What do you get when you cross a worker cooperative with a nonprofit? A worker self-directed nonprofit!

As the movement for economic and workplace democracy continues to grow, we think it is vitally important that nonprofit organizations also internalize and practice workplace democracy. 

So what's a worker self-directed nonprofit? We define a worker self-directed nonprofit as a nonprofit organization in which all workers have the power to influence the programs in which they work, the conditions of their workplace, their own career paths, and the direction of the organization as a whole. Our own experience practicing worker self-direction and an emerging body of research both show that distributing leadership throughout an organization can create organizations that are more effective at advancing their mission, more adaptable and responsive to complex systems, more accountable to their communities, and more equitable and fun places to work! 

There are lots of reasons to be critical of the nonprofit industry, like their reliance on big funders and professionals, but in our view, all entity types are just tools that can be used for different ends. We should not abandon nonprofits. We should democratize them!

Over the years we have continued to imagine and re-imagine our own organizational structure and culture. From this experience, and alongside our other movement peers, partners, and comrades, we have developed  resources and tools to support organizations practicing shared leadership. We also create regular spaces to offer advice, guidance and encouragement for groups in their organizational change journeys. 

And because we know the work of building liberatory cultures is never-ending, we also host a peer network of movement organizations practicing shared leadership to learn alongside one another, share resources and best practices, and offer support through sticky challenges.

If you are an organization or individual seeking support on your journey toward shared leadership and participatory democracy, you’ve come to the right place!  Check out the various tools and offerings created just for you by the Law Center.

The best ways to get tailored support for your organization are through our Resilient Communities Legal Cafe and Solidari-Tea Time. 

We also offer workshops and trainings on how to implement worker self-direction and shared leadership, like our popular Collaborate to Co-Liberate learning journey (see more below). Check our event calendar for upcoming events.

Collaborate to Co-Liberate

To dive into the many dimensions of building a worker self-directed nonprofit, check out Collaborate to Co-Liberate, our 12 module learning journey that explores the stickiest questions facing movement groups striving to build equitable, democratic, and life-giving organizations.  Modules cover themes including decision making, democratically distributing work, paying ourselves equitably, conflict resilience, facilitation, change management, and more!

Solidari-Tea Time

A companion to our Legal Cafes, Solidari-Tea Time provides opportunities for solidarity economy movement organizations to get advice, coaching and support with challenges you are experiencing on your organizational development journey. Solidari-Tea Time sessions can be structured as large group, small group, or 1:1 conversations in breakout rooms depending on participant preferences that day.

• Are you having trouble making decisions together? 

• Do you need support sharing work more effectively? 

• Are you having a hard time bringing in new members to your organization? 

• Are experienced members struggling to adapt to your new ways of working under shared leadership? 

• Are you experiencing conflict as you encounter growing pains? 

• Are you wondering what your next steps are as you transition to shared leadership?

You are not alone!  And we’re here to help.

Building organizations that align with our values of justice, shared leadership, and participatory democracy is challenging.  Bring your questions, challenges, and stumbling blocks to Solidari-Tea Time, and get support from consultants and practitioners experienced in building worker self-directed nonprofits, cooperatives, and other organizations practicing liberatory values.

Get Involved!

Join the Nonprofit Democracy Network to participate in a peer network for active and aspiring worker self-directed nonprofit workers. Connect with others, ask questions, and share resources about workplace democracy in nonprofit organizations.

For other questions about our work, contact Nicole [at] theselc.org.