Online Resources

The following list of resources is culled from our manual, Think Outside the Boss: How to Create a Worker-Owned Business. While we contemplated worker cooperatives in the creation of this resource list, many of these resources are useful for other types of community resilience enterprises.

Worker Cooperative Resources:

  1. Worker Cooperative Toolbox, Published by Northcountry Cooperative Foundation in partnership with Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund, available at: http://www.cccd.coop/files/worker_coop_toolbox.pdf
  2. Steps to Starting a Worker Co-op, published by the Center for Cooperatives at the University of California, Davis and the Northwest Cooperative Federation, available at: http://www.usworker.coop/public/documents/start_worker_coop.pdf
  3. Worker Co-op Startup Guides: http://american.coop/startup
  4. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives: http://www.usworker.coop/education
  5. Cultivate coop is an online site to pool resources on cooperatives: http://cultivate.coop/wiki/Main_Page
  6. Cooperative curriculum wiki site: http://cooperative-curriculum.wikispaces.com
  7. East Bay Community Law Center and Sustainable Economies Law Center legal resource site: http://sites.google.com/site/cooperativelawresources/
  8. Cooperation Texas has the goal of creating dignified jobs for the people, for the planet: http://cooperationtexas.coop/
  9. Data Commons Cooperative website: http://datacommons.find.coop/vision

Cooperative Legal Resources

  1. Coop Legal (a site co-created by SELC and GC3): http://www.cooplegal.org/
  2. Legal Sourcebook for California Cooperatives: Startup and Administration: http://www.cccd.coop/files/LegalSourcebookForCaliforniaCooperatives.pdf
  3. Citizen Media Law Project- Cooperative Taxation: http://www.citmedialaw.org/legal-guide/taxation-cooperatives-and-patronage-dividends
  4. FindLaw- Naming your Business: http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/starting-a-business/starting-your-own-business-business-name-availability.html
  5. NOLO legal encyclopedia: http://www.nolo.com/lega-encyclopedia

Cooperative Governance Resources

  1. California Governance Resources: http://www.lawforchange.org/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=3678
  2. Legal Sourcebook for California Cooperatives: http://www.cccd.coop/files/LegalSourcebookForCaliforniaCooperatives.pdf
  3. Worker Coop Toolbox – US Federation of Worker Cooperatives: www.usworker.coop/howtos/startups

Resiliency Financing Resources

  1. JOBS Act: Crowd Funding Could Give a Boost to Small Business: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-kassan/jobs-act_b_1405844.html
  2. Opportunity Fund: http://tmcworkingsolutions.org/opportunity-fund
  3. Youth Business America:http://www.youthbusinessamerica.org/entrepreneurs/
  4. Kiva Zip: https://zip.kiva.org/borrow
  5. Whole Foods Loan Fund:http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/caring-communities/local-producer-loan-program
  6. Full Circle Fund: http://www.fullcirclefund.org
  7. RSF Social Finance: http://rsfsocialfinance.org
  8. Oakland Business Development Corporation: http://www.obdc.com/index.php
  9. Slow Money (does not itself provide financing): http://slowmoneynocal.org/submission

Cooperatives and Employment Law

  1. Taxation of Patronage Dividends from Worker Cooperatives: Are They Subject to Employment Tax? By Attorney Gregory R. Wilson, available at: http://www.gwilson.com/documents/Article4(PatronageDivTax).pdf
  2. The Application of Labor Law to Workers; Cooperatives: http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/cooperatives/reports/LaborLawWorkerCoops.pdf
  3. Workers Compensation Fact Sheet: www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/FactSheets/Empployer_FactSheet.pdf
  4. Insurance Brokers & Agents of the West: www.ibawest.com
  5. State Compensation Insurance Fund: statefundca.com
  6. For information on determining overtime requirements: http://www.dir.ca.gov
  7. For information on meal, break, and time off requirements: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_MealPeriods.htm
  8. California Employment Development Department: http://www.edd.ca.gov/Payroll_Taxes/default.htm
  9. For more on California rules on tax deductions: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_deductions.htm
  10. OSHA’s resources for small businesses: http://osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html
  11. Cal/OSHA Consultation toll free number: 1-800-963-9424
  12. Job Safety and Health Protection Notice: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3165.pdf
  13. Required employer postings: www.dir.ca.gov/wpnodb.html
  14. CA Employment Development Department Registration: http://www.edd.ca.gov/pdf_pub_ctr/de1.pdf or http://www.edd.ca.gov/pdf_pub_ctr/de1np.pdf (for non-profit employers)

Non-Profits and Economic Development– Resources

  1. Robert Louthian and Marvin Friedlander, “Economic Development Corporations: Charity Through the Back Door” (an IRS Publication) http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopicg92.pdf.
  2. Revenue-Generating Activities of Charitable Organizations: Legal Issues: http://www.adlercolvin.com/pdf/revenue_generating_activities/AC_Web_Docs–Revenue_Generating_Activities_(00160207).PDF