Co-ops 101

An Introduction to
Cooperatives
Cooperative
Information
Report 55

United States Department of Agriculture

CI
This report provides a comprehensive summary of basic informa-
tion on the cooperative way of organizing and operating a business.
It covers the nature and extent of the use of cooperatives, compares
cooperatives to other business structures, explains the roles vari-
ous people play in a cooperative, and discusses equity accumulation
and income taxation. The purpose is to make available, in a single
report, the information someone would need to acquire a general
understanding of how cooperatives function.

Keywords: Cooperative, Business, Finance, Structure, Tax

Co-ops 101: An Introduction to Cooperatives
Donald A. Frederick wrote this report in 1997 and revised it in
2005. This latest revision was completed by James J. Wadsworth
and E. Eldon Eversull.

Cooperative Information Report 55

April 1997
Revised November 2012
Publications and information are also available on the RBS web-
site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/NEWPUB.htm
Email: coopinfo@wdc.usda.gov for more information.

The mention of brand-names, trademarks, and company names in

this publication is for illustrative purposes only, and in no way con-
stitutes endorsement of any commercial enterprise or product.
Preface
Welcome to the dynamic world of cooperation—people working
together to solve common problems and seize exciting opportuni-
ties. Cooperatives are business entities that people use to provide
themselves with goods and services.
This booklet introduces you to the attributes that distinguish a
cooperative from other ways to organize and conduct a business.
Its purpose is to help you understand what makes a cooperative
unique. It contains a great deal of information to absorb. Use it as
a reference and refer to it when specific problems arise. Over time,
you will learn more about cooperatives and your experience with
them should be more rewarding.

i
Table of Contents
Introduction----------------------------------------------------- 1

Chapter 1. A Historical Perspective------------------------------ 3

Chapter 2. Cooperative Principles and Practices------------------ 9

C
- ooperative Principles ------------------------------------- 9
The User-Benefits Principle----------------------------- 9
The User-Owner Principle----------------------------- 10
- The User-Control Principle---------------------------- 10
R
- elated Practices------------------------------------------ 11
- The Patronage Refund System------------------------- 11
Limited Return on Equity Capital--------------------- 13
C
- ooperation Among Cooperatives--------------------- 13

Chapter 3. Cooperatives in the Community--------------------- 15

C
- ommercial Sales and Marketing Cooperatives------------ 16
F
- inancial Cooperatives------------------------------------ 20
S
- ocial and Public Services Cooperatives------------------- 22

Chapter 4. Benefits of Cooperation- ---------------------------- 25

Chapter 5. Business Organizations------------------------------ 31

I- ndividually Owned Businesses---------------------------- 31
P
- artnerships- --------------------------------------------- 32
G
- eneral Business Corporations---------------------------- 33
- Limited Liability Company------------------------------- 35
C
- ooperative----------------------------------------------- 36

Chapter 6. Classifying Cooperatives by Structure---------------- 39

- Geographic Territory Served------------------------------ 39
- Governance System--------------------------------------- 39
- Functions Performed-------------------------------------- 40

ii
Chapter 7. People----------------------------------------------- 45
Members------------------------------------------------- 45
Directors-------------------------------------------------- 48
Officers----------------------------------------------- 50
B
- oard Committees------------------------------------ 51
- Managers------------------------------------------------- 52
- Employees------------------------------------------------ 54

Chapter 8. Sources of Equity------------------------------------ 57

D
- irect Investment----------------------------------------- 58
- Retained Margins----------------------------------------- 59
- Per-Unit Capital Retains---------------------------------- 60
Nonmember/Nonpatronage Earnings- -------------------- 61

Chapter 9. Financial and Tax Planning-------------------------- 63

Cash Refunds--------------------------------------------- 63
Qualified Retains----------------------------------------- 64
Nonqualified Retains-------------------------------------- 66
Unallocated Reserves-------------------------------------- 67

Chapter 10. Equity Management- ------------------------------ 69

Revolving Fund Plan-------------------------------------- 69
Special Plans---------------------------------------------- 70
Base Capital Plan----------------------------------------- 71

Conclusion----------------------------------------------------- 72

Notes ---------------------------------------------------------- 73

iii
Introduction

iv
Photo courtesy Dairy Farmers of America

There is no universally accepted definition of a

cooperative. In general, a cooperative is a busi-
ness owned and democratically controlled by the
people who use its services and whose benefits
are derived and distributed equitably on the basis
of use. The user-owners are called members. They
benefit in two ways from the cooperative, in
proportion to the use they make of it. First, the
more they use the cooperative, the more service
they receive. Second, earnings are allocated to
members based on the amount of business they
do with the cooperative.
In many ways, cooperatives resemble other
businesses. They have similar physical facilities,
perform similar functions and must follow sound
business practices. They are usually incorporated
under state law by filing articles of incorpora-
tion, granting them the right to do business. The
organizers draw up bylaws and other necessary
legal papers. Members elect a board of directors.
The board sets policy and hires a manager to run
the day-to-day operations.
But in some ways, cooperatives are distinctly
different from other businesses. These differences
are found in the cooperative’s purpose, its owner-
ship and control, and how benefits are distrib-
uted. They are reflected in cooperative principles
that explain the unique aspects of doing business
on a cooperative basis.
1
Chapter 1

A Historical Perspective
In one sense, cooperation is probably as old as
civilization. Early people had to learn to work
together to meet their common needs, or per-
ish. The Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth, MA,
jointly cleared fields abandoned by the Indians,
broke up the soil, and planted and cared for their
corn. After the harvest, celebrated with the Indi-
ans in 1621 with a Thanksgiving feast, the corn
was shared equally among the settlers.
Legend suggests that the initial structured
cooperative business in the United States was
the Philadelphia Contributionship for the In-
surance of Houses from Loss by Fire, a mutual
fire insurance company established in 1752. This
association’s reputation is likely based on two
factors. First, Benjamin Franklin was the orga-
nizer. Second, the business has been conducted so
efficiently over the years that it is still operating
today.
In the early 1800s, cooperative businesses ap-
peared on several fronts. In Britain, cooperatives
were formed as a tool to deal with the depressed
economic and social conditions related to the
struggles with Napoleon and industrialization. In
the United States, farmers began to process their
milk into cheese on a cooperative basis in diverse
places such as Goshen, CT, and Lake Mills, WI.
Writers sometimes trace the origin of coop-
eratives from the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers’
Society, an urban, consumer cooperative orga-
3
nized in England in 1844. It sold con-
sumer goods such as food and clothing to
persons unhappy with the merchants in
the community.
While neither the first nor most suc-
cessful early cooperative, the Rochdale
Society developed an active outreach
program, encouraging and assisting oth-
ers to form cooperatives. It also prepared
a written list of practices and policies that
seemed consistent with success of such
efforts. This list became one of the first sets
of cooperative principles, characteristics
that distinguish cooperatives from nonco-
operative businesses.

• Open membership
• One member, one vote
• Cash trading
• Membership education
• Political and religious neutrality
• No unusual risk assumption
• Limitation on the number of shares
owned
• Limited interest on stock
• Goods sold at regular retail prices
• Net margins distributed according to patronage

The Grange, founded in 1867, quickly became the major thrust

behind agricultural and rural cooperatives in America. In 1874, a
Grange representative went to Europe to gather information about
cooperatives. In 1875, the Grange published a set of rules for the
organization of cooperative stores, based on the Rochdale prin-
ciples.
Local granges organized stores to serve their rural members.
They sold groceries and clothing as well as general farm supplies,
hardware and agricultural implements. Granges in the South mar-

4
keted cotton. Those in Iowa operated grain elevators. In Kentucky,
they sponsored warehouses for receiving and handling tobacco.
California Granges exported wheat and marketed wool.
As the country recovered from the depression of the 1870s,
fewer Granges were organized and many cooperatives went out
of business, but the impact of the Grange cooperative movement
survives. It demonstrated that the Rochdale type of cooperative,
which handled goods at prevailing prices and distributed net sav-
ings according to use, offered a sound basis for cooperative efforts
in America.
Cooperation flourished during the three decades from 1890 to
1920. As many as 14,000 farmer cooperatives were operating by

5
Photo by Neil Crosby/Neil studios, courtesy Tennessee Farmers Cooperative

the end of the period. Cooperative growth was fueled by the wave
of other farmer movements and farm organizations sweeping the
country, such as the American Society of Equity, National Farm-
ers Union, and the American Farm Bureau Federation. They were
engaged in marketing virtually every farm crop and furnishing
supplies and services to their producer-members. Many of today’s
major farmer cooperatives were formed during this period.
The following decades have seen farmer cooperatives develop
their own financial institutions through the Farm Credit System.
Nonagricultural cooperatives likewise developed the National
Cooperative Bank. With help from the Rural Electrification
Administration, rural residents used cooperatives to bring electric
and telephone services to their towns and farms. The rural electrics
formed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Finance Corpora-
6
tion (CFC) as a supplemental source of financing.
Some cooperatives have become larger, partially in response to
growing concentration among their competitors and the firms their
members must deal with. They have adopted modern management
techniques and sophisticated processing, distribution and market-
ing methods.
Today rural and urban residents use cooperatives to acquire con-
sumer services such as housing, credit and other financial services
(through credit unions), groceries, education and telecommunica-
tions. Franchisees, governmental units, hardware and grocery stores,
florists and numerous other businesses use cooperatives to market
their products and secure the supplies they need at competitive
prices.
Cooperatives remain a major component of the food and agri-
culture industry, but now they are available to help people provide
services for themselves in virtually all segments of the economy.

