Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here to learn more!
Member Orientation
We’re so glad you chose to become a co-owner of this movement - now let’s get to work!
WELCOME TO THE CO-OP!
OUR CONVERSATION TODAY
WELCOME! WHO’S HERE?
Please Share your….
Want to discover/acknowledge what native land you are on? Check this out!
Asks | Offers |
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ASKS + OFFERS
Let’s go a little deeper - what are you Asking of and Offering to the co-op and your fellow Members?
OUR TOP 3 QUESTIONS
Let’s flex our democratic governance skills with a little Dot Voting!
MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS
We expect certain things from each other as Members of this Co-op:
Communication - We will be respectful of each other’s time and attention. The Co-op Staff will try our best not to spam Members and Members will try their best to read and respond to important messages and requests in a timely manner.
Participation - We will all contribute! Whether its participating in dialog in the online community, connecting with others in the network, showing up for (and co-hosting!) Events, or in joining (or creating) in Member Circles, or another pathway yet to be created - Co-op Members commit to showing up.
Cooperative Behavior - Our Code of Conduct outlines how we will behave in this community, uphold our Values, and generally “Be Excellent” to each other.
ZU CO-OP DETAILS
A TOUR OF MEMBER BENEFITS
WHAT DOES OWNERSHIP REALLY MEAN?
Read the Details: Bylaws + Articles of Organization
1.3 Zebras Unite Members. ...[A]ny natural person or entity ... that meets the following eligibility requirements and applies for membership, may be admitted to the Cooperative as a “Zebras Unite Member”:
1.3.1. Agrees to purchase one share of Class B common voting stock in the Cooperative (the “Zebras Unite Share”)...
1.3.2. Agrees to pay and remain current on periodic dues to the Cooperative, ... (“Zebras Unite Member Dues”)
1.3.3. Agrees to undertake ... responsibilities, which may be prescribed by these Bylaws, by her/his/its membership agreement (“Zebras Unite Member Agreement”), by policies promulgated from time to time by the Board of Directors, or by other member agreements executed in the ordinary course of business;
1.3.4. Agrees to participate in Cooperative governance functions and responsibilities, as required by these Bylaws and the Board;
1.3.5. Agrees to at all times maintain good standing as a Zebras Unite Member;
1.3.6. Meets such other uniform conditions and qualification requirements as may be prescribed from time-to-time by the Board of Directors; and
1.3.7. Agrees to at all times abide by the Articles, these Bylaws, the Zebras Unite Member Agreement, and the rules and policies as may be established and adopted from time to time by the Members or the Board of Directors.
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNANCE?
“Democracy doesn’t mean you get to have your way, it means you get to have your say.”
The co-op is Governed by its Members through 2 pathways:
HOW DOES THE CO-OP SUPPORT ITSELF?
The planned Revenue Streams for the co-op are:
As well as other creative ideas as they are had and developed - this is where YOU come in!
FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
Title | Objective | Year 1 |
Operations | Community & Member Management; Converting members into shareholders; Chapter Success | $250K |
R&D | Build scalable products & digital infrastructure | $250K |
Zebras Unite Capital formation | Deliver advisory services; prototype investments; recruit fund manager | $75K |
Consulting | Aligned fee for service partnerships | $100K |
Total | | $675,000 |
Projected Revenue Spread for 2021:
Membership Dues 15%
Sponsorships 5%
Partnerships 5%
Consulting 75%
WHAT DOES PATRONAGE MEAN?
4.3.5. Patronage Dividends.
4.3.5.1. The total Net Margins shall be received by the Cooperative, belong to, and be held by the Cooperative for all its Members qualified to share in allocations ... and shall be allocated to such Members at least at the close of each fiscal year…
4.3.5.2. Each Member’s respective allocated share of the Cooperative’s Net Margins may be computed as determined by … each Member's respective Patronage Activity…
4.3.5.4. “Patronage Activity” shall mean the aggregate value of the Cooperative’s goods and services purchased from or contributed by each Patron Member during the applicable fiscal period... Each Patron Member’s allocable share... shall be made according to each Member’s relative share of the aggregate Patronage Activity.
4.3.5.5. ...The classes of Patron Members... shall be entitled to the following percentage allocations of Net Margins and Losses...:
EARNING PATRONAGE DIVIDENDS
Cooperatives return some of their net margins back to their members as Patronage Dividends - the amount you receive is based on how much you “patronized” the co-op, ie helped it add value, grow, and make profits.
