Help Orca Books Become a Co-op

Orca Books (located in Olympia, Washington) hopes to transition to a community-owned co-op. In addition to the capital costs of retiring debt and purchasing the inventory, there are a number of other expenses. Whether you join the co-op or not (and we hope that you do join), you can support this effort through a tax-deductible donation through our dedicated program. Learn more at

https://nwcdc.networkforgood.com/projects/85013-orca-books-cooperative

The Next Generation

By 2024, all “Baby Boomers” (those born from 1946 through 1964) will be at least 60 years old. As business owners from this birth cohort plan their retirement, they may not readily find a buyer or have family members interested in keeping the business operational. It is estimated that only 20% of current small businesses will transfer to a new owner. We can help increase that percentage by working with the owners and the employees to create a worker cooperative.

Expand Your Co-op!

To succeed as a strong business, co-ops need effective operations and sound financial management. We can assist with:

• Business planning
• Financial management
• Operations assessments
• Strategic planning
• Personnel recruitment

Strengthen Your Co-op

Democratic governance and support from other cooperatives are essential to any co-op. We can help strengthen:

• Member participation
• Oversight by the Board
• Your co-op’s role in the broader community

Start a Co-op!

Co-ops are about people coming together to meet the challenges of their community through mutual aid in a democratic manner. Almost any organization that has an economic function can be a co-op! The Pacific Northwest has a rich diversity of cooperatives from internet providers, fruit and vegetable producers, homecare workers, software developers, consumer co-ops (grocery, sporting goods, and even a funeral home), financial institutions, and more. We look forward to hearing about your project and offering our technical assistance.