7
Chapter 2

Cooperative Principles
and Practices
Cooperative Principles

Various writers over the past century have ana-

lyzed and observed the application of coopera-
tive principles. Although slight differences in
terminology appear on the various lists, three
principles emerge as being widely recognized and
practiced.
These principles are more than just good prac-
tices, policies or common sense. They distinguish
a cooperative from other kinds of business. They
are also recognized in State and Federal stat-
utes and regulations as criteria for a business to
qualify as a cooperative.

The User-Benefits Principle

Members unite in a cooperative to get services
otherwise not available, to get quality supplies at
the right time, to have access to markets or for
other mutually beneficial reasons. Acting togeth-
er gives members the advantage of economies
of size and bargaining power. They benefit from
having these services available, in proportion to
the use they make of them.
Members also benefit by sharing the earnings
on business conducted on a cooperative basis.
When cooperatives generate margins from effi-
cient operations and add value to products, these
earnings are returned to members in proportion
to their use of the cooperative. Without the co-
operative, these funds would go to other middle-
men or processors.

9
The User-Owner Principle
The people who use a cooperative own it. As they own the assets,
the members have the obligation to provide financing in accor-
dance with use to keep the cooperative in business and permit it
to grow. Accumulating adequate equity is a major challenge facing
many cooperatives. How this task is accomplished is discussed later.

The User-Control Principle

As owners, a cooperative’s members control its activities. This
control is exercised through voting at annual and other member-

10
 ship meetings, and indirectly through those
members elected to the board of directors.
Members, in most instances, have one vote
regardless of the amount of equity they own
or how much they patronize the organization.
In some instances, high-volume users may
receive one or more additional votes based on
their patronage. Equitable voting is assured,
often by limiting the number of additional
votes any one member can cast. This protects
the democratic control of the membership as
a whole.
Only members can vote to elect direc-
tors and to approve proposed major legal and
structural changes to the organization. The
member-users select leaders and have the au-
thority to make sure the cooperative provides
the services they want. This keeps the cooper-
ative focused on serving the members, rather
than earning profits for outside investors or
other objectives.

Related Practices

Certain business practices have developed

that implement and facilitate these basic
principles. They further differentiate a coop-
erative from other forms of doing business.

The Patronage Refund System

While cooperatives strive to return earnings to members, this can’t
be done on a transaction-by-transaction basis. Rather, cooperatives
usually charge market prices for supplies and services furnished to
members and competitive prices for products delivered for further
processing and marketing. Normally, this allows them to gener-
ate sufficient income to cover costs and meet continuing needs for
operating capital.

11
 After the fiscal year is over, a cooperative computes its earnings
on business conducted on a cooperative basis. Those earnings are
returned to the patrons — as cash and/or equity allocations — on
the basis of how much business each patron did with the coopera-
tive during the year. These distributions are called patronage re-
funds.
For example, if a cooperative has earnings from business con-
ducted on a cooperative basis of $20,000 for the year, and Ms.
Jones does 2 percent of the business with the cooperative, she
receives a patronage refund of $400 ($20,000 x .02).
This allows the cooperative to return margins to members on an
annual basis, consistent with standard accounting conventions and

12
 without regard to how much was earned on
each transaction.

Limited Return on Equity Capital

Members form a cooperative to get a ser-
vice—source of supplies, market for products
or performance of specialized functions—not
a monetary return on capital investment.
Many cooperatives don’t pay any dividends
on capital. Others pay a modest return, in line
with state and federal statutes that bar sub-
stantial payments.
Limiting returns on equity supports the
principle of distributing benefits proportional
to use. It also discourages outsiders from try-
ing to wrest control of a cooperative from its
members and operate it as a profit-generating
concern for the benefit of stockholders.

Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Many cooperatives, especially local associa-
tions, are too small to gather the resources
needed to provide all the services their mem-
bers want. By working with other coopera-
tives—through federated cooperatives, joint
ventures, marketing agencies in common, and informal networks—
they pool personnel and other assets to provide such services and
programs on a collaborative basis at lower cost.
This permits members of local cooperatives to participate in
owning and managing fertilizer plants, food manufacturing facili-
ties, power plants, national financial institutions, wholesale grocery
and hardware distribution programs, and so forth. Benefits flow
back through the local cooperatives to the individual members.
These principles and practices have survived and flourished
through 150 years of continuous evolution in the business world.
They remain the foundation that supports the distinctive coopera-
tive method of doing business.

13
Chapter 3

Cooperatives in the
Community
 Cooperatives are meeting people’s needs in all
sectors of American life. A study by the Universi-
ty of Wisconsin reports that 29,285 cooperatives
directly serve almost 351 million members in the
United States (many people belong to more than
one cooperative). These cooperatives have more
than 2.1 million employees and generate revenue
of nearly $653 billion.
Table 3.1 provides a breakdown of the num-

Table 3.1—U.S. Cooperatives by Sector*

Number Revenue Employees

($millions)
Commercial Sales 3,463 201,207 422,505
and Marketing
Social and Public 11,311 7,525 424,505
Services
Financial Services 9,964 394,363 1,133,353
Utilities 4,546 49,408 162,873
Total 29,284 652,903 2,143,236

*Commercial sales and marketing: farm supply and marketing; biofuels; grocery and
consumer goods retail; arts and crafts and entertainment.
Social and public services: housing; healthcare; daycare; transportation; education.
Financial services: credit unions; farm credit; mutual insurance.
Utilities: electric; telephone; water.
Source: Research on the Economic Impact of Cooperatives (June 2009, University
of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives). The tables that follow in this chapter are from
that study as well.

15
ber of cooperative businesses by sector, their revenue and number
of employees. The 11,000 Social and Public Services cooperatives
represent the biggest co-op sector in terms of number of firms.
Financial Services rank second, followed by Utilities, and Com-
mercial Sales and Marketing. Ranked by revenue and number of
employees, the Financial Services sector is largest, with $394.4 bil-
lion in revenue and 1.1 million employees.

Commercial Sales and Marketing Coooperatives

Focusing on the Commercial Sales and Marketing sector, table
3.2 shows farm supply and marketing cooperatives are the largest
group with more than 2,500 co-ops (although more recent USDA

Table 3.2—Commercial Sales and Marketing Cooperatives

Number Assets Revenue Employees Member-
($millions) ($millions) (thousands) ships
(thousands)
Farm Supply 2,547 44,394 119,074 147.80 2,484
and Marketing
Biofuels 39 2,750 4,231 1.75 20
Grocery 290 323 865 13.60 487
Arts and Crafts 305 34 32 0.83 16
Other (retail 282 13,338 51,391 102 3,075
and service
cooperatives)
Total 3,463 60,839 175,593 265.78 6,082

data shows that number has declined to 2,285, due primarily to

mergers). These co-ops employ more than 183,000 individuals.
Of these farmer co-ops, 1,222 primarily marketed farm products;
935 primarily handled farm production supplies; and 128 provided
services related to marketing or purchasing activities.
Marketing cooperatives handle, process and sell cotton, dairy
products, fruits and vegetables, grains and oilseeds, livestock and
poultry, nuts, rice, sugar and other agricultural commodities. Farm
supply cooperatives provide producers with farm chemicals, feed,
fertilizer, petroleum products, seed and other inputs. Farm service

16
cooperatives operate cotton gins, provide trucking and artificial
insemination services, and store and dry products.
In 2011, farmer cooperatives had more than 2.2 million mem-
bers (many farmers belong to more than one cooperative) and
generated a total gross business volume of $213.4 billion. Total net
earnings (adjusted for losses) were $5 billion. Combined assets of
the group totaled $78.5 billion and liabilities were $50.6 billion,
leaving member equity of $27.9 billion.
There are 290 U.S. grocery cooperatives with revenue of $865
million and 13,000 employees. Many of these grocery coopera-
tives and other independent grocery stores are served by coopera-
tive grocery wholesalers that provide them with the advantages of
group buying power and brand names, helping them better com-
pete with large grocery chains and discount stores.
The nation’s 305 arts and crafts cooperatives have annual rev-
enue of $32 million. They have 16,000 members and employ 830
people. These cooperatives are used by artists and craftspeople to
market their products and maximize sales income. They are also
used to obtain studio space and other specialized supplies or ser-
vices.
There are 282 other retail and service cooperatives, including
restaurant supply purchasing co-ops, which save money and pro-
vide quality products for franchisees of such noted fast-food chains

17
as KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Dunkin’ Donuts, Arby’s, Taco
Bell, Burger King, Popeye’s and Church’s. Besides their bottom-
line impact, purchasing cooperatives also offer another, less tangible
benefit: they help to build trust among franchisers and franchisees,
particularly on pricing issues.
Cooperatively owned hardware wholesalers supply virtually all
of the independent hardware stores in the United States. As huge
warehouse store chains spread across the nation, the independents
are relying more and more on Cotter and Company (True Value),
Ace Hardware and other cooperatives for products, promotions and
education services to remain viable businesses.
Cooperatives are leaders in other major industries including
outdoor goods and services (Recreational Equipment Inc./REI),
lodging (Best Western), carpeting (Carpet One), insurance, natural
foods, hospital and pharmacy supply, electric and building supplies,
and collegiate bookstores.

