SELC is pleased to introduce the luminaries, geniuses, and wonderful human beings that make up our Board of Directors and Advisory Board. Sushil Jacob of the Green Collar Communities Clinic and Farzana Serang, Executive Director of the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFED) have recently joined our Board of Directors, and we've established a new Advisory Board filled with amazing people!
Below, you'll also find out about SELC's upcoming #PeoplePoweredEconomies campaign, Financial Transparency at SELC, upcoming events, and more!
Financial Transparency At SELC
SELC has grown dramatically as an organization since we began as a scrappy two-person volunteer project back in 2009. Even as our impact and budget have grown, we still strive to embody that fresh and agile quality. We still pay all of our staff the same wage, which is set to the median income of Oakland residents. And we strive for complete transparency around use and management of our funds. Visit our Financial Transparency page to see how our budget has grown, how we use our money, and what we still need this year to achieve our most ambitious agenda yet!
SELC’s Annual Membership Campaign: People Powered Economies!
In last year’s historic People’s Climate March in NYC, people proclaimed, “It will take everyone to change everything.” This May, SELC is launching our “People Powered Economies” Campaign to lift up the work of our staff and partners who are creating people powered economies in communities and regions across the country. From protecting the right of communities to freely save and share seeds, to incubating new worker-owned coops in the Bay Area, to (soon!) launching a set of “Principles for a Real Sharing Economy,” SELC has been busy trying to change everything - and we need everyone's help!
Join us for a month of celebrating and strengthening People Powered Economies all this May!
There are many ways you can participate in the campaign: 
Upcoming SELC Events
An introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business. TOTB will go over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment, and community wealth-building.
Worker Self-Directed Non-Profit Teach-In - April 21, 6PM-7PM (Berkeley, CA)
A discussion on implementing workplace democracy in nonprofit organizations. Presentation and facilitation by SELC staff members Janelle Orsi and Chris Tittle.
Happy Hour with Bay Localize! - April 29, 5:30PM-7PM (Oakland, CA)
SELC and Bay Localize are getting together to co-host this month's celebration of community resilience at Awaken Cafe in downtown Oakland. Learn about SELC and Bay Localize's work supporting grassroots economic empowerment and community resilience and meet the movers and shakers of the new economy!
2015 California Co-op Conference - May 1-2 (Sacramento, CA)SELC is co-sponsoring California Center for Cooperative Development’s annual conference in Sacramento this year and has certified six workshops for 1.5 hours of CLE credit each:
- Legal Considerations for Co-op Startups
- Navigating Labor Laws as a Worker Co-op
- New Capital for a New Economy: Raising Capital for Your Co-op Through Direct Public Offering
- Changes to Davis Stirling Housing Regulations
- Accountability in Cooperatives
- Patronage: Systems for Recognizing Founders While Promoting Growth
New Opportunities in Community-Based Solar Energy Teach-In! - May 4, 6PM-8PM (Oakland, CA)
A presentation from our friends Andreas and Gavi from RE-volv, a nonprofit solar financing organization, whose mission is to empower individuals and communities to invest collectively in renewable energy. This talk will explore some of the creative options that exist for community-based renewable energy solutions and track some of the progress that has been made around the country at the community level.
Lentil Underground - May 23, 2PM - 3:30PM (Berkeley, CA)The Berkeley Public Library, The Ecology Center, and SELC present a talk by Liz Carlisle, Berkeley resident and author of the new book Lentil Underground. Following Liz’s talk, SELC’s Neil Thapar and staff from the Ecology Center will discuss issues facing local gardeners who wish to share heirloom seeds. All are encouraged to bring seeds to share and swap with your neighbors!
Related Community Events
International Seed Library Forum - May 3-6 (Tuscon, AZ)
East Bay Community Resilience Challenge - April 25-June 7 (All around the East Bay!)