ZU Co-op Patronage = Stripes
Stripes reward mutualistic behavior that advances the success of our community, co-op, broader ecosystem, and movement.
Earning Stripes
Zebras earn their Stripes by helping the Co-op succeed - specifically through identified (and quantified) activities that generate value for Members and the Co-op.
Creating the Calculator - Patronage Circle
We are currently co-creating a “Schedule” describing these activities through the Patronage Circle. This is taking longer than expected - but it turns out when you’re building a new kind of Multi-Stakeholder international co-op that is explicitly trying to VALUE and MAKE VISIBLE the lived, labored, and learned experiences which are usually left out of the entrepreneurial story, you have to build it yourselves!
SOME EXAMPLES
Stripe-Earning activities will include...
GETTING SET UP
COMPLETE YOUR LOGISTICS
#1 - SIGN YOUR SHAREHOLDER AGREEMENT
You should have gotten an email to do this already! If you haven’t yet, do it now!
If you joined as an individual here is the link.
If you joined as an organisation (Solopreneur/Small Team or Small Business) here is the link.
REMINDER - If you joined as an organization, the Company is the Member, and all Teammates are “Affiliate Members” - details on how to get your Affiliate Members signed up in the Onboarding Survey!
#2 - EMPOWER YOURSELF
Log in to your Membership Dashboard - it’s our centralized Wiki for all of the things. Here is where you manage your membership details, including payment details and current email!
#3 - EMPOWER US
Your Onboarding Survey includes questions for your member profile, and helps us get to know you and your needs better. This is crucial for empowering us to support you!�
GET CONNECTED
JOIN THE MEMBERS-ONLY COMMUNITY
Join the private Members only online group - this is where Events are listed!
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CALENDARS
Join our Public Google Calendar & Members Only Google Calendar for all of our Events (I will need to add you manually for now)
JOIN OUR CROWDCAST CHANNEL
Subscribe here and get notified of amazing Events happening in the Zebra Universe
FOLLOW US ON MEDIUM
Read our regular Manifestos and other thought leadership from the Zebra Team
READ OUR NEWSLETTERS
You’ll be getting the Public Zebra Newsletter once a month PLUS occasional special Members Only Announcements!
STAND OUT AND BE SEEN
Display that Badge and show your colors!
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
ATTEND (AND HOST) EVENTS
We’re scheduling new Members Only Events all the time but we’ll also be hosting these Co-op and Community hangout sessions regularly - come on by!
Get ready for the first ZU Co-op Annual General Meeting
February 11-13th in Atlanta, Georgia, USA + Online!
JOIN (OR START) A CIRCLE
Circles are action-oriented groups of Zebras who see a need or envision a mutualistic project and step up to make it happen.
Circles are the structure of our collective movement building work.
CURRENT STAFF CIRCLES
MEMBER CIRCLES - JUST STARTING UP
Co-Operations: Better Ways We Work Together
Co-Lead by Joel Williamson & Kate "Sassy" Sassoon
“We exist to explore the Theory and Practice of governance and management forms that work towards "power with" instead of "power over" and to share the lessons we learn together with the Co-op Members and Movement. We come together as the builders and operators of Zebra Companies to learn by doing, do by learning, and collaboratively "dream the culture forward." We do this through regularly coming together to share knowledge, research ideas, solve each other's problems, and "exercise our co-governance muscles." Join the Group + our next call!
Founders Seeking Funding
Co-Lead by Tani Olhanoski, Kate Giovambattista & Leslie Borrell
"We're coming together as Founders who are seeking Funding for mutual aid and support, especially with 3 key needs: Alternative Fundraising Education/Resources, Mutual Accountability/Buddies/Check-ins, and Networking Support. We're aiming to be the place where the needs of Founders re: Funding can be collected, synthesized and regularly uplifted to ZU Staff! And we might even hold a regular "Pitch n Bitch" - come find out!" Join the Group and stay tuned for action!
Co-Owned Digital Infrastructure
Co-Lead by Sabrina Gannon & Tani Olhanoski
"We're looking for a few more coop members to join us in writing up a circle proposal. We want to build a circle around exploring a digital infrastructure that lets people own their data through the entire time they're on a platform, and perhaps result in experiments with platforms that aim to achieve this purpose." Interested in joining the Circle? Raise your hand here! Or join the Group!
PARTICIPATING IN CIRCLES
Co-op Members have expressed enthusiasm for:
What Circle would you be excited to join - or start?!
How to Start a Member Circle:
DISCUSSION + Q&A + GRATITUDE