Co-operative Foundations online modules

Learn online for free with BCCM’s Co-operative Foundations online modules.

These modules have been developed to provide farmers, fishers and foresters a foundational understanding of co-operatives and how working together in a co-op increases the profits, efficiency, and value of participating agricultural businesses and their sector as a whole, now and for the future.

• Course introduction (10 minutes)
  An introduction to the six modules and the value of forming a co-operative.
• Module 1 – What is a co-operative? (30 minutes)
  The legal structure of a co-operative, the seven principles that all co-operatives around the world ascribe to and what being a member of a co-op actually means.
• Module 2 – What it means to be a member of a co-operative (15 minutes)
  What active membership is, the ownership and powers of each member and the value that co-operative membership provides.
• Module 3 – Planning the business of a co-operative (30 minutes)
  How to set up your co-op, starting with an idea and taking it through to having the framework to develop a business plan.
• Module 4 – Decision making and control in a co-operative (20 minutes)
  The rules of a co-operative, how members have an equal say, the role and responsibility of the board, decision making and meetings and key office holder roles and what they mean.
• Module 5 – Measuring and reporting a co-operative’s activities (15 minutes)
  What is required for a co-operative to have sound financial management practices whilst meeting compliance standards.
• Module 6 – Understanding co-operative capital and raising funds (30 minutes)
  The options unique to co-operatives to raise capital and the regulatory framework that sits around them.
• Next steps (5 minutes)
  A course overview and next steps to consider with links to relevant resources and support.

CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
At the completion of the Co-operative Foundations course you will be able to print a unique certificate of completion for your records which shows the equivalent hours of CPD. You must complete all of the quizzes to complete the course and receive your certificate.