- about/co-op (7 matching lines) [show matches]
We plan to operate as a cooperative and follow the [principles of cooperative organizations](http://www.cdsus.coop/about/what-is-a-co-op). Our .coop domain name is actually a [*sponsored* domain](http://www.nic.coop) available only to legitimate cooperatives.
## Consumer co-op (versus alternatives)
We considered running as a multistakeholder co-op in order to assure representation from employees, projects, and patrons. However, the benefits of such an arrangement may not be worth the complexity.
The *primary* purpose of Snowdrift.coop is to fund the production of public goods in the public interest. So we now plan to run as a consumer co-op where all members are *patrons* who fund the projects. Those members may *also* include employees of the co-op as well as team members of funded projects. And we can still take measures to assure that all diverse perspectives have some influence
Overall, the supply-side (the project producers) already have the most significant power. Our goal is to have projects serve the patrons and the rest of the general public (as opposed to the surveillance capitalism approach of serving advertisers). Our co-op structure works along with [crowdmatching](mechanism) to shift the balance of power away from our current supply-side economy and toward a more balanced, democratic economy.
**The co-op is open to all patrons of the Snowdrift.coop project itself**.
Snowdrift.coop has little physical property, but the co-op will have legal ownership over any so-called "Intellectual Property" like trademarks, any tech infrastructure, and any reserve capital.
- governance/standing-rules (9 matching lines) [show matches]
A basic legal agreement between the co-op and the individual member should cover, among other things:
* For example, do we need to record full legal names and will those names and other contact information be available to other co-op members seeking petition signatures?
The membership policy is to be reviewed in full for necessary updates once per calendar year. As it is subject to contract law, any changes should be examined by legal counsel to determine whether the changes should apply to all co-op members and whether current members will need to sign an addendum to their original membership agreement.
* A member always has the right to waive any notice required by applicable law, Standing Rules, or the Bylaws. The waiver must be in writing, bear the member's manual or electronic signature, and be delivered to the co-op for inclusion in the minutes.
### Co-op membership requirement
* As all Snowdrift.coop team members are automatically co-op members, they are required to pledge at least one share as patrons of the Snowdrift.coop project.
* Blatant or malicious disregard for co-op policies
* Misuse of co-op time or property
* Co-op employees who voluntarily terminate employment shall give 2 weeks written notice.
- communications/intro/co-opers (7 matching lines) [show matches]
You value community and economic democracy. You may be a member of your local food co-op and/or live (or have lived) in cohousing developments. Maybe you've attended meetings run on consensus. You're committed to a model of fair and sustainable development that treats workers and patrons alike with honesty and respect, and you want to see the cooperative economy prosper in as many contexts as possible.
With all the complex challenges you face, you may not have the time or expertise to investigate the ethical issues behind every bit of technology you use. Many co-ops continue to use proprietary software that isn't designed with the special needs of co-ops in mind, nor can it be freely altered to better suit those needs, and it locks you into supporting an industry that thrives on both anti-competitive and anti-cooperative actions. Wouldn't it be great if software that met your co-op's needs were made in a way that respected cooperative principles?
### Challenges of co-op governance
Co-ops care about fair working conditions and supporting local economies. While co-op folks all want to share their ideas freely, many are unaware of the legal tools, like Creative Commons licenses that best enable such sharing. It would be great to better compile, improve, and disseminate the collective wisdom of the co-op world.
FLO ideals match the co-op vision, and Snowdrift.coop offers the best prospect for greater support of FLO projects.
On the technology side, there is much to be gained from integrating the two communities of co-op supporters and Free Software developers. Software development co-ops may use our system to fund their development. Other co-ops may be patrons of software development and will have full access to powerful tools without compromising their ideals or giving up control of their own computing.
If you have experience in co-op startup or governance, we would love your input! Our [Bylaws](/legal/bylaws) have been drafted but are not yet finalized. We have yet to figure out standing rules or other details.
- market-research/other-crowdfunding (6 matching lines) [show matches]
| [Comradery](https://comradery.co) | 2.5% | co-op creative workers | monthly | optional | co-op |
| [Ampled](https://www.ampled.com/) | 0%,TBD | music | monthly | emphasized | | (co-op) |
**Comradery** is a worker-cooperative competitor to Patreon and others with the standard monthly-donations and paywall-service (premium content kept exclusive to donors). They *only* allow individual and co-op run projects (no non-co-op entities, whether for-profit or non-profit).
**Ampled** is a music-specific patronage co-op with emphasis on artists posting bonus exclusives for patrons. At their initial beta, they take no fees and hope to only have fees be optional donations from artists. Patrons donate a minimum $3/month.
