Seven Co-op Principles

The idea of humans cooperating for mutual benefit has been around over hundreds of years. Many cite England’s Rochdale pioneers to be the first modern co-op in 1844, having established structures for an equitable and successful cooperative business. In the U.S., early cooperative businesses include a mutual fire insurance company founded in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin, and dairy and cheese cooperatives organized in the early 1800s. Additionally, the pre-Civil War mutual aid societies of enslaved and freed Black people to pool money and provide services led to the creation of cooperative associations. 

As interest in the cooperative model co-ops began to rise, the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) was formed in 1895 and today, cooperatives around the world share seven base principles and values adopted by the ICA in 1995. 

These seven principles are guidelines by which cooperatives around the globe put their values into practice: 

1. Voluntary and Open Membership
2. Democratic Member Control
3. Member Economic Participation
4. Autonomy and Independence
5. Education, Training, and Information
6. Cooperation among Cooperatives
7. Concern for Community

Additional resources:

• International Cooperative Alliance. “Our History.”
• Lynn Pitman, UW Center for Cooperatives. “History of Cooperatives in the United States: An Overview.”
• Social Finance. “Celebrating Black History Month: The History of Black Cooperatives.”