We're always cooking up pay-it-forward legal advice, action-oriented workshops, and happy hours with engaging conversations on how to build just and resilient local economies. And we don't only provide in-person events for you to connect with us, we provide online trainings and travel across the country to support grassroots economic empowerment. Don't miss out!
Please, help us get the word out about our upcoming events. Share with your friends or networks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn! If you're interested in an event, someone you know will probably be interested too. Share the love!
Find Sustainable Economies Law Center's events below!
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Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 12:00 PM · 8 rsvps
Sustainable Economies Law Center in Oakland, CALunch Work Party for Run-Raisers
Have you signed up to run with us at the Oakland Running Festival and need some help asking your friends and family to donate?Then you're invited to our lunch work party! We'll have e-mail templates! A photo booth! Food and coffee from worker-owned cooperatives! Everything you need to make sure you reach your fundraising goal!
Got a severe case of the FOMO? It's not too late to sign up to be a #WorkersRunOakland run-raiser. Sign up here before March 6th!
Need a template for e-mails and social media? Click here.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 05:45 PM · 46 rsvps
Berkeley School District Board Room in Berkeley, CABerkeley City Council Meeting Worker Coop Item
WHEN: Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Arrive at 5:40pm at the latest so that we can take a group photo beforehand.
WHERE: Berkeley School District Board Room (1231 Addison St, Berkeley). This is a 13 minute walk from North Berkeley BART Station.
WHAT: At this City Council meeting, Berkeley will take a major step toward supporting local worker cooperative development. The economic development department will present their strategies for cultivating a strong local cooperative business sector, including making the City's Small Business Revolving Loan Fund more accessible to worker cooperatives, providing biz dev support to worker coops, and helping retiring business owners to sell their enterprise to workers.
HOW: We need YOU to join us! In order to ensure that the City makes clear and bold commitments to worker coops, we must demonstrate strong public support. RSVP below to receive important details and announcements about the event. Join dozens of other worker coop members and advocates in demanding an economy that puts people and planet before profits. Please wear the color green to show solidarity!
Want to learn more? Join campaign organizers for an informational meeting the week before the City Council meeting (on Wednesday, February 13th at 5:30pm) for info about the policy effort and how you can support. Click here to join the informational meeting in person or via livestream.
Many thanks to Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and the Office of Economic Development staff for their leadership, and thanks to our partners in cooperation, Project Equity, the Democracy at Work Institute, the Network of Bay Area Worker Coops (NoBAWC), and ICA Group. And to all those worker coop members, advocates, and friends who have been so committed to shaping and advancing this effort over the years - thank you.
RSVP BELOW TO RECEIVE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE EVENT!
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Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 09:30 AM
CompassPoint in Oakland, CARethinking Nonprofits: Aligning Equity and Justice with Your Organizational Structure
As nonprofits and movement workers committed to social transformation, how can we embody the change we want to see and create more effective, accountable, and equitable organizations as we do it?
This training will explore how to infuse the governance, management, and operational practices of our organizations with our values of social, racial, gender, and ecological justice through the practice of deep democracy. Grounded in experience, research, discussion, and practice, the workshop will support participants to reimage and redesign teams, departments, or even their whole organization.
We will focus on ways to shift formal and informal power structures within organizations, with a particular focus on new approaches to organizational design for distributed leadership. This workshop will invite you to speak openly about the impact of practices we have inherited from oppressive systems and often reproduced in our own workplaces. Then we’ll discuss practical steps that organizations can take now to align your practices and policies with your commitment to justice and equity.
Participants will leave the workshop with:
- A general understanding of the operations and management of deeply democratic organizations and a vision for how they might embed more democracy in their organization moving forward;
- Specific tools and practices to spread power throughout their organization and give impacted people more voice to shape strategic and programmatic decisions.
- Resources to engage their board of directors, co-workers, and other key stakeholders in conversation about new organizational structures and practices; and;
- An understanding of legal issues arising from worker-self direction.
This experience is ideal for individuals working in or with social justice organizations of all sizes and at all stages of organizational development. All you need is a desire to either develop or refine self-governance practices in your team, program, group or organization. Participants should be people in a position to enact change within their organization. This means operations coordinators, human resource directors, executive directors, leaders of teams, or people with the capacity and energy to start making changes. We strongly recommend that organizations send 2-4 people to the training so you can partner in both sharing the learnings and taking actions when you return to your organization. Get 20% off if you register 2-4 staff/board by using this coupon code: SELC20
About the Presenter
Presenter Bio & Photo
Sustainable Economic Law Center cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots economic empowerment. We provide essential legal tools - education, research, advice, and advocacy - so communities everywhere can develop their own sustainable sources of food, housing, energy, jobs, and other vital aspects of a thriving community.
