Are you an entrepreneur interested in building a cooperative? A business developer learning about the cooperative model?  A student interested in cooperative business? A member-owner of a cooperative?  A co-op manager, board member, or employee? 

This learning platform, Co-op Mastery: Beyond Cooperatives 101, provides engaging, educational material to dive into the unique cooperative business model and the world of cooperatives. Use the platform to learn more about the cooperative business model ecosystem, find a specific topic of interest, or connect with additional learning resources.

The companion Co-op Mastery Workbook provides complementary learning activities that apply the concepts shared throughout the platform. Organized in six modules, the workbook explores the co-op model, governance, legal considerations, finance and taxation of cooperatives, and includes tools for entrepreneurs thinking about building a new cooperative enterprise. As a part of this platform, the Co-op Resources page shares additional resources where you can find specific expertise or take an even deeper dive into cooperative concepts.

A group of photos showing from left to right: people standing in a line with their arms around each other's shoulders, a group of people holding wooden gears in the center of a circle, a green plant growing from dark soil.

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Center for Cooperatives at The Ohio State University assists entrepreneurs, educates the community, and generates knowledge about the cooperative business model with a special focus on food, agriculture, and rural communities. Visit our website at go.osu.edu/cooperatives or contact us by email or phone at  osucooperatives@osu.edu or 740-289-1952. Follow us on social media on Twitter at @OSUCooperatives and Facebook @OhioStateCooperatives and on our blog Collaboration Nation.

The CFAES Center for Cooperatives is based at The Ohio State University South Centers in Piketon, Ohio, whose mission is to enhance southern Ohio by assisting people with informed decision-making through responsive research, education, entrepreneurial application and collaborative partnerships. Learn more at southcenters.osu.edu.

An aerial photo of the OSU South Centers in Piketon, Ohio showing multiple buildings and barns with fields of crops and trees in the background.

Important Acknowledgements

The materials available on Co-op Mastery: Beyond Co-ops 101 and in the Co-op Mastery Workbook are for informational and educational purposes only. They do not provide business or legal advice or opinions. The content of these resources should not be construed as, and should not be relied upon for, legal or tax advice.

Co-op Mastery: Beyond Cooperatives 101 and the companion workbook were made possible by a grant from the CHS Foundation 2017 Cooperative Education Grants Program. Additional support has been provided, in part, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Cooperative Development Grant program. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.