And how do you distinguish cooperatives from non-cooperatives?
This is a good question. If this is verifiable in some way then I'll try to do all my shopping this way!
Edit: actually, the FAQ seems to answer this to my satisfaction.
How do you decide what to list?
We research businesses using public sources including the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives directory, the Democracy at Work Institute, regional cooperative networks, and direct submissions. We do our best to verify ownership structure before adding a business.
Manual checking and adding to the list :(
Yeah we're not like, vetting companies super hard. It wouldn't make much sense to game our system, it's not like we're driving crazy traffic at these places. If a co-op isn't listed on a more official roster we usually poke around the web site to confirm it.
I have to say, I started this project because it is ridiculously hard to find co-ops. I'm sure like a lot of people, I hate ordering from Amazon or Walmart but it's so convenient. But finding alternatives is a pain. I know there are various ethical models but again, finding ones that don't seem scammy is a pain. Worker-owned seems best, simplest.
I appreciate that. Honestly it is just nice to have a compendium from which to START a search. I can do my own due-diligence from that point. Thank you for this effort!
Yeah co-ops that we couldn't integrate into the marketplace are still listed in the directory pages, like here [https://www.workerowned.info/marketplace/books/directory]
This is dope! Great job :)
Constructive criticism, if I may:
thanks! fixed that categorization bug and bumped contrast
Light blue text on a white background is pretty difficult for me to read, let alone for my significantly vision-impaired spouse. The pink for visited links is slightly more legible, but still not what might be considered “accessible” to low-vision users. Perhaps the option to switch between light and dark themes might be good? While I understand they have high-tech sighting, guns are not really what I expect to find under the “Tech & Software” category. In fact virtually everything under that category seems more appropriate to the “Sporting Goods” section.
Here is a place for news and information about Cooperatives (Co-ops), Democratic Workplaces, Collectives, Communes, Intentional Communities, Eco-Vilages, etc. This community is the continuation/alternative to r/cooperatives on Reddit.
Regional/National Groups:
US Federation of Worker Cooperatives
Northwest Cooperative Development Center
Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (No Boss)
Worker-Owned and Run Cooperative Network of Greater Boston (Workin')
Valley Alliance of Worker Co-operatives (Vawk) NYC NoWC (Nic-knock)
Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Austin Cooperative Business Association
Alberta Community & Co-operative Association
Education & Development:
[Democracy at work](Democracy at work)
[Co-op Law](Co-op Law)
International Co-operative Alliance
[Cooperative Fund of New England]
(https://cooperativefund.org/)
[Shared Capital, formerly North Country Development Fund](Shared Capital, formerly North Country Development Fund)
California Center for Cooperative Development
University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
[Democracy at Work Network](Democracy at Work Network)
Fund for Democratic Communities
Sustainable Economies Law Center
(PDF File) A Technology Freelancer's Guide to Starting a Worker Cooperative
[North American Students of Cooperation](North American Students of Cooperation)
News/Blogs:
Co-operate And No One Gets Hurt
Grassroots Economic Organizing
Other Forums/Lists: r/Cooperatives