Utility Cooperatives
Another important cooperative activity in rural areas is furnishing
electric power. The nation’s 929 rural electric cooperatives provide
electricity to 12 percent of the nation’s population by serving 40

18
Table 3.3—Utility Cooperatives

Number Assets Revenue Employees Member-

($millions) ($millions) (thousands) ships
(thousands)
Rural Electric 929 111,786 34,275.00 67.29 16,652
Cooperatives
Generation 65 42,490 2,246.00 11.16 854
and Trans-
mission
Distribution 846 69,296 32,029.00 55.09 15,798
Rural Tele- 255 5,116 1,520.841 2.61 964
phones
Water Coop- 3,352 2,240 1,703.00 39.26 2,066
eratives
Cooperatives 2,228 1,401 350.00 39.05 1,753
and Mutuals
Associations 1,122 839 253 0.21 312
Total 4,546 105,034 61,086 119 19,692

million people in 47 States, including 17 million businesses, homes,

schools, churches, farms, irrigation systems and other establish-
ments. Sixty-five of these are called generation and transmission
cooperatives (G&Ts) because they generate and transmit electric-
ity to meet the power needs of other cooperatives that distribute
electricity to homes, farms and businesses. Electric cooperatives
own assets of $92 billion, own and maintain 2.4 million miles (43
percent) of America’s electric distribution lines and employ 65,000
people.
Telecommunications services to rural areas are also provided by
cooperatives. More than 1.2 million people in 31 States are served
by 255 telephone cooperatives. These cooperatives provide local
telephone exchange services, long distance telephone operations,
direct broadcast satellite, wireless, TV, mobile radios, cellular and
key systems, and Internet access.
Water cooperatives are another type of utility cooperative. There
are more than 3,300 water co-ops serving almost 2 million people.
19
 Most water cooperatives are small in terms of number of people
served.

Financial Cooperatives
There are 8,334 credit unions in the United States, serving about
92 million consumers. Of these, 5,036 are federally chartered credit
unions holding $418 billion in assets; another 3,157 credit unions
are State chartered, holding $336 billion in assets. Building on

Table 3.4—Financial Services Cooperatives

Number Assets Revenue Employees Member-

($millions) ($millions) (thousands) ships
(thousands)
Credit 8,334 760,971 40,218 236.55 91,537
Unions
Farm Credit 104 186,451 11,884 11.17 401
System
Mutual 1,497 842,340 140,038 122.17 232,969
Insurance
Cooperative 43 1,072,196 72,691 6.25 27.891
Finance
Total 6,627 2,861,958 264,831 376.14 324,935

their core services of member savings accounts and consumer loans

and home mortgages, credit unions now offer additional services to
their members, including credit cards, automated teller machines,
tax-deferred retirement accounts and certificates of deposit.
Created in 1916, the cooperative Farm Credit System is the na-
tion’s oldest and largest financial cooperative. It provides real estate
loans, operating financing, leasing, facility and equipment financ-
ing, real estate appraisals and crop insurance to nearly 500,000
farmer, small-town resident and cooperative borrowers nationwide.
Through 90 local Farm Credit associations and five Farm Credit
banks, the Farm Credit System provides more than $160 billion in
credit and related services to its members.

20
 A major element of the Farm Credit System is CoBank, ACB.
This bank has a loan volume of more than $42 billion. Loans are
made to farmer and rural utility cooperatives and water and com-
munications providers. CoBank has become an important financier
of exports of U.S. farm products as it broadens its role of making
credit available to enhance farm and rural income.
Since 1969, the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance
Corporation (CFC) has been a valuable source of financing for
rural electric and telephone cooperatives. CFC supplements fund-
ing provided by USDA’s Rural Utilities Service and provides busi-
ness services to its borrowers. Together, CFC and its affiliates – the
National Cooperative Services Corporation (NCSC) and the Rural
Telephone Finance Cooperative (RTFC) – provide financing to
1,520 member organizations and affiliates in 49 States, the District
of Columbia and two territories. CFC total gross loans and guar-
antees stand at $20.5 billion.
National Cooperative Bank (NCB) has become an important
financial institution for America’s housing, business and consumer
cooperatives. Chartered by Congress in 1978 and private since

21
 1982, NCB, with $1.6 billion in assets, has originated more than
$2.4 billion in loans to nearly 1,000 cooperatives throughout the
country. NCB has become a leader in providing development fund-
ing for new, non-agricultural cooperatives and in devising methods
of attracting outside capital to leverage its investments.

Social and Public Services Cooperatives

There are 11,311 social and public services cooperatives in the

United States, with most of these being housing cooperatives;
childcare cooperatives are the next most numerous type. It is
estimated that the 9,471 housing cooperatives represent 1 million
units of housing, with nearly 600,000 of the units in New York
City. New units are being developed in many other areas, includ-

Table 3.5—Social and Public Services

Number Assets Revenue Employees Member-
($millions) ($millions) (thousands) ships
(thousands)
Healthcare 305 1,109 3,290 73.18 961.22
Childcare 1,096 45 868.17 - -
Housing 9,471 - - - -
Transporta- 49 68 290 0.50 29.08
tion
Education 390 428 692 9.75 14.80
Total 11,311 1,650 4,358 91.60 1,005

ing senior citizen communities, manufactured housing courts,

low-income housing complexes and student housing near college
campuses.
There are 305 healthcare cooperatives with assets of $1.1 billion.
These cooperatives serve millions of Americans. Health mainte-

22
nance organizations (HMOs) serve more than 1 million people
coast to coast. In a number of major cities – including Seattle,
Minneapolis, Memphis, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Detroit
– companies have formed cooperative health alliances to purchase
health care for their employees.
Childcare cooperatives help meet the needs of families where
the parents are employed and want affordable, supportive care for
their young children while working. These centers can be organized
by parents on their own, by a single employer or by a consortium of
businesses providing a single center for the group. There are 1,096
U.S. childcare cooperatives used by more than 50,000 families.
Finally, there are 49 transportation and 390 education coopera-
tives providing services to Americans across the nation.

23
Chapter 4

Benefits of Cooperation
People buy stock in a non-cooperative business
to make money on their investment. The more of
the company you own, the more benefits (stock
appreciation and dividends) you will realize if the
business succeeds.
The benefits of being a cooperative member
differ in two ways. First, the advantages are more
numerous. Second, they are distributed on the
basis of how much use you make of the coopera-
tive, rather than your equity stake. Here are some
benefits of cooperative membership and how
they relate to use.

1. Access to quality supplies and services at reasonable

cost.
By banding together and purchasing business
supplies and services as a group, individuals offset
the market power advantage of firms provid-
ing those supplies. You can gain access to vol-
ume discounts and negotiate from a position of
greater strength for better delivery terms, credit
terms, and other arrangements. Suppliers will be
more willing to discuss customizing products and
services to meet your specifications if the pur-
chasing group provides them sufficient volume to
justify the extra time and expense.
The larger the group purchasing supplies and
services through the cooperative, the greater the
potential for savings. And the more each indi-

25
vidual member uses the supply operation, the more he or she may
save over doing business elsewhere.
Another option for cooperative members is to manufacture their
own supplies and hire experts directly to provide essential ser-
vices. This gives members even more reliable sources of supply and
greater control over the types of products available, the cost, and
the quality of the services received.

2. Increased clout in the marketplace.

Marketing on a cooperative basis, like purchasing supplies and
services, permits members to combine their strength while main-
taining their status as independent business people. They can lower

26
distribution costs, conduct joint product promotion, and develop
the ability to deliver their products in the amounts and types that
will attract better offers from purchasers.
A special Federal law, the Capper-Volstead Act, provides a lim-
ited exemption from antitrust liability for marketing agricultural
products on a cooperative basis. Under this law, farmers can agree
on the prices they will accept for their products and other terms of
sale.
Through cooperative marketing, members can share information
and negotiate with buyers from a position of greater strength and
security. They can also develop processing facilities by themselves or
as part of a joint venture with other cooperative or non-cooperative
firms.
A cooperative can also serve as a
vehicle for people selling goods and
services to work with their customers
to promote industry research, reduce
regulatory burdens, and develop mar-
kets for their products. The cooperative
can help create a “win-win” situation
for the entire industry, a business en-
vironment where both producers and
buyers have more income.