Part of Sustainable Economies Law Center's approach to catalyzing a more just and resilient society is to be the change we want to see. We have adopted policies that distribute "ownership" throughout the organization, allow for more dignified livelihoods, expand access to our legal services, and empower a new generation of grassroots legal experts.
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Monday, February 25, 2019 at 09:30 PM
WEBINARWEBINAR: SOLIDARITY IS A VERB | LA SOLIDARIDAD ES UN VERBO
Why Worker Cooperatives Should Build Connections to Social Justice Movements
Join the USFWC's Racial & Economic Justice Council in conversation about why it's important for worker coops to be connected to social movements. We'll also have worker owners present their experiences and concrete strategies for workplaces to connect and support with social movements. Sustainable Economies Law Center is a member of the Racial & Economic Justice Council.
This webinar will be presented in English and Spanish and is intended for members and staff of worker cooperative businesses.
Cost: This webinar is free, but we appreciate donations to support the ongoing work of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives' Racial & Economic Justice Council.
About the Presenter: The USFWC Racial & Economic Justice Council is a member space dedicated to discussing how to best use the space to elevate racial and economic justice issues.
Por qué las cooperativas deben crear conexiones con los movimientos de justicia social
Fecha y hora: Lunes, 25 de febrero, 9:30 - 11:00 am (Pacífico)
Cuota de inscripción: Este webinar es gratuito, pero agradecemos las donaciones para apoyar el trabajo del Consejo Miembrx de Justicia Racial y Económica de la USFWC.
Únase al Consejo de Justicia Racial y Economías de USFWC en una conversación sobre por qué es importante que las cooperativas de trabajadores estén conectadas con los movimientos sociales. También haremos que lxs propietarixs de lxs trabajadores presenten sus experiencias y estrategias concretas para que los lugares de trabajo se conecten y apoyen con los movimientos sociales.
Este webinar será presentado en inglés y español.
Sobre los presentadores: El Consejo de Justicia Racial y Economías de USFWC es responsable de conectar a los trabajadores propietarios y miembrxs de la USFWC con movimiento más amplios para la justicia racial y económica.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 05:30 PM
Fruitvale Senior Center in Oakland, CACafecito Legales
Sustainable Economies Law Center y Prospera presentan ¡Cafecitos Legales!
Sustainable Economies Law Center se complace en asociarse con Prospera para presentar ¡Cafecitos Legales!, una primera serie de talleres en español que cubren preguntas que con frecuencia se plantean los emprendedores y trabajadores inmigrantes. En esta primera Cafecito, discutiremos finanzas de las cooperativas.
Le invitamos a que venga a compartir sus preguntas y experiencias. Este taller es gratuito y estará totalmente en español.
Sustainable Economies Law Center and Prospera present ¡Charlas Legales!Sustainable Economies Law Center is excited to partner with Prospera to present ¡Cafecitos Legales!, a first-of-its-kind series of Spanish language workshops covering questions that frequently come up for immigrant worker cooperatives. In this upcoming cafecito, we will discuss cooperative finances.
We invite you to to come and share your questions and experiences. This workshop is free to attend and will be entirely in Spanish.
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Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 05:30 PM
Bay Area Black Worker Center in Oakland, CAThink Outside the Boss: East Oakland
Cooperative Workshops for the Black CommunityThink Outside the Boss provides community members an introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business. We go over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment, and community wealth-building.
We'll be presenting Think Outside the Boss over three sessions. This first workshop session will cover:
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What is a worker-owned business?
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What are advantages of forming a cooperative business?
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What are legal entities and what should you consider before forming one?
If you are an African American entrepreneur starting a business, an existing business owner thinking about succession plans and you have Black workers, or an existing worker coop with black worker-members looking for a refresher, this training is for you! >>> RSVP BELOW!
Food and drinks provided!
Workshop Session 2 will cover:
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How do you spread ownership and control across a group of people?
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What are some models of participatory management and democratic governance?
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How does employment laws effect worker coops?
Workshop Session 3 will cover:
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How do you raise money for a cooperative?
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What are the tax and accounting issues in a cooperative?
Attorneys, artists, law students, and experienced cooperative professionals will give short presentations on legal issues, governance structures, financing, cooperative conversion, and more! At the event, we will have bound copies of the Think Outside the Boss manual for paying attendees! You can also download it for free prior to the event here.
