Becoming a member of a co-op is easy if you know which you can join!

You may want to show your support for co-operative values and principles by joining a co-op, but unfortunately you may find you can't become a member of the one you like the sound of.

As you may have gathered you can, for example, generally only be a member of a housing co-op if you are living in one of the houses which are part of the co-op. To be part of a credit union, you need to have a 'common bond' with other members such as working for the same employer or living in the same neighbourhood; to be a member of a worker co-op, you need to be working for the organisation, and so on.

However, when it comes to consumer co-ops, you are more than likely to find there is one near you which you can become a member of and therefore support by using its shops, travel agencies and all the other services it has to offer. To find out which consumer co-op operates in your area visit our links section.

If there is a type of co-operative that you think your community could benefit from, why not think about starting your own? Co-ops keep the benefits of business within a community, rather than simply benefiting the pockets of City investors; co-ops promote democracy, give people the right to have a say and therefore empower them, rather than them being simply the means by which the company makes a profit, often at their expense but to the benefit of financial investors. Co-operatives can provide innovative, flexible solutions to a variety of social and economic problems. Members of co-ops own the business. Can you think of a good reason why not to consider doing things the co-operative way?

There are people ready and able to give you a helping hand if you want to look into what it takes to set up a co-op. To find out more Go to our Advice on setting up a co-op section.