NCBA CLUSA invites you to participate in the 2015 Co-op Month, celebrating all the ways co-ops build a better world—through equality, through ownership and by investing in people and their communities.
Since 1930, co-ops across the United States have convened every October to celebrate the cooperative movement’s history and economic impact on communities nationwide. The annual awareness month provides a key opportunity to reflect on the legacy of cooperative impact and celebrate the many ways co-ops are building better businesses, better communities and, ultimately, a better world.
We’re thrilled to work together this October to energize the cooperative network and help generate the awareness and recognition the movement deserves. Together, we can build a better world with businesses consumers consistently rate as more trustworthy than for-profit businesses, according to the results of the first public opinion survey on cooperatives in more than a decade. Click here to learn more.
We hope the 2015 Co-op Month Communication Toolkit helps you advance this shared goal. The toolkit includes print-ready posters, sharable social media graphics, sample social media posts and ideas for celebrating Co-op Month.
Use or adapt these sample documents to start planning your own Co-op Month celebration.
Print Ready Posters
Print and display in your co-op or include in your cooperative newsletter or other member resource.
Design 1
8.5 x 11 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
18 x 24 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
24 x 36 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Design 2
8.5 x 11 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
18 x 24 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
24 x 36 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Sharable Social Media Graphics
We’ve created graphics that are optimized for social media to help you celebrate Co-op Month. Please consider using them on your co-op’s website and social media platforms during the month of October, as well as posting to your personal Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media accounts.
Horizontal stamp .png CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Round stamp .png CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Sample Social Media Posts
Post the following samples or create your own for your co-op’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. Be sure to tag all of your Co-op Month posts with the hashtags #CoopMonth2015, #GoCoop and #Cooptober so you can see how your friends and colleagues are celebrating, share your own ideas and get some new ones.
October is #CoopMonth2015. Support your local co-ops! #GoCoop #Cooptober
Happy #CoopMonth2015. See the great work [your organization] is doing: [link to your website]. #GoCoop #Cooptober
Build a better world through cooperation! #GoCoop #CoopMonth2015 #Cooptober [insert Co-op Month poster jpg]
Build a better world with businesses you trust! #GoCoop #CoopMonth2015 #Cooptober [insert Co-op Month poster jpg]
Did you know one in three Americans is a member of a co-op? Join in! #GoCoop #CoopMonth2015 #Cooptober
Did you know co-ops are consistently rated more trustworthy than for-profit businesses? Help spread the word! #GoCoop #CoopMonth2015.
Ideas for Celebrating Co-op Month
Use these suggestions to help kick off your Co-op Month event planning. However you celebrate, let us know by tagging your social media posts with the hashtags #CoopMonth, #GoCoop and #Cooptober.
- OwnIt! Embrace your co-op identity by owning a .coop domain and registering to use the co-op mark. These public-facing visual identifiers make it easy to promote the cooperative difference. You already own your business. Now own your identity!
- If you’ll be in the Washington, D.C. area on October 3, register to run in the 27th Annual Co-op 5K at Hains Point Park. This year’s race is a great opportunity to show support for NRECA President Jo Ann Emerson, who remains hospitalized after suffering a brain hemorrhage earlier this year.
- Join your local co-op. Already a member of a credit union? Start shopping at your local food co-op, and look for other cooperative businesses to support in your community. October is a great time to #GoCoop by example. If you’re already a member of your local co-ops, consider encouraging those co-ops to join NCBA CLUSA. Or, show your personal support and become an individual member.
- Reserve a booth at your local community fair or festival to promote your co-op.
- Host a co-op themed block party with food catered by your local food co-op.
- Organize a roadside or river cleanup project to demonstrate your co-op’s concern for community.
- Work with a local health clinic to organize free health screenings or flu shots at your co-op.
- Open your co-op as a community space for tutoring or ESL classes.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to getting involved and sharing the impact your co-op has on your community! Let’s start sharing all the ways co-ops are building a better world.