**Maecen** is a Danish platform run by a co-op entity. At the time of this writing, they claim to be "Open Source" but only offer that people can inquire by email about participating, no public source or clarification about terms. They charge effectively nothing, planning to take a tiny 1 kroner flat fee per *project* regardless of number of patrons. They emphasize exclusive content as a paywall-service similar to Patreon.
| [**CoopFunding**](https://coopfunding.net) | **0%** | co-op, public good projects | none | ✔ |
- about/faq (4 matching lines) [show matches]
We have considered many issues in our design. **If you have not yet, please fully read our [mechanism](mechanism) and [limits and growth](limits) pages**. Most likely, one of those pages addresses your concern. If not, please post a comment on one of the connected discussion boards. We can tweak the mechanism as we continue testing. As a co-op, the community will make long-term decisions about adjusting anything.
#### What's the significance of being a non-profit co-op, and what about 501(c)(3) status?
First, we have initial incorporation under non-profit law in the state of Michigan, but we have not yet finalized our complete legal status. "Non-profit" means that 100% of our revenue must go toward serving our non-profit [mission](mission). We have no stock, no stock-holders, and no investors who would get any return (aside from getting the results of FLO works that we support, which everyone gets whether they donate or not). If income surpasses expenses in a given period, that income may be used to expand operations or provide a buffer in savings, but the co-op member-owners do not get dividends or other profit from the system.
The "co-op" part means that the members own the system and make decisions democratically. We abide by the general principles of cooperative organizations. See our [co-op](co-op) page for more.
- market-research/potential-partners (3 matching lines) [show matches]
* [Enspiral Network](http://www.enspiral.com/) — social entrepreneurship group behind Loomio and others, co-op sympathetic, support-one-another thing
* [MayFirst](https://mayfirst.org) super aligned co-op focused ethical web services etc.
* [FairShares Co-op](http://www.fairshares.coop) is a multistakeholder co-op thing promoting ethical co-op values generally, some form of certification for level of support of their values. Mostly seems good, mostly CC-BY-SA, but some stuff is NC and they use the term "IP", site is a bit hard to navigate / make sense of
- community/values (3 matching lines) [show matches]
## Co-op values, ethics, and principles
Snowdrift.coop, as a cooperative organization, honors the [co-op values](https://www.ica.coop/en/whats-co-op/co-operative-identity-values-principles) of **self-help**, **self-responsibility**, **democracy**, **equality**, **equity**, and **solidarity**. Co-op members accept the ethics of **honesty**, **openness**, **social responsibility**, and **caring for others**.
We also follow the seven Co-op Principles:
- communications/guidelines (3 matching lines) [show matches]
### Co-op significance
* Both crowdmatching and the co-op structure are about organizing patrons so that we better balance power between supply-side and demand-side, i.e. between projects and patrons.
* Multi-stakeholder co-op balances the interests of Snowdrift.coop workers (who build and manage the platform), projects that get funded here, and patrons who fund projects. See our [co-op page](/about/co-op) for details.
- archives/project-management/pages-for-scale (3 matching lines) [show matches]
* Co-Op /how-it-works/co-op
* Describe basics of co-op
* Co-Op /intro/co-op
- archives/communications/fund-drive-video (3 matching lines) [show matches]
### Running as a co-op
Maybe in a separate video, but we should describe how we work as a co-op.
Also, our corporate system consolidates power on the supply side while keeping consumers as separated and independent as possible. That imbalance causes many problems. Breaking up monopolies and oligopolies is one thing, but not a challenge we are up to. So to balance the power, we're providing a means for the demand-side to better coordinate our power. It's not an us vs them issue though. All sides have a stake in the co-op as well, as we can all work together for win-win solutions.
- about/terminology (3 matching lines) [show matches]
co-op member
~ a patron of the Snowdrift project who also meets the other requirements for and accepts the rights and responsibilities of co-op membership. Co-op members have the privileges to vote for board elections and other member votes.
~ an institution owned by its employees and/or patrons and run [democratically](democracy), see our [co-op](co-op) page for more
- editorial/style-guide (2 matching lines) [show matches]
### Cooperative versus co-op
In accordance with contemporary American usage, write "cooperative" without a hyphen for use as either an adjective ("works well with others") or a noun ("a democratic user-owned legal and organizational structure"). However, hyphenate the term "co-op" — except in a URL; e.g. "a co-op" but "Snowdrift.coop".^[Except, of course, when discussing structures to house live poultry ;)]
- community/projects/strategy (2 matching lines) [show matches]
* **Our unique value:** Besides our matching patronage mechanism, we are ourselves 100% FLO and are a mission-driven non-profit co-op. We also offer many other [tools](/archives/general-management/services) and [advantages](/about/advantages).
* **Costs:** Development, management, promotion, co-op governance costs; legal costs, server expenses. *Need to specify details further.*
- communications/slogan (2 matching lines) [show matches]
Commentary: The primary slogan captures the ideas of matching, bringing everyone together, cooperation, and the scope of projects we're focused on. Although it doesn't specify FLO, that's implied with public goods. The co-op angle is covered by our name. The only real missing element is sustainability / long-term support.