3. Share in the earnings.

Some people talk about noncoopera-
tive firms operating “for profit” while
cooperatives operate “at cost.” This isn’t
totally accurate. Most cooperatives
generate earnings. They differ from
non-cooperative firms in how they al-
locate and distribute their earnings.
A non-cooperative firm retains its
earnings for its own account, or per-
haps pays part of them out to share-
holders as dividends, based on the
amount of stock each investor owns.

27
 Co-op leaders file up the steps of the Eisenhower Executive
Office Building to meet with White House officials.
Photo courtesy National Cooperative Business Association

In a cooperative, earnings are usually allocated

among the members on the basis of the amount
of business each did with the cooperative during
the year. Remember the example of a cooperative
that has net earnings of $20,000 during the year
and conducts 2 percent of its business with Ms.
Jones. She is allocated $400 of those earnings
($20,000 x .02).
Typically, Ms. Jones would receive her alloca-
tion, called a patronage refund, partly in cash and
the remainder as an addition to her equity ac-
count in the cooperative. Permitting their coop-
erative to accumulate retained patronage refunds
is a relatively easy and painless way for members
to help finance activities and growth. Also, if
certain rules in the Internal Revenue Code are
followed, the cooperative may deduct both the
cash payouts and the retained patronage refunds
from its taxable income. This makes cooperative
earnings particularly valuable.

4. Political action.
Growers, small business owners, and other rural
residents have to realize that no one gives you a favorable law or
regulatory ruling just because you think you deserve it. You have to
build your case and argue your point convincingly.
A cooperative gives people a means to organize for effective
political action. They can meet to develop priorities and strategies.
They can send representatives to meet with legislators and regula-
tors. These persons will have more influence because they will be
speaking for many, not just for themselves.
They can also form coalitions with other groups having similar
views on issues. The larger the voice calling for a specific action, the
more likely that the system will respond with the policy you desire.

28
5. Local economy enhanced and protected.
Having its businesses owned and controlled on a cooperative
basis helps your entire community. Cooperatives generate jobs and
salaries for local residents. They pay taxes that help finance schools,
hospitals, and other community services.
When a business is a cooperative, your town is less likely to lose
those jobs and taxes. A business owned by one person, or a subsid-
iary of a big company, can easily be moved to another community.
When many local people share the ownership of a cooperative, no
individual or company can take it from your area or simply close it.
Only the membership as a whole can make such decisions.

29
Chapter 5

Business Organizations
In the United States, historically there are three
basic categories of private business firms—indi-
vidually owned, partnerships and corporations.
Cooperatives are a type of corporation. Recently,
most States have approved a new business struc-
ture, the limited liability company. This section
explains the similarities and differences between
cooperatives and the other business forms.

Individually Owned Businesses

The individually owned business is the oldest and

most common form. One person owns, controls
and conducts the business. Characteristics of
individually owned businesses include:

• Control. The owner is responsible for man-

agement, makes all the major operational
decisions and sets the business policies.
• Capital. The owner supplies the equity and
is responsible for all debts.
• Earnings. Profits belong to the owner.
• Taxes. Profits are taxed once, as income of
the owner.
• Life. The life of the individually owned
business is tied to the one owner. It con-
tinues until the owner sells the business,
retires or dies. At that point the business is
either taken over by a new owner or dis-
continued.
31
 Dairy farmer-owned cooperatives produce a wide variety
of value-added foods, including cheese.

Many farms are operated as individually

owned businesses. Other examples of business
commonly operated by an individual owner
include service stations, hardware stores, res-
taurants, flower shops and dry cleaners.

Partnerships

Partnerships consist of two or more people

who jointly own, control and operate a busi-
ness. The responsibilities of each are usually
based on a partnership agreement. Character-
istics of partnerships include:

• Control. Partners usually share manage-

ment and make policy decisions by mu-
tual agreement or majority vote. Some
agreements provide for senior partners
whose votes may carry greater degrees
of weight.
• Capital. Partners provide the equity capital. Usually, each
partner is personally liable, up to the value of all the property
he or she owns (both within and outside the partnership),
for the debts of the partnership. Some partnerships have
“limited” partners, who relinquish any voice in managing the
business in exchange for a limit on their personal liability.
• Earnings. Profits (or losses) are shared by the partners in ac-
cordance with the terms of the partnership agreement. This
is usually determined by the amount of capital invested and
the nature of the work performed by each partner.
• Taxes. Earnings are taxed once, as income of the partners.
• Life. The life of the partnership as a business is determined
by the partners, but if one dies or leaves the organization, it
often must be dissolved and a new partnership formed.

32
 Some farms are owned and operated on a partnership basis.
Other examples include law and accounting firms, insurance and
real estate companies. Partnerships may operate an auto repair firm,
store and any other business.

General Business Corporations

Most businesses that have more than a small number of owners are
organized as corporations. Corporations are legal entities, autho-
rized by law to act much like an individual person. A corporation
has the right to provide services, own property, borrow money,
enter into contracts and is liable for its own debts.
A general business corporation operates as a profit-making
enterprise for its investors, who are also referred to as stockholders.

33
 Photo courtesy CoBank

Most of the major corporations in America

operate as general business corporations. Their
characteristics include:

• Control. Management is controlled by a

board of directors and officers who are
elected by the stockholders. Each stock-
holder usually has as many votes as the
number of shares of voting stock he/
she owns. Business decisions and policy
are made by the board and officers. The
directors have no obligation to use the
firm’s products or services and may have
no contact with the firm outside of
board meetings.
• Capital. Equity is raised by selling shares
of stock to investors for their profit-
making potential. The corporation is
responsible for its own debts. If the
business fails, each owner of stock can
lose only the amount invested.
• Earnings. Profits are distributed to stock-
holders as dividends according to the
number of shares of stock owned or
used to expand the business. The timing and amount of such
dividend distributions are decided by the board of directors.
• Taxes. Earnings are taxed twice, as income of the corporation
when earned and as income of the stockholders when dis-
tributed as dividends.
• Life. A corporation enjoys a continuing existence, regardless
of changes that may occur in the ranks of its shareholder
owners.

Examples of investor-oriented corporations are large depart-

ment stores, chain grocery stores, regional banks, automobile
manufacturers and much of the communications industry.

34
Limited Liability Company

A new form of business gaining widespread attention is the limited

liability company (LLC). It combines the single-tax treatment of a
partnership and the limited personal liability of owners of a corpo-
ration. Characteristics of an LLC include:

• Control. The owners, called members as in a cooperative, may

share management and make policy decisions by mutual
agreement or majority vote, or turn the management over to
nonmembers. The operating agreement among the members
determines voting rights of each member.

35
 • Capital. Members usually provide the equity capital. Liability
of the members is usually limited to their investment in the
corporation.
• Earnings. Profits (or losses) are shared by the members in
accordance with the terms of the operating agreement. This
is usually based on the amount of capital invested and the
nature of the work performed by each member.
• Taxes. The Treasury Department assumes an LLC wants to
be taxed as a partnership. However, an LLC has the option
to elect to be taxed as a general business corporation.
• Life. An LLC may have a perpetual existence, or the mem-
bers may chose to be governed by the partnership rules.

The LLC is still developing as a business structure. It is already

proving a useful vehicle for organizing joint ventures among es-
tablished corporations, including those involving cooperative and
noncooperative firms. Whether it can be used to organize a num-
ber of individuals, who may want the flexibility to join and leave
the venture at will, is undetermined at this time.

Cooperative

A cooperative corporation is also a state-chartered business. or-

ganized and operating under its laws. Attributes of cooperative
corporations include:

• Control. Management is controlled by a board of directors

who are elected by the members. One unique feature of a
cooperative is that each member usually has only one vote in
selecting directors, regardless of the amount of equity that
member has in the cooperative. Another is that all or most of
the directors must be members of the cooperative. Thus, the
leaders are regular users of the firm’s products or services.
• Capital. Equity comes from the members, rather than out-
side investors. It is obtained by direct contributions through
membership fees or sale of stock, by agreement with mem-
bers to withhold a portion of net income based on patronage,

36
 or through retention of a portion of sales proceeds for each
unit of product marketed. If a cooperative fails, the liability
of each member is limited to the amount he/she has in-
vested.
• Earnings. Earnings (or losses) on business conducted on a
cooperative basis, often called margins, are allocated to the
members on the basis of the use they made of the coopera-
tive during the year, not on the basis of equity held. The al-
locations may be distributed in cash or retained as additional
equity. Members usually receive a combination of cash and
an allocation of equity.
• Taxes. Earnings from business with members are taxed once,
either as income of the corporation when earned or as in-
come of the members when allocated to them.
• Life. A cooperative usually has a perpetual existence. Mem-
bers can routinely join or resign without disrupting ongoing
operations.

