Get Involved 

Thanks for your interest in getting invovled with the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives! 

We have ongoing opportunities for Members, Volunteers, and Interns to support USFWC's work.

If you would like to subscribe to our monthly E-News, please click here. 

MEMBERS:

1. Run for Board of Directors 2013-2015 term
The nomination window for candidates interested in running for a seat on the USFWC Board of Directors opens on April 15, 2013. Click HERE for more information. 

2. Apply for Emerging Leader Scholarships for 2013 conferences
Don’t let cost be a barrier to participating. This year we have raised more funding for member scholarships to the Eastern and Western conferences, and the Southern CoopEcon. Details HERE! Application deadline for ECWD is June 20, WWCC is July 20, and CoopEcon is August 20. Apply Today!

3. Read and share USFWC Communications
We know that strong communication is critical to helping people get meaningfully involved.  Make sure you’re signed up to receive the monthly E-News and Member Bulletin by sending an email to info(at)usworker.coop.

4. Choose a “Coop Steward” for your workplace and make space for USFWC business on your agenda
With an active contact person at each member workplace, we hope to have a regular space on your GM agendas to share information and develop ways we can work together. Set up a 15-minute chat with USFWC staff to coordinate a Coop Steward at your workplace by emailing info(at)usworker.coop.

5. Make member-to-member connections
We hear again and again that the most valuable part of USFWC membership is the opportunity to learn from each other. We are planning a series of member-led webinars starting in Spring 2013 to share information. Want to present on a topic? We also want to support a workplace exchange – would you be interested? Get in touch and let us know.

6. Use your benefits
Did you know we offer 4 free hours of technical assistance to all USFWC voting members? Did you know we offer credit card processing for USFWC members through a preferred partner? When was the last time you looked through (or donated to) the Document Library? All members have login access to the Member Space on this website. If you need access to your login information, just let us know and we’ll send it to you. 

7. Spear-head a new project
USFWC staffers are supporting member-led projects to improve financing access (Kiva Zip, high-risk loan pool), and advocate for city policy. We expect to expand these and take on new projects in 2013 – get in touch with us about your idea for a new project!

INTERNSHIPS:

Summer 2013 Internship Program:  The USFWC seeks 2 to 4 interns for a three month commitment between May and September 2013.  Please visit the INTERNSHIP page for full information about applying to one of the 4 opportunities available this summer -  Research, Spanish Access, Policy, and Marketing.  Complete and submit the Internship Application by April 15, 2013. 

VOLUNTEERS:

We have ongoing opportunities for volunteers to get involved with the work of the Federation. If you're interested in volunteering your time, please send an email to info[at]usworker[dot]coop telling us a little about your interests in and experience with cooperatives, your availability and which project or task you'd like to work on . We'll get back to you promptly.

1. Democracy at Work Directory: Compile and enter updates to the national database of democratic workplaces

2. Co-op Document Library Project: Call worker co-ops, collectives and other democratic workplaces to ask them to donate documents to our national worker co-op document library. Get permissions, make follow-up calls. Organize documents and add them to the online library

3. Member Recruitment Drive: USFWC supporters are the best tool to help us reach out to prospective members to help explain the Federation’s benefits and convince them to join. We can provide a list of prospective members and train you on how to make outreach calls

4. Document Translation: Help translate toolkits, guides, and other support materials from English to Spanish