) and Chapel Street Studio (co-operative agency of freelancers and small businesses). Each trading arm has it's own membership group and have nominated representation on a board. As it currently stands administration of the coop is also centralised.

We are approaching our first AGM since this major development, we have a weak /co-opted / in-experienced board, an enlarged but disengaged membership, and an under-resourced management team.

We would really like to take advantage of the funded peer-support element of the Hive's pathway 2, and wondering if anyone can advise / make suggestions on the following:
1) could this fund a secondment of an experienced coop member to help us prepare for our AGM, engage our membership, and advise on governance?
2) does anyone know anyone who would be interested / available / experienced to fulfil a hands-on role in working with us in May/June?

Thank you :)

Hi @martynjohnston on your more general point of funding support for co-operatives, there is a section on this in Platform 6's Useful co-operative development resources

On your more specific point, the Hive is bedding into it's revamped criteria and pathways and as a Hive provider delivering support thru the Hive, we're still not yet familiar with how the new criteria will be applied.. You would appear to fit their priority around self-employed and the gig economy. My impression is that any support needs to be allied to plans to grow the co-op - increased turnover, new products, new markets.

I think that you can suggest your own mentor. If you are unsuccessful in securing Hive support, I'd be happy to help pro bono in exchange for a Bradford curry.

Support for new and emerging worker co-operatives varies depending on which nation you are in.

The Hive is UK wide, but there are different support packages available in Scotland and Wales which do not exist in England.

Dave

Thanks for the link to Platform 6 resource list - that is really useful. Wondering if someone from Coops UK can advise whether they provide a matchmaking service for peer-mentors or if we have to find our own?

I'd quite like to do a session at the worker co-op weekend called something like
"How can we make it easier to start a worker co-op".

There are loads of resources and guides out their from the UK and around the world and loads of potential funded support, but it is way too confusing.

Personally I think we need to create a really simple website, on the home page there is a clear step by step list to follow, backed up with a, easily searchable user written wiki on the more detailed areas of running a worker co-op and library of downloadable tools, templates and policies.

Anyone interested in helping me run this session at the weekend? to start this off, or challenge me with a much better way of doing it?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yqKsfIV3wkp9nt1CcTLW1q-7-NoJc432udWdfrbiQMw/edit

Possibly rope in Kitty's launderette as well? There's already a suggestion for a session on their experience on starting, we should be able to combine the two threads quite nicely. And also, speaking on behalf of Scotland - what @davehollings said. But I love the idea of a website. Incidentally, the Radical Route's guide strikes me as a good resource to link to from the website, but I've not used the guide in anger, only skimmed through it when IWW members asked me about worker co-ops.

Unfortunately Kitty’s won’t be at WCW - for the good reason that they will be in their full opening week

Hello John, this sounds great and I will attend if I make the gathering. Could this also include a review of the benefits of CoopsUK membership for new and emerging coops? We are about to rejoin cos we want the chuffin' discount! Now then, I'm sure there must be more benefits than what is listed on the website (which hasn't been updated since 2015) and I think it would be really worthwhile to re-think what support is offered with membership first (at least update the benefits listed on the website!).

The peer-support offer through The Hive could be (could have been!) really beneficial to us and my suggestion would be to include additional benefits to CoopsUK membershop for new coops (0-5yrs), including funded peer-support and access to a directory of coopsUK members that are signed up to the scheme. It seems a bit informal and behind the scenes as it stands, and I will be taking you up on that curry for professional advice offer @marksimmonds!

I'm trying to figure out how we can get this vital support we so desperately need. I'm just gonna apply for the Hive support and feedback on the process.

I think we need to look more towards self-help Martyn, between early stage workers coops. I'm down in Gloucestershire, which is a coop desert. It would be great to have a network to tap into of folk dealing with similar challenges.