Examples of businesses that operate as cooperatives include

agricultural marketing, purchasing and service organizations; credit
unions; health care providers and multi-unit housing facilities.

37
Chapter 6

Classifying Cooperatives
by Structure
Cooperatives are described by a number of clas-
sification schemes. The more important ways to
categorize them are based on the geographical
territory served, the governance system and the
functions they perform.

Geographic Territory Served

One factor determining cooperative structure

is the size of the area served. Cooperatives are
loosely categorized as “local” or “regional.”

Local cooperatives typically operate within a

single State, often within one or two counties.
They usually have only one or two facilities from
which to serve members.

Regional cooperatives usually serve an entire State

or a number of States. They can have operations
that are nationwide or cover major portions of
the United States. Some regional cooperatives
also have international operations with sales and
members in more than one country.

Governance System

Cooperatives can also be classified based on

membership structure, as “centralized,” “feder-
ated” or “mixed.”

39
Centralized cooperatives have individuals
and business entities (including partner-
ships and family corporations) as mem-
bers. Virtually all locals are centralized.
Regional cooperatives may also be central-
ized.
A centralized cooperative has one cen-
tral office, one board of directors elected by its
members, and a manager (or chief executive of-
ficer) who supervises all operations. Business may
be conducted through numerous branch stores or
offices staffed by employees responsible to the central
management team.

Federated cooperatives have other cooperatives as their

members. Each member of a federated is a separate coop-
erative that owns a membership share entitling it to voting
rights in the affairs of the federated. Local cooperatives com-
monly form federated regional cooperatives to perform ac-
tivities too complex and expensive for them to do individually,
such as manufacturing production supplies, tapping major financial
markets and marketing on a national or international scale.
Each local cooperative member of a federated cooperative typi-
cally has its own board of directors, manager, employees and facili-
ties to serve its members. The federated has its own hired manage-
ment and staff and a board of directors elected by and representing
its member cooperatives.

Mixed cooperatives have both individuals and other cooperatives as

members. Individuals have voting rights and the cooperatives usu-
ally do also.

Functions Performed

Cooperatives may perform one or more of three core functions:

marketing products, purchasing supplies and providing services.

40
Many marketing cooperative brand names are familair
sights on grocery market shelves

Marketing cooperatives help members maximize

the return they receive for crops and goods they pro-
duce. Most cooperative marketing activity involves either agricul-
tural products or producers in related industries, such as forestry,
aquaculture and horticulture. New marketing ventures are develop-
ing in such diverse industries as handicrafts, professional services
and information technology.
Some marketing cooperatives limit their activity to negotiating
prices and terms of sale with buyers. Dairy farmers and producers
of fruits, nuts and vegetables grown for processing are primary us-
ers of these cooperatives, often called bargaining associations.
Other marketing associations assemble member production

41
into large quantities for sale to further processors, wholesalers or
retailers. This first-handler role is common for cooperatives of grain
growers and producers of fruits and vegetables for the fresh pro-
duce market.
Other such associations add further value to member production
by processing or manufacturing member products into other more
valuable products. These may serve as ingredients in further-pro-
cessed products or be sold to institutional buyers and restaurants
for their direct use, to grocery chains for resale as private-label
products, or to companies for resale under their private brand. Co-
operatives that process dairy products, fruits, vegetables, grains, fish
and lumber exemplify these value-added processing activities.
Some co-ops put member products right on the grocery store
shelf under their own brand name. Land O’Lakes dairy foods,
Sunkist citrus, Ocean Spray cranberries and beverages, Blue Dia-
mond almonds and Welch’s grape jelly and juices are examples of
cooperatives with established brands.
Marketing cooperatives enable members to extend control of
their products – and realize additional margins – through process-
ing, distribution and sale.

Purchasing cooperatives were first used by farmers to gain access to

affordable, quality production supplies such as feed, fuel, fertilizer
and seed. These early efforts often became businesses having full-
time managers and warehouses to handle other production sup-
plies and services such as farm chemicals, animal health products,
fencing, building supplies, construction contracting, automotive
accessories, etc.
Many local purchasing cooperatives have affiliated with other
such organizations, often through regional federated cooperatives.
These efforts reduce member costs and strengthen their purchasing
power through direct ownership of large-scale facilities, such as pe-
troleum refineries and feed mills. Today, many non-farm businesses
have developed supply purchasing cooperatives to gain access to the
same volume discounts and quality-control assurances long avail-
able to farmers. These include hardware stores, independent grocery
stores and fast-food restaurant franchisees. Many have developed

42
private labels, such as Shurfine Foods, or recognized brand names
such as Ace Hardware, True Value and Servistar.

Service cooperatives were also developed to serve farmers. Some of

these services are farm-specific, such as recommending and ap-
plying fertilizer, lime, or pesticides; cotton ginning; animal feed
processing; and crop harvesting. Others are general in nature, such
as credit through the Farm Credit System, electricity through rural
electric cooperatives and communications service through rural
telephone cooperatives.
Non-agricultural service cooperatives are also flourishing. Credit
unions and the National Cooperative Bank provide credit on a
cooperative basis to non-farm individuals and cooperatives. School
systems, health care providers and insurance buyers are among the
general public segments making use of service cooperatives.

43
Chapter 7

People
Because a cooperative is owned and controlled by
the people who use its services, the various per-
sons affiliated with a cooperative must work even
more closely together than in a noncooperative
firm. Customer service and satisfaction are the
driving forces behind a cooperative, not maximiz-
ing bottom-line return to investors. These take on
a highly personal tone when the owners and di-
rectors, in their role as users, have regular contact
with management and staff.
Cooperatives depend on a coordinated team
consisting of four elements — members-owners,
board of directors, the manager and other re-
sponsible employees. Each part of the team has
its own distinctive duties. Success is based on
intelligent and active cooperation and each group
carrying its load.

Members

Members are the foundation of the cooperative.

They organized it. Their needs are the reason for
its existence. Their support, through patronage
and capital investment, keeps it economically
healthy. And their changing requirements shape
the cooperative’s future.
Statutory law and the basic legal documents of
a cooperative — articles of incorporation, bylaws,
and contracts between the cooperative and its
members — give the members the tools to con-
45
trol the cooperative and the duty to use those tools for their mutual
benefit. Legal rights and responsibilities of cooperative members
normally include:

• To adopt and amend the articles of incorporation and by-

laws.
• To elect and, if necessary, remove directors.
• To decide whether to dissolve, merge or consolidate the
cooperative or form a joint venture with other cooperative or
noncooperative firms.
• To make sure officers, directors and other agents comply
with laws applicable to the cooperative and with its articles
of incorporation, bylaws and membership contracts.

Members also have general responsibilities toward their cooper-

ative. Unlike the passive investor in a general business corporation,
the member-owner-user of a cooperative must patronize and guide
the venture for it to succeed. Employees and advisers need to un-
derstand these member obligations and help members fulfill them.
46
 1. Patronize the cooperative. Mem-
bers must make a conscious deci-
sion to be committed to the co-
operative, even when short-term
prices or services may be better
elsewhere. If members don’t want
to use the cooperative, the need
for it must be reexamined.
2. Be informed about the cooperative.
To carry out their other duties,
members must know what the
cooperative is about; what it can
do for them; its purpose, objec-
tives, policies; and the issues it
faces. They can obtain informa-
tion through annual meetings,
reports and newsletters, and from
talking to the manager, staff,
directors and other members. To
effectively exercise their right of ownership, a member needs a good
understanding of the present situation and projected future opera-
tions.
3. Be conscientious when selecting and evaluating directors. Although
the cooperative is a user-owner, democratically controlled form of
business, members can’t make all the decisions directly. They select
from among their peers individuals with the best judgment and
business management skills to represent them in management af-
fairs as the cooperative’s board of directors. Loyalty, integrity, the
ability to make wise business decisions and willingness to serve are
necessary characteristics for board members.
4. Provide necessary capital. Members must provide the equity fi-
nancing their cooperative needs for acquiring inventory, facilities,
services and working capital. This is done initially through the
purchase of stock or a membership. It continues by permitting the
cooperative to retain a portion of the earnings allocated to each
member and through the collection of per-unit retains from checks
to members for the proceeds of sale from marketing member prod-
ucts.
47
 If the cooperative loses money, members have the same obliga-
tion to share those losses as they do the earnings.
5. Evaluate performance of the cooperative. Members should examine
the annual report and observe whether the cooperative is meeting
their needs. If they are dissatisfied with cooperative performance,
they should share their concerns with the directors. They should
also express support for things the cooperative is doing well. Direc-
tors can’t effectively represent the members if they don’t know the
members’ true feelings.

