The Co-op Academy Leaders Cohort is a chance to connect with co-op members across the city, develop your leadership skills, and strengthen your co-op. In addition to free trainings you’ll have the chance to:
Our Co-op Leadership Cohort is open to anyone that would like to develop a deeper knowledge of the foundational
components to developing and managing limited equity co-ops effectively. Registration is on a first come first served basis and all members must commit to the following participation requirements:
This training will focus on the what makes a cooperative a unique and powerful form of housing. We will review the difference between being a cooperative member and a rental tenant. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the rights and responsibilities that come with being a cooperative member.
Shares effective ways to connect with your elected representatives and other groups who are advocating and urge them to support increased funding for your limited equity co-ops and affordable housing in DC during upcoming budget hearings that decide how the city’s funds will be allocated. Get help:
This training will focus on the robust history of tenant organizing and cooperative housing in DC. We will review the robust history of the civil rights and housing rights movements that shaped the city and our tenant laws. We will look at how tenants have execrcised TOPA throughout the last 50 years and how the social, political and economic context shaped the formation of limited equity cooperatives.
We will review current make up of the city council, how a bill becomes a law in DC, and the current political climate. We will discuss the DC budget and oversight process and upcoming oppourtunities for advocacy.
Shares effective strategies for managing a co-op’s relationship with their property management company. Focuses on tactics that co-ops can use to improve communication, address commonly occurring problems, and ensure the management company is supporting the co-op’s goal of maintaining their affordability and protecting the value of their building. This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of:
Reviews components of financial reports and strategies for how to use the financial reports to make important decisions that will protect the co-op’s sustainability and affordability. Co-op members will learn how to:
We will review best practices for democratic decison making and common decision making mechanisms found in cooperative bylaws. Addresses common conflicts that arise in co-ops and reviews best practices in resolving them in an effective and inclusive manner. This workshop offers tools to help co-op members and boards communicate effectively with each other and resolve conflicts. In this training we:
We will discuss how limited equity cooperatives are a unique way in which residents are taking housing outside of the speculative- profit driven market. The solidarity economy is a global movement to build a just and sustainable economy where we prioritize people and the planet over endless profit and growth. Growing out of social movements in Latin America and the Global South, the solidarity economy provides real alternatives to capitalism, where communities govern themselves through participatory democracy, cooperative and public ownership, and a culture of solidarity and respect for the earth.
We will talk about effective strategies for building community through meetinsg and events. We will focus on building skills needed for effective meeting facilitation, agenda planning, taking, meeting minutes, event planning. We will talk about how to ensure meetings are inclusive and accessible to your community.
We will review best practices for creating annual budegts and making sound financial decisions. We will discuss the difference between long term asset management and property management, what goes into formulating an annual budget, and how to plan for staying in compliance with any requirements put in place by lenders or city funding.