Cooperative Finance Education Kit
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Why are we making the Toolkit?
2. What is the Toolkit?
3. Who's involved?
4. Project Timeline
1. Why are we making the Toolkit?
2. What is the Toolkit?
3. Who's involved?
4. Project Timeline
1. Why are we making the Toolkit?As bookkeepers, educators, community organizers and co-op developers, we have spent the past year interviewing and surveying twelve partner organizations around financial literacy and decision making within justice oriented organizations.
We found that most organizations: a) do not know how to bring an anti-oppression and democratic mindset to their finance systems and b) do not have and/or do not share skills around financial literacy, systems and management within their organization. This results in financial decision making processes that are not aligned with the justice-based values of the organization that seeks to shift power on individual, organizational and systems levels. We understand these fundamental issues to be created by: (a) a lack of investment in financial literacy skills internally and (b) the manifestation of unaddressed systems of power within the organization. The kit addresses these issues by using a three pronged approach: using education to distribute knowledge and increase skills, creating democratic financial structures and systems to hold groups accountable, and facilitating whole-group conversations around power dynamics to address power imbalances. |
Co-Sponsor the Toolkit Organizational and Institutional Sponsorship Opportunities
Individual and Private Sponsorship Opportunities Support & Praise for the Toolkit Check out this letter of support from the Cooperative Fund of New England, one of our partner orgs.
"An accessible and engaging training platform that teaches financial literacy would significantly increase the viability of the worker co-op sector. |
2. What is the Toolkit?
The Cooperative Finance Education Kit will strengthen movements organizing for justice and the cooperative economy by increasing the financial literacy of the organizations that make up our movements. The Cooperative Finance Education Kit bridges the gap between financial literacy skills and justice oriented organizing by creating a free, digitally downloadable multimedia toolkit that will be available in both Spanish and English.
The kit will include four topic sections, each of which will be comprised of
(a) a self guided workshop,
(b) financial templates,
(c) additional resource materials and
(d) video conversations & interviews with groups and organizations that have worked through these issues.
The four topic sections include:
Collectively Creating a Budget
Financial Literacy and Basic Report Reading
How Power & Privilege Show Up Within Finance Roles
Creating Collectively Oriented Financial Systems
In our research, the few resources that exist are English-only, culturally insensitive, cost-prohibitive, dry in presentation and linear in design. Our kit will be free, available in both English and Spanish, center storytelling and popular education training techniques and provide many access points.
The Cooperative Finance Education Kit will strengthen movements organizing for justice and the cooperative economy by increasing the financial literacy of the organizations that make up our movements. The Cooperative Finance Education Kit bridges the gap between financial literacy skills and justice oriented organizing by creating a free, digitally downloadable multimedia toolkit that will be available in both Spanish and English.
The kit will include four topic sections, each of which will be comprised of
(a) a self guided workshop,
(b) financial templates,
(c) additional resource materials and
(d) video conversations & interviews with groups and organizations that have worked through these issues.
The four topic sections include:
Collectively Creating a Budget
Financial Literacy and Basic Report Reading
How Power & Privilege Show Up Within Finance Roles
Creating Collectively Oriented Financial Systems
In our research, the few resources that exist are English-only, culturally insensitive, cost-prohibitive, dry in presentation and linear in design. Our kit will be free, available in both English and Spanish, center storytelling and popular education training techniques and provide many access points.
3. Who's involved
For the production phase, our core team of project developers include:
- ABC: A Bookkeeping Cooperative
- AORTA: Anti-Oppression Resource Training Alliance
- Open Bookkeeping
- TESA: Toolbox for Education and Social Action
Over the past year, during our research phase, TESA and Open Bookkeeping have been working closely with eleven partner organizations to better understand what organizations need, how to best meet those needs and what materials already exist. Our partner organizations include:
- CFL: Center for Family Life
- CDI : Cooperative Development Institute
- CFNE : Cooperative Fund of New England
- DAWI: Democracy at Work Institute
- Deep Roots Market
- ICA Group
- Southern Reparations Loan Fund
- Manos Unidas
- NASCO: North American Students of Cooperation
- New Economy Coalition
- New Frameworks Natural Building
- NOBAWC : Network of Bay Area Worker Coops
- Pioneer Valley Workers Center
We worked with these partner organizations in a series of focus group conversations that helped us to identify content goals, pedagogical methods, and kit structure. We will continue to work with these organizations in 2017 to help test the kit and review the content.
4. Project Timeline
Market Research & Feasibility: Fall 2015
Partner Organization Outreach & Research: Winter 2016
Funding for Toolkit: Winter 2017
Production: Spring 2017
Testing and Review: Fall 2017
Project Completion: Fall 2017/Winter 2018
Partner Organization Outreach & Research: Winter 2016
Funding for Toolkit: Winter 2017
Production: Spring 2017
Testing and Review: Fall 2017
Project Completion: Fall 2017/Winter 2018
