By placing workers’ needs before investors’ profits, successful worker cooperatives democratize wealth rather than concentrate it.
Why Cooperative?
The above quote, more than anything else, is what compels the members of the Colorado Solidarity Fund to target cooperatives with our personal investment dollars. This is why we believe so strongly in cooperatives.​
By sharing risk, cooperatives make business ownership possible for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds. Cooperatives build critical thinking and participation in the workforce. They boost retention rates and productivity, often contributing to a competitive advantage against traditional businesses.
Cooperatives often provide services to their communities that are not readily available from for-profit businesses. In other cases, cooperatives enhance the level of competition in the marketplace by providing consumers with an alternative source of products and services.
-- Consumer Federation of America
They financially stabilize their local economy, resulting in stronger resilience during economic recession. Cooperatives can even be a means of preserving small businesses and saving jobs when their owners retire. Cooperatives are successful because they provide valuable services and save consumers money. Since the primary goal of cooperatives is to meet needs, not generate profits, they can serve their members at low cost.
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Click 'Learn More' on each image above to read about the different types of cooperatives the Colorado Solidarity Fund supports.