Cooperative Development Institute

The Blueberry Fields Cooperative celebrated their successful purchase of the Linnhaven community in Brunswick, Maine with a big party last night, attended by residents, Gov. Janet Mills, and other partners who supported the $26.3 million purchase. We are very proud and honored to have supported the residents through this long and fruitful process. We hope their story inspires more to pursue resident ownership as an option when it's right for them! Watch coverage of the event from News Center Maine here: https://lnkd.in/e8T72ZYV Photos by: Maranda Chung #CoopMonth

Congratulations to the Blueberry Fields Cooperative on the purchase of their community, the Linnhaven Mobile Home Park in Brunswick, Maine! ?We hope that their story will inspire legislators to create stronger laws to support resident ownership, and help to inform residents and community owners across the country that this option is available to them! Read the NYTimes story here: https://lnkd.in/eJKkDUWY Shout out to CDI's New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program who worked with residents of this community throughout this process, and to our partners Genesis Community Loan Fund, MaineHousing, Janet Mills for Governor, the Town of Brunswick, and the attorneys at Drummond and Drummond LLP. #coopmonth

We are beyond proud to be a sponsor of the Beyond Business as Usual 2024 conference being held on October 26 in Hartford, CT! Register for free to get involved in Connecticut's growing cooperative movement. Collaborate with like-minded grassroots groups and learn how to build businesses and an economy that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. Attendance is free with a suggested donation of $50. Reserve your seat here: https://lnkd.in/eTjskBvN #coopmonth

Wheelers Insurance Agency, an employee-owned cooperative, has been awarded Oxford Hills' 2024 Business of the Year by the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce! Congratulations to Wheelers' amazing team on this much deserved recognition. Wheelers Insurance was founded in 1864. They became an employee-owned cooperative in January 2020. The agency, based in South Paris and Bethel, Maine, serves clients throughout the state with personal and commercial insurance products. It's also one of Maine's leading individual health insurance and Medicare brokers. Learn more about their transition to employee ownership here: https://lnkd.in/e8DH4EJd #coopmonth #BusinessOfTheYear?

It's our 30th Anniversary this year and we are celebrating with a $30K for 30 years fundraising campaign. The end of the year is coming up fast. Please help us reach our goal by making a donation today. Thank you for supporting our mission to grow a more prosperous and equitable economy! Donate here: https://lnkd.in/gsmQDFdK

Join us for Co-op Month to learn how to establish effective benefit programs tailored to your cooperative's size and capabilities. ? Accessible and valuable for both co-op employers and employees. ?? Cynthia will guide you through the key steps in navigating co-op benefit programs. ?? Heather will showcase Rising Tide Co-op's successful approach to employee benefits. ?? Chris will help tie it all together in a rich discussion around best practices, size and capacity of organizations, types of benefits, and much more. Whether you're just starting out or looking to enhance your existing programs, this webinar will provide practical strategies and real-world examples to help you build sustainable and caring benefit programs for the long term.

October is co-op month! That means it's time for another great educational webinar series hosted by the Cooperative Maine Business Alliance. Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/eCRZbi8J Here are the topics covered by the series beginning next month: ? Oct. 9 at 11 am: Benefits for Co-op Employees: How to get Started ? Oct. 23 at 10 am: Mastering the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Act for Compliance and Employee Well-being ? Oct. 30 at 11 am: Navigating Health Insurance for Maine Co-ops: Tailored Solutions for Cooperators

The residents of Brookfield Meadows, a 55+ community with 61 homes, have organized together to purchase their manufactured home park for $3.9M, making them the newest resident-owned cooperative community in Massachusetts. “It is a great walkable neighborhood, where you can go on a two- or three-mile hike one way and another mile walk the other way through the heart of the woods. My wife and I said, ‘gee, this feels like home.’ Since moving here, it’s been our golden years,” said Dr. Gene Fry, president of Brookfield Meadows’ board of directors. Read their story here: https://lnkd.in/eGa6MPw7 #residentowned #cooperatives #affordablehousing #brookfield #weownit

If you're attending the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN) Conference in Worcester, MA next month, make sure to head over to the workshop led by CDI's Terri Bruce! In this workshop, Terri will present three case studies of organizations that used a "bottom up" approach to identify and measure programmatic outcomes, leading to increased growth, innovation, and funding. You'll walk away understanding the steps to implement this approach at your own organization. Visit MNN's website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/esfSqGZA #nonprofit #data #evaluation #workshop

We are proud to have supported the transition of Ward Lumber to an employee-owned cooperative! It is amazing to hear of the impact that the transition has made on the company and its employee-owners three years later. Congratulations on your success, Ward Lumber, and we continue to root for you! Thank you Strictly Business Magazine for highlighting their story. Thank you Adirondack North Country Association for your partnership. "Our employees are stronger and more flexible. People have learned to make good decisions on their own," said Kevin Kennedy, Ward Lumber's IT manager and current president of the Ward Lumber Worker Cooperative Board of Directors. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g3_V_YRp #employeeowned #cooperatives #familyowned