Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Trends in the Cooperative Community

NCBA CLUSA’s new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Trends in the Cooperative Community initiative is a partnership with the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to bring together cooperatives from all sectors to highlight and strengthen their role in building healthy, sustainable, and equitable workplaces and communities.

As a first step, researchers at the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives are helping us conduct a national, one-time survey in spring 2021 to learn about existing efforts among cooperatives in the NCBA CLUSA/CDF community related to our ABCs of Co-op Impact framework.

The survey asks about cooperatives’ practices related to (D)emocratic governance and empowerment; (E)quity, diversity, and inclusion; and the (F)inancial security and advancement of workers.

See the survey questions

The survey also invites cooperatives to participate in a professionally facilitated, cross sector peer learning cohort we will convene in mid-2021 for cooperatives looking to expand their work in these areas. Each participating cooperative will receive an advance analysis of the aggregated survey responses and one complimentary admission to the 2021 Co-op Impact Conference in October.

Ultimately, our goal is to catalyze and support all cooperatives in increasing their impact internally and in the communities they serve. We will share de-identified, aggregated results in a Cooperative Business Journal article and discuss them at the 2022 Cooperative Impact Conference. Survey results will enhance our collective understanding of research-based best practices, existing efforts, and areas where more work is needed.

Download the report