Volunteer for the Anchoring Communities Project!

Workers, tenants, attorneys, and accountants can volunteer to support the Anchoring Communities Project. If you would like to volunteer for any of the following opportunities, contact Jay Cumberland at [email protected]. This project needs support from . . .

Attorneys & Law Students

Model Documents

This project will develop model document libraries for worker cooperative conversions and housing cooperative conversions. Do you have template documents or redacted documents related to these types of conversions? Do you have template documents or redacted documents related to real property purchases or business purchases? Please send them my way! This will help keep costs low for workers and tenants.

Contributing to Legal Guide Creation

This project will expand the existing Legal Guide to Worker Cooperative Conversions and create a Legal Guide to Housing Cooperative Conversions. Do you have the expertise to write portions of these guides? Do you want to edit and review these guides? Please reach out!

Legal Research and Legal Strategy Support

How can bankruptcy be utilized as a strategic opportunity to convert businesses and buildings into co-ops? Can wage theft claims and habitability claims be settled in ways that gives workers ownership of businesses and tenants ownership of buildings at low prices? Can union strike funds finance worker co-op conversions? Does the National Labor Relations Act protect workers from retaliation when they organize to improve conditions by taking over a business and converting it into a worker co-op? How should workers and tenants account for the possibility of claims like inducing breach of contract when trying to stop third-party sales? If you're a practitioner working in an area that might be relevant to questions like these, please reach out to offer support in legal strategy development! If you're a law student interested in researching questions like these, please reach out too!

Accounting & Finance Professionals

Business Valuation Templates

Workers need to understand business valuation methods to understand how to negotiate business purchases. Do you have resources to help workers understand various valuation methodologies? Please share them!

Model Financial Spreadsheets

Workers and tenants need to understand valuation, but they also need to understand the feasibility of purchasing at a given price. They need to understand cash flow moving forward. They need to understand how to calculate debt service coverage ratios. Do you have resources or model financial spreadsheets to help workers and tenants understand these matters? Please share them!

Workers & Tenants

Mentorship

Co-ops should help other co-ops. Are you a co-op member? Did you help negotiate a conversion? I am recruiting worker co-op members to help workers understand what operating a co-op in their industry is like. You could also help explain your experience of the conversion process. I am recruiting housing co-op members to help prospective tenants understand what living in a housing co-op is like. You could also share your experience of the conversion process. You could help facilitate workshops for workers and tenants. You could even provide formal mentorship to workers and tenants as they try to convert their workplaces and buildings. Please reach out if you're interested!