Want to Help? Here Are a Few Ways To Get Started!
Join ACBA as we transform the landscape for cooperative businesses in Central Texas. Now is a great time to get involved with our Board, Committees, Fundraising and Special Projects. We’re working in many different ways to impact our local co-op economy. Fill out our form to get plugged in today!
Recruit New Members
Our best recruitment tool is our members!
- Attend a community membership event and invite a friend.
- Tell your friends about ACBA
- “Share” and “Like” ACBA posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
- Recruit local businesses to host ACBA membership events.
- Not yet a member? Join Us today!
Join a Committee
All members are invited to join one of our committees. We’ve created a committee for each focus area (see below). In addition, we have a Seed Commons Financing Sustainability Committee that requires an appointment from the board. The ACBA is doing research, outreach, public speaking, meeting with City staff and more to raise support for worker coops in Austin, and we need your help! If you have 2 – 10 hours a month to give, complete the form below!
Business Advocacy
Are you passionate about worker co-ops and other cooperative businesses? Join this committee to help create local and municipal rules that support and encourage empowering, mutually-owned businesses, as well as, host educational, professional, and social events for business cooperative and those interested in starting a business cooperative. The overall purpose of the Business Co-op Committee is to support the mission of ACBA by supporting policy and programs to help worker, consumer, and producer co-ops thrive and grow serve, as well as, a committee for local business and worker co-ops to organize. See our committee schedule here.
Housing Advocacy
Co-ops have a key role to play in planning for a thriving city with housing that meets the needs of all citizens. This committee works closely with the City of Austin to develop policies and programs which strategically deploy limited resources to effectively harness the power of cooperatives. The overall purpose of the The Housing Co-op Committee is to support the mission of the ACBA by supporting policy and programs to help housing cooperatives thrive and grow, serve as a committee for local housing co-ops to organize, host educational, professional, and host social events for housing cooperative and those interested in starting a housing cooperative. See our committee schedule here.
Seed Commons Sustainability Committee
The Austin Cooperative Business Foundation is a Seed Common’s Peer, which allows us to offer non-extractive financing to co-ops. To see more about The ACBF’s Seed Commons work, see here. Our Seed Commons work is guided by a volunteer-run Sustainability Committee that assists with the outreach, business advising, and strategically prioritizes what organizations we work with. If you are interested in joining the Seed Commons Sustainability Committee, please read the committee charter for details and complete this form. See our committee schedule here.
Become a Board Member
Want to see Austin area co-ops grow and thrive? Got big ideas on making it happen? Want to take more of a leadership role in the local cooperative movement? Then you should consider running for the board of the Austin Cooperative Business Association and its partner organization, the Austin Cooperative Business Foundation! Details for what being a board member entails and how to apply can be found here. No experience needed because we will train you, but you need to be a “designated representative” of a current Member Co-op in good standing (A Member Co-op may designate multiple representatives for candidacy). Board election season generally starts October and are elected in December/January. Contact board@acba.coop to learn more!
Want to volunteer without joining a committee, then Sign Up Here!
[hubspot portal=”20915886″ id=”4cedf622-1602-47aa-ab8b-8fe39c7ceac0″ type=”form”]To learn more – contact us, read our blog or sign up for our monthly newsletter!