CGIN

Cooperation is a simple idea—two or more people join forces to accomplish something they probably couldn’t do alone. People work together in thousands of ways each day. For example, parents take turns watching each others’ children so they can do errands, work, or have some time alone. Farmers help one another with barn raisings and at harvest time. By combining their efforts, by sharing responsibilities, by joining forces, people are able to accomplish many things.

A cooperative is an organization of people who work together for economic benefit. Cooperatives bring the idea of cooperation—working together—to the business world. The cooperative idea is one with many applications. For instance, to provide their children with high-quality preschool education, a group of parents may work together to hire a teacher and rent a facility. To borrow money at favorable rates, individuals and families may put their savings accounts together to create a credit union. Whether cooperation happens independently or through a business, the principle is the same. People working together can accomplish more than those working alone.