Directors

Directors in a cooperative occupy a key position between members

and hired management. They are both users of its services and rep-
resentatives of other members who depend on those same services.
Acting as a group, directors set the objectives for the cooperative
and make decisions that set the course the cooperative will follow
in achieving those objectives. These broad managerial decisions
include:

• Hire a competent manager, determine the salary, outline the

duties and authority of the position and formally review his/
her performance at least annually.
• Adopt broad, general policies to guide the manager. Topics
covered might include credit limits to patrons, expenditures
that need prior board approval and general personnel regula-
tions.
• Develop and adopt long-range business strategies.
• Require written monthly financial reports and operating
statements for board meetings to be informed of adverse as
well as favorable operations.
• Direct the manager to prepare, before the close of each year,
an operating budget for the next fiscal year for board ap-
proval. This budget should estimate the volume of sales and
gross income of various items to be handled, the expenses
by account classifications and the net income expected. This
constitutes necessary forward planning by the board and

48
 management. The budget should be reviewed at intervals
throughout the year to determine the trends of the business.
• Employ a qualified auditor to make an independent audit at
least once each year to determine the accuracy of the finan-
cial records. An audit is the primary method the board uses
to verify the financial condition of the cooperative. Many
successful cooperatives also use the audit report to evaluate
the effectiveness of the policies and budget, performance of
the manager and gain insight into the effect of past decisions
and the need for new ones.
• With the aid of the manager, plan and conduct the annual
meeting to keep the membership informed about the status
of their business, including operations, finances and policies.
• Determine the patronage refund allocation and per-unit
retain level. Factors to consider include legal requirements,
member needs and desires for cash refunds, the desirability
of retiring old equities, and current and future capital needs.
• Assure competent legal counsel is available.
• Keep a complete record of the board’s actions.

49
 • A cooperative director should not expect to receive special
favors from the manager or employees, and a director does
not:
* Act independently on matters that should be decided by
the entire board. Individual directors have no authority
outside of board meetings.
* Represent special interests, factions or political entities.
Directors are elected to oversee the business activities of
the cooperative, not serve as an agent of these groups.

In carrying out their responsibilities, directors serve much like

trustees, charged with a legal obligation to protect the assets of the
members. Directors who act outside the parameters of the law or
don’t exercise due care in their
decisionmaking can be person-
ally liable for the harm they
cause the members, the coop-
erative or third parties.

Officers
The board usually elects the
cooperative’s officers shortly
after the annual membership
meeting. Each officer has spe-
cific duties as detailed in the
cooperative’s bylaws.

• The president presides at

all meetings and watches
over the association’s af-
fairs, serving as the main
communication link
between hired manage-
ment and the other
directors and members.
• The vice president, in
the absence or disability

50
 of the president, performs the duties of the president.
• The secretary keeps a complete record of all meetings of the
board of directors and general membership and also is the
official custodian of the cooperative’s seal, bylaws, and mem-
bership records.
• The treasurer oversees the bookkeeping and accounts to en-
sure accuracy and proper handling and also is responsible for
presenting periodic financial reports.
•
Board Committees
The board’s work may be divided among special or permanent
committees, each dealing with a phase of the association’s opera-
tions, such as finance, purchasing, merchandising, and others.

51
 Each committee
studies the problems
in its particular field
and makes recom-
mendations to the
board of directors.
In some instances,
committees may be
given certain powers
to act for the board,
subject to review by
the entire board.
Large associa-
tions may select an
executive committee
to perform general
management and
oversight duties as
authorized by the
board.

Managers

Success of a cooper-
ative largely depends
on good board/
manager relationships. The working relationship between board
and general manager requires respect and an understanding of each
other’s responsibilities.
The board of directors decides what the cooperative will do; the
general manager and immediate staff decide how it can best be
done—subject to board review—so as to achieve the basic objective
of serving members effectively.
The manager is selected by the board and accountable to it for
his/her actions. The manager should therefore not be a part of the
board. The manager should, however, attend all board meetings and
be an active, nonvoting participant.

52
 The manager controls the ongoing activity of the cooperative.
Responsibilities of the general manager include:

• Supervise and coordinate, under board direction, the busi-

ness activities of the co-op by managing the people, capital,
and physical resources.
• Hire, train, supervise, and set compensation for employees.
The manager also needs to review their performance and
train, reassign, or replace those employees not meeting ac-
ceptable performance levels.
• Oversee the detailed operations of the cooperative, within
policies established by the board of directors, such as pur-
chasing inventory and selling commodities, maintaining the
general appearance of the co-op, and making sure employees
respond to member needs.
• Maintain, and revise as necessary, an adequate bookkeeping
and accounting system; develop for board approval a finan-
cial budget annually; prepare proper financial reports regu-
larly for board review; and present a report of the coopera-
tive’s operational highlights to the membership at the annual
meeting.
• Furnish information needed for long-range planning. This
will bring matters, such as fixed asset additions or revisions,
to the board’s attention for review.
• Represent the cooperative and portray a positive image to
members and others in the community.
• Encourage membership and active patronage.
• Communicate developments at the cooperative to members.
• Keep current on local, State, and Federal legislative and
regulatory developments affecting cooperatives.

Employees

In many ways, working for a cooperative is similar to doing the

same job at a noncooperative firm. But special features of a cooper-
ative—the role of the member-owner as user and the emphasis on
service over bottom-line numbers—place unique obligations on the
employees.
53
1. Understand the purpose and objectives of the cooperative. Employees
need to know how cooperatives are different from other methods
of doing business. By understanding cooperative purposes, objec-
tives, operations and their role as employees, they can help improve
member relations, the cooperative’s image and the general public’s
understanding of cooperatives.
2. Fully perform duties. In many cooperatives, like other business
firms, the largest operating expense is for personnel. While the

54
 Photo courtesy Burnett Dairy Cooperative

cooperative has responsibility for recruit-

ing and providing training, the employee is
responsible for using these opportunities to
provide the best possible service to mem-
bers.
3. Understand the relationship to member-owners.
All employees have a responsibility to main-
tain a high level of customer satisfaction
and good relations between the cooperative
organization and its member-users. Imme-
diate feedback from members should be en-
couraged to keep the manager informed of
problems, needs and customer satisfaction.
The employee role is particularly impor-
tant in larger cooperatives. The only cooper-
ative employees that members may encoun-
ter regularly, from annual meeting to annual
meeting, may be the individual pumping the
gas, the cashier, the person answering the
telephone, the truck driver picking up their
milk or delivering a product. To the average
member, they are the voice of the coopera-
tive.
4. Favorably represent the cooperative. Employ-
ees help build the cooperative’s image as
they serve members and the community—
both on and off the cooperative’s premises.
Employees should keep the premises clean and attractive; make
sure equipment and service tools are operating; serve members
pleasantly, promptly, and in the order promised and take an extra
step to give members satisfactory service.
Employees, like their manager, can be community boosters by
taking part in religious, school or community affairs. Their efforts
can positively affect the cooperative image held by members, the
general public and other businesses.

55
Chapter 8

Source of Equity
One of the greatest challenges facing cooperatives
is raising equity capital. Because cooperatives pass
earnings through to users on a patronage basis,
they cannot attract equity from outside sources to
the same extent as investor-owned businesses.
Cooperatives are not alone. Sole proprietor-
ships, partnerships and closely held corporations
face similar problems acquiring equity. Their
equity capital usually is provided by the owners or
acquired via retained earnings.
Only a single tax is placed on their income, to
help overcome the capital accumulation problem.
Earnings of investor-owned corporations are sub-
ject to taxation twice, once at the corporate level
when earned and again at the ownership level if
and when distributed as dividends. Owner(s) of
a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liabil-
ity company or cooperative can generally reduce
tax liability at the firm level if they meet specific
Internal Revenue Code (Code) requirements. A
greater portion of income is therefore available
for reinvestment in the business.
The three primary ways members provide
equity to their cooperative are direct investment,
retained margins, and per-unit capital retains.
Cooperatives may also acquire equity by retaining
earnings on nonmember, nonpatronage business.
This section explains the nature of each source of
equity.

57
Direct Investment

Direct investment refers to cash purchases of membership certifi-

cates, common and preferred stock or other forms of equity.
Most cooperatives require a member to make a direct payment
when joining the cooperative. In return, the member receives a
membership certificate in a nonstock cooperative or a share of
common stock in a stock cooperative. The certificate or share of
stock usually conveys to the owner the right to vote on matters
submitted for decision to the cooperative membership and the
owner is generally referred to as a member of the cooperative.
Direct investment by members is often a minor source of equity
to a cooperative. Most cooperatives are trying to retain current
members and attract more members and member business. And
members generally prefer the cooperative to generate its own eq-
uity, rather than solicit checks from them. Thus the cost of a mem-
bership certificate or share of common stock is usually modest.
Equity that evidences membership usually does not pay a dividend,
if for no other reason than the administrative expense of issuing a
large number of small checks.
Traditionally, direct investment can be a major source of equity
in two instances. Direct investment is often the primary means for
a new cooperative to acquire equity capital. Once the cooperative is
functioning, it then can accumulate additional equity from operat-
ing funds in the form of retained earnings or per-unit retains.
Some cooperatives also acquire equity by selling nonvoting stock
or equity certificates to members and nonmembers. This nonvoting
equity usually pays a limited dividend as an inducement for persons
to invest in the cooperative.

