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Consumer
Tips
Organizing
A Cooperative
Cooperative
organizing entails a lot of responsibilities since it demands commitment
and determination on the part of the initiators of the consumer
group. From the needs analysis, formation of the responsible core
groups, and up to the identification of the kind of cooperative
the group wants to establish, organizing requires the utmost attention
of the core group. Meanwhile, below are the general steps in cooperative
formation which will serve as your springboard in coming up with
one:
- Get organized!
The group must have at least fifteen (15) members of legal age
and who are citizens of the Philippines.
- Prepare an
economic survey. It is a general statement describing the structure,
purpose/s or objective/s of the cooperative, economic feasibility
of the proposed cooperative (income and expenses estimates of
the cooperative), area of operation, size of membership of the
cooperative, etc.
- Draft the
by laws of the cooperative. By laws are the set of rules that
defines and determines how a cooperative is to be run. Such also
contains the rules and regulations governing the cooperative.
- Draft the
articles of cooperative. It should be notarized and contain most
of all the following information:
- name
of cooperative which shall include the word "cooperative";
- purpose/s
and scope of business;
- term
of existence of the cooperative;
- area
of operation and the postal address of the main office;
- names,
nationality and addresses of the registrants;
- common
bond of membership;
- list
of names of the directors who shall manage the cooperative;
and
- amount
of share capital, the names and residence of the cooperative
contributors.
MOST
WANTED: FUNDING RESOURCES
Making
an organization growing and going is not an easy task. In a third
world country like ours where basic needs are the primary concern
of each and every citizen, keeping an organization alive and kicking
is the most difficult thing a consumer leader must do.
One of the most
common problems of an organization is lack of funding resources.
It would be a good idea for your group to organize a cooperative
within your organization to help your group moving. A cooperative
can be a good source of loans at law interest rates instead of borrowing
from lenders and usurers on a 5/6 basis. Here are some of the factors
to be considered before forming a cooperative.
- Determine
the problems and needs that your group wants to be resolved and
to be provided for through a cooperative. Such will also help
the group classify the kind of a cooperative the group will be
organizing.
- Identify
dedicated members who will form the core group of the cooperative.
The core group will be responsible for all the organizational
and paper works needed.
- Determine
the kind of cooperative your group wants to establish.
- credit
cooperative - creates funds for productive and provident
purposes
- consumer
cooperative - aims to procure and distribute commodities
to members and non-members
- producers
cooperative - undertakes joint production
- marketing
cooperative - engages in the supply of the production inputs
to members and markets their products
- service
cooperative - engages in medical and dental care, hospitalization,
transportation, insurance, housing , labor, electric light
and power, communication and other services
- multi-purpose
- combines two or more of the business of the different types
of cooperatives
SAVE
MOTHER EARTH!!!
The
El Niño phenomenon which is being experienced globally is
a result of an environmental degradation. Whether we admit it or
not, each and every consumer contributed to such environment decline
and unsustainable pattern of consumption and production.
Take for example,
a single candy wrapper we litter, once joined with other candy wrappers
will form into a big pile of garbage. To get rid of this problem
and for us to be able to help mother nature recover from the great
ecological imbalance she is suffering, every consumer should exercise
sustainable consumption - that is, "fulfilling the basic human
needs without undermining the capacity of the environment to fulfill
the needs of present and future generations". It is imperative
for us consumers to do our share for environmental protection before
it's too late!
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COMMON
CONSUMER PRACTICES
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WHAT
AN ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE/CONCERNED CONSUMER SHOULD DO
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- prefers
/ uses disposable cups over coffee cups
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- bring
a coffee cup instead of using disposable cups
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- at
the office, keeps on using clean papers for his drafts
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- reuse
back of printed paper for drafting letters, memo, etc.
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- uses
air fresheners to get rid of "unwanted odors"
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- use
herbal mixtures or vinegar and lemon juice
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