This event is being sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation and Repaired Nations and hosted by the Bay Area Black Worker Center. Thank you!
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Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 12:00 PM · $5.00 USD · 28 rsvps
Online webinar in Oakland, CANonprofit Law 101 (CLE Webinar)
This lunchtime webinar will clarify common questions and misconceptions about forming and running a nonprofit organizations. Presenters will walk participants through the lifecycle of a charitable organization and answer questions like:
- What is a fiscal sponsorship?
- How do I apply for tax exemption and what are the different types of tax exempt categories?
- What types of commercial activities can a nonprofit engage in?
- What are the rules for fundraising out of state?
...and many others! This webinar is for both lawyers and non-lawyers.
About the Presenters
Cameron Holland specializes in tax, corporate, and regulatory law as applicable to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. She regularly represents public charities, schools, churches, private foundations, business leagues, and social welfare organizations on a variety of issues, including formation, governance, tax compliance, contracts, employment, international activities, and corporate changes. The Law Office of Cameron Holland offers comprehensive legal services for small to medium-sized nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations at every stage of development.
Charlotte Tsui is a Staff Attorney with Sustainable Economies Law Center in Oakland. She started her legal career as a Skadden Fellow at the same organization with a project focused on expanding access to legal services for immigrant cooperatives. Her interest in issues of development, inequality, and poverty stem in large part from her experiences growing up in the Philippines and as a first-generation immigrant to the United States. Since joining the Law Center, Charlotte has counseled worker cooperatives and nonprofit clients on issues ranging from entity formation, employment law, and tax compliance. $25 registration for attorneys seeking CLE credit.*
$5 registration fee for all others.
*This activity has been approved for 1.5 MCLE credits by the California Bar.
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Tuesday, March 05, 2019 at 05:00 PM
East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, CALegal Cafe at EBCLC (Adeline)
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe is a first-come, first-serve, donation-based legal advice clinic, providing a collaborative space for community building and connecting.
This Legal Cafe is hosted by our partners, the Community Economic Justice Clinic at the East Bay Community Law Center. They're pretty awesome.
Everyone is welcome to attend this cafe. Please RSVP below.
For more information about the Legal Cafe, including the areas of law we specialize in, our upcoming teach-ins, and more, please visit www.theselc.org/cafe.
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Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 05:00 PM
Alchemy Collective Cafe in Berkeley, CALegal Cafe at Alchemy
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe is a first-come, first-serve, donation-based legal advice clinic, providing a collaborative space for community building and connecting.
This Legal Cafe is hosted by Alchemy Collective Cafe, a worker-owned cooperative business that serves delicious coffee and pastries! And, they host our Legal Cafes at NO CHARGE to the Law Center! Thanks, Alchemy!!!
Everyone is welcome to attend this cafe. Please RSVP below.
For more information about the Legal Cafe, including the areas of law we specialize in, our upcoming teach-ins, and more, please visit www.theselc.org/cafe.
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Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 06:00 PM
Sustainable Economies Law Center in Oakland, CAPolicy Cafe: Local Ballot Initiatives and Participatory Budgeting
We warmly invite you to our Policy Cafe about Ballot Initiatives and Participatory Budgeting, a two-part event (you can come to both or either!):
1. From 6:00PM - 7:00PM: Teach-In
From 6:00PM - 7:00PM, Shawn McDougal and Kyle Donnely of the Community Democracy Project will share their experiences in an all-volunteer campaign working to bring participatory budgeting to Oakland with the ballot initiative process.
2. From 7:00PM - 7:45PM: One-on-One Policy Consultations
From 7:00PM to 7:45PM, bring your policy idea (whether it’s participatory budgeting-related or not) and we’ll facilitate individualized brainstorming sessions, where you can get advice on questions such as:
What are the next steps after I have come up with my policy idea?
How do I draft a ballot initiative?
How can I get involved with the Community Democracy Project?
This event is part of our Transformative Policymakers project, and it’s modeled after our Resilient Communities Legal Cafe, which provides donation-based legal advice for the community.
And there will be snacks!
About the Presenters
Shawn McDougal, Founder of Community Democracy Project
Shawn McDougal is an educator and change-maker who is committed to creating a more just and humane world. When he is not being a math professor or CDP co-director, he likes to ride his bike, dance, and gaze at beautiful skies.
Kyle Donnely, Member of Community Democracy Project
Kyle Donnely's background in philosophy and the arts has led to a conviction that solidarity created by communities working together is the path to justice.