* Co-op values
- archives/community/how-to-help (2 matching lines) [show matches]
+ Legal, accounting, co-op structure
* We need help finalizing our [cooperative structure](/legal/co-op), nonprofit legal issues, handling of funds, and legal terms of use etc.
- about/history (2 matching lines) [show matches]
After a long series of initial discussions between David and Aaron toward the end of 2012, some initial contacts were made to co-op organizing advisors and to various others. The concept of a steering committee was formed, and the initial recruited committee members were [Nina Paley](https://snowdrift.coop/u/16), [Greg Austic](https://snowdrift.coop/u/17), [Mark Holmquist](https://snowdrift.coop/u/32), [David K. Levine](https://snowdrift.coop/u/33), and [Mike Linksvayer](https://snowdrift.coop/u/40).
We engaged with our lawyer Deb Olsen, who gave us instructions about clarifying areas of co-op governance that need more specificity. We have many legal challenges to address still along with juggling other organizational issues.
- about/democracy (2 matching lines) [show matches]
Distributed and independent decisions make sense in many cases, but sometimes we need coordinated democratic governance. The [co-op](co-op) structure of Snowdrift.coop uses the best approaches that we know of for running an effective democracy where minority opinions are respected and all stakeholders are fairly represented.
Our co-op elections will use [score voting](http://rangevoting.org) (also known as *range* voting). Instead of awkward forced-ranking (with its endless debates about different calculations) or limited single-choice options, voters simply give each candidate a score on a range of, say, 1-10. You can give several candidates the same score if you like. You can abstain from scoring a candidate when unsure. The candidate with the highest average score wins.
- operations/accounting (1 matching lines) [show matches]
All of the income for Snowdrift.coop and all transactions formally part of the co-op's accounts began around the beginning of 2014, so our first tax return year was 2014. Because our revenue is under $50,000, we filed a 990-N e-postcard, acting as self-determined 501(c)(4). Of course, we will have to adapt filings as needed depending on our long-term [legal status](legal) which is not yet certain.
- market-research/history/software (1 matching lines) [show matches]
As a non-profit co-op funded through our own pledge mechanism, our interests are aligned with the community. Any excess funds beyond our operating budget will go toward capital improvements or upstream projects. In short, we apply the same values to the way we're organized as we do to the software projects we support. In the long-term, we believe that our approach could provide a truly robust economic basis for FLOSS development.
- community/team-past (1 matching lines) [show matches]
of our co-op structure, including the formation of our bylaws and relationships
- community/projects (1 matching lines) [show matches]
* Potential growth: Wonderful to grow a repository of art that is strictly FLO, could imagine it commissioning art or becoming an art co-op with enough funding
- community/how-to-help (1 matching lines) [show matches]
## Legal, accounting and co-op structure
- community/conduct (1 matching lines) [show matches]
Participants here should understand and follow our [Guiding Values and Principles](https://wiki.snowdrift.coop/community/values). They include co-op values and ethics, support for free/libre/open movements, and celebration of diversity.
- communications/publicity (1 matching lines) [show matches]
* [WeCo](https://www.weco.io/) — a FLO & co-op Reddit alternative
- archives/project-management/beta-sprint (1 matching lines) [show matches]
* At least statement that we're organizing as a co-op and mention of current status in development / how to join co-op
- archives/personas/template (1 matching lines) [show matches]
* co-op
- archives/personas (1 matching lines) [show matches]
* [Noah: co-op/legal focus](personas/snowdrift-class-noah)
- about/premise (1 matching lines) [show matches]
You can also contribute creatively to the ecosystem. There are many [ways to help](/community/how-to-help). Also, as a patron of the Snowdrift.coop project itself, you can be a member of the [co-op](/legal/co-op) and have more say in running the whole system.
- about/mission (1 matching lines) [show matches]
We believe that platforms must better respect the values of democracy and liberty. As a community-owned co-op, we aim to be an ethical role model, to maximize our own use and development of FLO tools, and to help others follow our example.
- about/markets-and-prices (1 matching lines) [show matches]
Our system provides a framework for coordinating patrons and projects to provide effective support for creative work. Our pledge formula helps the community to collectively determine fair and effective share values that meet the needs of the projects we support. Of course, we may adapt our precise formula as things go, and any decisions after initial launch will be made through our democratic cooperative system. To avoid overly favoring either supply-side or demand-side, our [multistakeholder co-op structure](co-op) balances the interests of both projects and patrons.
- about/intro (1 matching lines) [show matches]
<img alt="part of the international co-op movement" src="/assets/external/coop-marque/png/coop_emgr.png" style="height: 6em"> 
- about/compete (1 matching lines) [show matches]
As a multistakeholder [cooperative](co-op), Snowdrift.coop aims for democratic governance by community members. This model coordinates different types of users working toward mutual goals instead of pitting their interests against each other. In our system, competition is friendly and constructive and works alongside our cooperative structure to bring out the best from projects and contributors.
- about (1 matching lines) [show matches]
#. [A Platform Cooperative](/about/co-op)