EduPartners.coop LCA was incorporated in Colorado on International Labor Day 2023 as a limited cooperative association.

We have taken a few months to shape the details of the organization with the help of the Center for Community Wealth Building in Denver and several thought partners. 

We are now ready to go live and look for supporters and members.

Why a cooperative?

Higher education is a key sector of our societies, supporting the advancement of knowledge and economic development. Education is, at its core, a collaborative endeavor. By embracing a cooperative, we believe education, particularly higher education, must embrace a less hierarchical approach to delivering education.

 

Cooperatives, particularly worker-owned cooperatives, provide a unique avenue to further the mission of higher education by embracing a unique collaborative approach. The cooperative principles distinguish service and product delivery by a co-op. The principles are fully elaborated by the International Cooperative Alliance and are listed below.

1. Open and Voluntary Membership

2. Democratic Member Control

3. Members’ Economic Participation

4. Autonomy and Independence

5. Education, Training, and Information

6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives

7. Concern for Community

The co-op difference will be further discussed in the next several installments of the EduPartners.news. The remainder of this post will begin that discussion by describing the key tenets of how we have set up the co-op and the directions we will take in developing the organization.

What are the services of EduPartners.coop?

The focus of the cooperative is on providing services in the following areas:

• Market studies/strategies–Helping educational providers focus on the high-impact areas and markets.

• LearningScapes™–Supporting the skillful design of curriculum, skilled delivery through learning interactions, and meaningful assessment/evaluation. Future efforts are planned to include curriculum exchange among members and institutions.

• Sponsored research projects–Developing and supporting research teams in multiple education-related areas, especially in topics focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning.

• Performance excellence–Supporting and catalyzing excellence certification and accreditation.

Who are the members?

As a hybrid cooperative, EduPartners.coop leverages the flexibility of the limited cooperative association to address the challenges and realities of higher education in a dynamic period. The hybrid nature of the cooperative is reflected in having three types or classes of members: customer members, worker members, and investors. 

Customer members — “Edu-collaborators”

Edu-collaborators are customer members served through informational products and services. Most co-ops are customer-based models so the idea of customers as members with voting rights is often familiar. The current informational product is based on this Substack blog produced on a bi-weekly schedule–EduPartners.news. Although the Substack is free to all who subscribe, becoming a customer member requires an annual paid or founding subscription of the EduPartners Substack. In recognition of their support, customer members will receive additional services beyond the Substack posts. 

EduPartners.news will be a key product for customer members

The membership remains in effect as long as there is a Substack subscription. Voting rights are afforded to this member class in several areas including the nature and shape of the types of offerings. In recognition of their support, customer members will receive additional services beyond the Substack posts. 

Worker members

Worker members are individuals or organizations who provide services to clients or customers on behalf of the co-op. Worker members may include higher education institutions, training groups, educational services companies, coaches, or facilitators.

Worker members serve the important role of providing co-op services to clients

The key is that there is a clear link to excellence in higher education or organizational learning and development. Individuals or organizations wishing to join as a worker member must first complete a client engagement on behalf of the cooperative or a project benefitting the cooperative. The one-member, one-vote rule of co-ops, still applies to organizational worker members. The board of directors is elected primarily from this membership class.

Investor members

Investors represent a relatively new and innovative type of member for cooperatives. A consistent barrier for cooperatives has been the need for adequate investment capital to start and grow a modern business.  The limited cooperative association (LCA) model allows us to address those challenges by seeking investors aligned with cooperative principles, ideals, and norms.

The focus for investor members is focused on supporting the co-op’s mission rather than extractive return on investment.

Investment in an LCA avoids the extractive model often seen in startups, where investors seek to “extract” value from founders in exchange for the dream of making it big. In contrast to most venture capital, investors in an LCA do not share in governance. The one-member, one-vote process is reserved for other classes of members. 

How is the cooperative governed and managed?

Worker cooperatives are governed by a board of directors chosen from worker members and elected during an annual meeting of members. Directors serve fixed, multi-year terms set out in the bylaws.

The day-to-day management of EduPartners.coop will be carried out using Sociocracy. The techniques were first developed as the Sociocratic Circle Method by Gerard Endenburg in the Netherlands in the 1980s.  The method has spread extensively throughout Europe and in the U.S. and provides a unique way to govern operations and service delivery.

Sociocracy is a highly participative and scalable method of governance

The foundations of the approach involve the use of small groups, called circles, which are focused on a particular aspect of managing and operating the organization. For example, a governance circle may focus on governance issues, a marketing circle on marketing and sales, and a service delivery circle on managing service offerings.

The circle structure will emerge and evolve as EduPartners.coop adds members and services. Initially, the co-op will function in startup mode with just a general circle

For further information, check out Sociocracy for All, which has one of the most complete, usable, and clear descriptions.

How can one become a customer member?

Becoming a customer member is easy. Just sign up and subscribe for the paid membership of this Substack and you will be a customer member.

How can one become a worker member?

For those wishing to join as a worker member, the membership options include individuals and partner organizations providing services in the higher education sector. Services can include teaching, research, consulting, evaluation, assessment, facilitation, mentoring, or any similar type of activity. 

A prospective worker member must first complete a project with the cooperative. Those projects include services delivered to a client on behalf of EduPartners.coop or providing services to the cooperative. After the conclusion of the project, the candidate member is evaluated by the board and/or other members for full worker membership.

Individual worker members can be carried in the name of an individual or a dedicated company such as a solopreneur LLC or limited company respecting the one member, one vote cooperative principle.

Investor members

Investor members can join either through a cash or in-kind investment. Each investor member will have a customized membership contract. Investor members do not have the voting rights of the worker members. Investor member’s rights and responsibilities are governed specifically by the investment contract. 

Is membership available to those outside the U.S.?

Yes. We have identified two approaches for non-U.S. individuals to join as work members. Request details if interested.

Interested in knowing more?

If you are interested in knowing more, working with us, joining as a worker member, or discussing options, contact us through the contact form.