Co-op Principles
Willowell was established as a worker co-operative because the founding members believed in the principles of democracy, participation, and worker development espoused by the co-operative philosophy. Some of these guiding principles are:
- Membership is open to anyone willing to accept the responsibilities of membership.
- Co-ops are democratic institutions where management structure and policies are decided by representative participation: one person - one vote.
- Members are required to contribute equally to, and share equity in, the capital and profits of the enterprise.
- Co-ops are responsible for the education, training, and development of all members for effective and maximum contributions.
- Co-ops must support and assist the formation of other co-op ventures.
- Co-ops are social enterprises that contribute to the sustained development of their communities.