Transferable Delivery Rights

A resurgence in cooperative value-added processing of commodi-
ties is being fueled by a system of direct investment, called trans-
ferable delivery rights. Members who wish to share in the benefits
from the value-added processing are required to provide necessary
up-front capital by purchasing long-term delivery rights in the
cooperative. These delivery rights entitle and obligate the member
to deliver to the cooperative all of the production from specified
58
acreage or specific quantities of product (so many tons or bushels).
The purchase of delivery rights assures members of a long-term
“home” for their production and provides an opportunity to share
in the benefits of value-added processing based on their patronage.
Membership is generally limited to producers who purchase
delivery rights and the cooperative only sells enough delivery rights
to secure the quantity of product it can process efficiently and
resell at a profit. The delivery rights are typically represented by
non-dividend bearing, non-voting preferred stock. The preferred
stock (and thus the right to deliver product to the cooperative) are
transferable by the member to other producers, subject to approval
by the cooperative’s board of directors. If the cooperative is suc-
cessful, the only way other producers can participate is to purchase
delivery rights from current members. Thus, members may enjoy an
additional benefit, a gain on the sale of their preferred stock tied to
their delivery rights.
Generally, the tax treatment of direct investments in a coopera-
tive follows the same rules as a direct investment in an investor-
owned corporation. The payment to the cooperative is a nontaxable
event. While the value of cooperative equity is usually constant, any
gain or loss realized by the equity holder is generally a capital gain
or loss.
Cooperative earnings used to pay dividends on equity are usually
subject to taxation at both the cooperative and the recipient levels.
An exception is dividends paid by farmer cooperatives that qualify
for so-called “exempt” status under Code section 521. These coop-
eratives are allowed to deduct dividends paid on stock, so they are
only taxed once, at the recipient level.

Retained Margins

While cooperatives are sometimes described as businesses that

operate “at cost,” few if any can do so on a day-to-day basis. Rather,
cooperatives seek to generate income that exceeds expenses on an
ongoing basis. Then, usually after the close of the fiscal year, they
return earnings from business conducted on a cooperative basis to
the persons responsible for the business generating those earnings,
who are called patrons.
59
 These returns, based on the amount of business each patron
does with the cooperative during the year, are called “patronage
dividends” in the Code. This report refers to them as “patronage
refunds,” the term used in cooperative literature. This reduces the
likelihood such refunds will be confused with traditional dividends,
which are based on stock ownership rather than the amount of
business conducted with the firm.
The board usually determines how the earnings will be distrib-
uted. All of the earnings may be returned to the patrons as cash
patronage refunds. Or the directors may decide to have the co-
operative retain some or all of the patronage refunds as an equity
investment in the cooperative. Single tax treatment is available only
for patronage-sourced earnings that are returned to the patrons as
cash or “other property,” or retained under procedures set out in the
Code.
Qualifying for the single tax treatment provided in the Code is
discretionary, not mandatory. Earnings not allocated to patrons are
treated just as profits of an investor-owned firm. They are taxable
income to the cooperative when earned and taxed a second time to
the recipients when distributed by the cooperative.

Per-Unit Capital Retains

Cooperatives that market products produced by their members

have a third means of acquiring equity capital, per-unit capital
retains. These are capital investments based on either the number
of physical units handled by the cooperative or on a percentage of
sales revenue. Per-unit retains are deducted from sales proceeds due
the members from the cooperative.
As with patronage refunds, per-unit capital retains returned to
patrons as cash or retained by the cooperative, under rules in the
Code, are only subjected to a single income tax.
And again, single tax treatment is discretionary. A cooperative
may place some or all of these retains into an unallocated reserve,
thereby forfeiting access to single tax treatment.
People sometimes blur the distinction between patronage re-
funds and per-unit capital retains. Patronage refunds are based on

60
the earnings of the cooperative; per-unit retains on the volume or
value of business done with the cooperative. Thus, a cooperative can
acquire capital, even in a year of limited margins or a loss, through
the use of per-unit capital retains.

Nonmember/Nonpatronage Earnings

Non-tax laws, such as the Capper-Volstead Act and State coopera-

tive incorporation statutes, frequently require affected cooperatives
to do a majority of their business with members. This still leaves
those associations free to do up to 49 percent of their business with
nonmembers on a noncooperative basis.
Earnings on this business are usually not eligible for single tax
treatment. But the after-tax earnings can be used to build the equi-
ty base of the cooperative to improve its balance sheet and finance
services it provides to members. Again, an exception is made for
section 521 cooperatives, which may deduct nonpatronage income
distributed to patrons on a patronage basis.

61
Chapter 9

Financial and Tax

Planning
As the following flow chart illustrates, coop-
eratives have flexibility in designing an equity
accumulation program to meet their individual
needs. An understanding of the alternatives and
their tax treatment is especially important when
allocating patronage-based sources of equity,
retained margins, and per-unit retains.
Direct investments usually are made to pur-
chase membership equity, the membership cer-
tificate or a share of common voting stock.
Nonpatronage income is likewise usually
placed into a single type of account, an unallo-
cated reserve.
Patronage-based sources of equity can be used
for at least four purposes: cash refunds, quali-
fied retained patronage allocations, nonqualified
retained patronage allocations and unallocated
reserves.

Cash Refunds

Cooperatives can distribute their margins and

per-unit capital retains as cash refunds to the
patrons. Cash distributions are generally tax
deductible by the cooperative in the year earned
and taxable income to the recipient in the year of
receipt. Cash refunds do not add to the equity of
the cooperative, but provide an immediate ad-
ditional return to the patron on his or her use of
the cooperative.
63
Qualified Retains

Cooperatives can retain margins and per-unit capital retains and

allocate the retained funds to equity accounts of the patrons, based
on the amount of business each patron did with the cooperative
during the year. If the cooperative follows the rules in the Code to
“qualify” the equity, the cooperative deducts the amount of the allo-
cations from its taxable income in the year the margins and retains
were realized.

Table 9.1—Tax Treatment of Cooperative and Patron Qualified Retained Equity

Cooperative Patron
Expenses Income
Crop $600 Crop $600
Other $300
Total $900
Income $1000
Margin $100 Refund $100
Taxable Income 0 Taxable Income $700

Patrons include the amount allocated in their taxable income

in the year they receive a required written notice of the allocation.
The retained funds become an equity investment by the patron in
the cooperative. An example illustrates how this works for a typical
agricultural marketing cooperative.
The cooperative pays the producer $600 for his/her crop at the
time of delivery. It costs the cooperative $300 to market the crop.
The cooperative sells the crop for $1,000.
The resulting margin of $100 is returned to the patron as a
patronage refund. Thus the patron receives a total payment of $700
for the crop, a $600 advance at the time of delivery and a $100
patronage refund.
When the cooperative figures its taxable income, it is allowed to
deduct the initial payment for the crop ($600), its other expenses of
64
 Sources and Types of Equity

Non-
Direct Per-Unit
Sources Investment
Margins
Retains
Patronage
of Equity Income

Cash
Refund

Types Stock or
Membership
of Equity Certificate

Qualified Qualified
Investment Investment

Non- Non-
Qualified Qualified
Investment Investment

Unallocated Unallocated Unallocated

Reserve Reserve Reserve

marketing the crop ($300), and the patronage refund ($100). Thus,
it ends up with no taxable income. The patron includes both the
initial payment ($600) and the patronage refund ($100) in taxable
income, for a total of $700.
The Code requires at least 20 percent of a qualified patronage
refund be paid in cash. But the cooperative can still retain up to
80 percent of its margins without having to pay a tax (at the co-op
level) on any of the patronage refund. There is no 20-percent cash
distribution requirement for qualified per-unit retains, so a coop-
erative can keep the entire amount free of tax liability at the co-op
level.
65
 Table 9.2—Tax Treatment of Cooperative and Patron
Nonqualified Retained Equity

Cooperative Patron
Expenses Income
Crop $600 Crop $600
Other $300
Total $900
Income $1000
Margin $100 Refund $100
Taxable Income $100 Taxable Income $600

The patron must report the entire $100 refund as taxable in-
come, even though $20 or less may have been paid in cash.
The redemption of qualified equity is a tax-free event for both
the cooperative and the patron, since the tax was paid by the mem-
ber when the patronage refund was received.
The tax treatment of qualified retained equity is similar to the
pass-through procedures that provide single tax treatment for part-
nerships and other single-tax corporations. But, cooperatives have
additional flexibility not generally available to other passthrough
entities.

Nonqualified Retains

Cooperatives may delay the pass-through of the tax obligation

from the cooperative to the patron without jeopardizing single tax
treatment of those moneys.
Any patronage-based allocation not meeting the requirements
of the Code to be “qualified,” has “nonqualified” status. When a
nonqualified allocation is made, the cooperative pays corporate in-
come taxes on the funds retained. The patron has no tax obligation
on these funds in the year of allocation.
When nonqualified retained equity is redeemed, the cooperative

66
receives a tax benefit based on the tax paid at the time of allocation.
The patron is taxed on the funds received.
If the cooperative in the earlier example issues its patronage
refunds as nonqualified written notices of allocation, it would have
taxable income of $100, the amount of the margin. The patron’s
taxable income would have been $600, the payment for the crop.
At some later time, when the nonqualified notice is redeemed,
the cooperative would deduct the $100 (or receive a credit under
certain circumstances). The patron would report it as income in the
year the cash payment was received.
Thus the single tax treatment of cooperatives doing business
with or for members is complete and consistent with that accorded
other single-tax entities. Income is ultimately taxed once, at the
level of the owner-user of the business.
Nonqualified allocations have particular appeal to cooperatives
with member-patrons in high marginal tax brackets. If the coop-
erative uses qualified allocations, it must make substantial cash
payouts or high income patrons may suffer a negative cash flow on
the margins they generate. This occurs when the total tax owed on
the allocation (Federal and State) exceeds the amount of cash paid
out as part of the distribution.
By using nonqualified allocations, no tax is due from patrons
until the allocation is redeemed. Also, there is no 20-percent cash
payout rule for nonqualified allocations.

Unallocated Reserves

Cooperatives can treat margins just as noncooperative firms treat

earnings, by putting them into an unallocated reserve and paying
corporate income tax. Under this approach, single tax treatment is
forfeited. If the funds are later distributed, the recipients must pay
a second income tax.
Cooperatives are free to use a combination of cash payouts,
unallocated reserves, and qualified and nonqualified allocations.
This makes it possible for the leadership to develop a program that
reflects the best interests of the membership.

67
Chapter 10

Equity Management
Another practice unique to cooperatives is the
regular redemption of outstanding equity. Capital
contributions from continuing patrons build as
time passes. But the level of patronage will fall
for some members, and others will likely cease
using the cooperative at all. A program of re-
deeming patronage-based equities on a regular
basis matches the responsibility of financing the
cooperative to current use of its services.
Two methods of redeeming member equity
have achieved general acceptance: the “revolv-
ing fund plan” and “special plans.” Although the
systems are often viewed as unrelated, they may,
in fact, operate together.

Revolving Fund Plan

“Revolving fund financing” refers to systems in

which patrons make annual capital contributions,
typically through retained patronage refunds or
per-unit retain allocations. The cooperative, in
turn, redeems earlier capital contributions on a
regular basis. Redemption is usually on a first-in,
first-out basis. The cooperative determines what
its total capital requirements are and the excess is
redeemed each year, the earliest or “oldest” equity
being revolved out first.
A revolving fund plan is frequently described
as “systematic” if older equities are retired on a
regular basis, usually a given number of years
after they were issued. In a systematic plan, mem-
ber investment is related to recent and current
use. Newer members usually add equity to their
account during their early years in the coopera-
tive.
69
 The accounts of established members are adjusted each year to
better reflect current patronage. They make new investments based
on current year’s patronage and have their earliest year’s equity
redeemed. The accounts of former members are commonly paid
off during the life of the revolving cycle, usually beginning the year
after they cease patronizing the cooperative.
Redemption is normally dependent on a board of directors
determination that funds for revolvement are available. This ensures
that there is room for flexibility if the situation warrants it. For
instance, if there is a shortfall in new equity or a need to increase
the cooperative’s total equity, equity requirements can be met by
lengthening the revolving cycle (the cooperative keeps equity for a
longer period of time).
This tactic should be used sparingly, as it deviates from the
objective of having current users finance the cooperative. Also, it
can create member relations problems if the members have the
expectation that their oldest equities will be redeemed on a fixed
schedule, sometimes without regard for the cooperative’s financial
condition.

Special Plans

A special plan is one in which a specific event or condition, such

as a member’s death, triggers equity redemption. The most com-
mon events covered are death, retirement or reaching a specified
age. Once the condition is verified, the member’s equity may be
returned at once or over a prescribed number of years.
Special plans are often popular with members, who see redemp-
tion of their equity investments supplementing retirement income
or their estates. But special plans can complicate financial planning
for the cooperative. One problem is forecasting how much equity
will be redeemed in a given year.
Another difficulty is dealing fairly with members who are part-
nerships or corporations and whose business activity or life may
continue well beyond that of individual partners or shareholders.
One approach is for the association to redeem that portion of the
member firm’s equity equal to the ownership interest in the firm

70
of the person meeting the special redemption condition. Then the
firm would be expected to make up the difference just as if it had
been underinvested by the amount of the redemption.
Special plans are sometimes combined with revolving fund or
base capital plans.

Base Capital Plan

A “base capital plan” is a special equity capital management plan.

It focuses directly on the current proportion of capital a patron
should have in the cooperative at a particular time, based on the
degree of use.
Development of the base capital plan involves several steps.

1. The cooperative determines its total equity capital needs.

2. The equity capital needs are allocated among patrons based
on the proportion of the cooperative’s business each patron
did with the cooperative during a base period, typically the
past 3 to 7 years.
3. Each year the cooperative’s equity requirements are reviewed
and adjusted as the board of directors finds appropriate.
Each patron’s share of the equity requirement is also adjusted
to reflect (a) any change in the total requirement of the
cooperative and (b) any change in the patron’s proportional
share in the new base period.
4. Under invested patrons must add to their equity account,
usually through the current year’s retained patronage refunds
or per-unit retains, or by direct contribution.
5. Fully invested and overinvested patrons generally are paid a
cash rebate of current year’s patronage refunds and per-unit
retain allocations. Overinvested patrons may receive an ad-
ditional payment in redemption of their excess share of the
equity.

The proportional share of former patrons will fall each year,

reaching zero at the end of the base period beginning the first year
after they cease patronizing the cooperative.

71
Conclusion
Cooperation is a very old concept, with the potential for a very
bright future. That potential will only be realized if the people with
an interest in cooperatives make the effort to make them work.
Reading and studying this booklet, and others like it, is an impor-
tant first step. But that alone won’t make you an expert. Learning
about cooperatives can be a life-long process.
As the world changes, so must cooperatives if they want to
survive and prosper. Members, directors, managers, employees and
advisers must all seek out and take advantage of continuing educa-
tional opportunities.

72
Notes
Chapter 1 — This section is based primarily on chapters 1 and 2 of
Farmers, Cooperatives, and USDA: A History of Agricultural Co-
operative Service, Agricultural Information Bulletin 621 (USDA
1991).
Chapter 2 — One should note that there are other useful generic
principles, practices, and “good ideas” that are used as necessary
guiding forces for cooperatives. For instance, the International Co-
operative Alliance (ICA) recognizes seven cooperative principles
in its Statement on the Cooperative Identity. Those principles are
in many ways similar to the principles and practices that have been
explained in this chapter. The Statement on the Cooperative Iden-
tity can be found at: http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles.htm.
Chapter 3 — Most of the material in this chapter is derived from
Research on the Economic Impact of Cooperatives, conducted by
the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives (http://reic.
uwcc.wisc.edu/).
Chapter 4 — This section was written originally for Do Yourself a
Favor: Join a Cooperative, RBS Cooperative Information Report
54 (USDA 1996).
Chapter 7 — This chapter reflects material originally published in
Understanding Cooperatives, a series of circulars that can be used
individually or collectively for teaching people about cooperatives.
RBS Cooperative Information Report 45, sections 4-6 (USDA
2011).
Chapter 8 — Much of the last 3 chapters were first drafted for
Income Tax Treatment of Cooperatives: Background, RBS Coop-
erative Information Report 44, part 1 (USDA 2005), the first in a
technical series of reports on Federal income taxation of coopera-
tives.

73
 United States Department of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

against its customers. If you believe you experienced discrimination when
obtaining services from USDA, participating in a USDA program, or
participating in a program that receives financial assistance from USDA,
you may file a complaint with USDA. Information about how to file a
discrimination complaint is available from the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights.

To file a complaint of discrimination, complete, sign and mail a program

discrimination complaint form, available at any USDA office location or
online at www.ascr.usda.gov, or write to:

USDA
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

Or call toll free at (866) 632-9992 (voice) to obtain additional informa-

tion, the appropriate office or to request documents. Individuals who
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Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communica-

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should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TDD).