Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Early Help & Networking

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

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The following is from a handout of the Puget Sound Cohousing Network.  =

There is also a list of resources (Books and magazine articles) which I =

can send if interested.

Getting Started: The first 7 steps

These are some of the elements to consider working on in the first =

months you spend together.  This assumes you have a core group of at =

least 2-3 households and have read the book Cohousing: A Contemporary =

Approach to Housing Ourselves  by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durret.

1. Define and write up a vision/goals statement which defines the =

intentions and directions of the community.

This should clearly state why you are doing cohousing and what you hope =

to achieve as a group.  If you have particular values such as =

environmental or diversity it should be stated here.  Give it to every =

future member.  It will also give some practice in working together to =

a common agreement, something you will be doing a lot of as time goes by.

2. Create group membership, decision and communications processes.  You =

need to answer the following questions:

Who are members? What is the process and qualifications to become a member?

Investment =3D commitment and requiring enough of a non-refundable =

investment to be serious, such as $100 will clearly identify the real =

committed from the onlookers.  Members will need to invest several =

thousand dollars to cover all the pre-construction development costs so =

a hundred bucks is really not very much money.

How are decisions made? Who gets to make them?

Start with a 3/4 majority vote. Learn about consensus before you commit =

 your group decision making to it.  Allow only members to vote but =

allow anyone to offer ideas and opinions.

How will meetings be run? Who gets to talk, when?

Having someone hold the role of facilitator helps enormously.  Practice =

by asking everyone for their opinions, summarizing ideas, =

brainstorming.  The resources have some good books about facilitation.

How will conflicts be handled/resolved?  When we don=92t agree how will =

we work it out?

Spend time together besides meetings.  Having lots of parties and =

rituals together to grow bonds.  Also ask around for family counselor =

references and search out someone who could be a mediator in a dispute =

or who could help the group make a tough decision.  Create a plan for =

resolving conflicts before you have any.

How will records be kept? Who takes notes, how are they distributed and =

to whom.

Take turns taking notes.  At the end of the meeting be sure to assign =

any tasks to specific volunteers with dates due and read quickly =

through the notes about any decisions made so what is in the notes is =

accurate and agreed to.

How will new members be brought up to speed?

Record your decisions in a decision document and hand it out to new =

members.  When you get to about a dozen people assign new members a =

"buddy" who explains the processes and history.


3. Define your  financial structures. You should answer the following =

questions:
=B7 How will expenses get paid?  Does every one pays an equal share?  Do =

some who can afford to, pay more?
=B7 Who will keep records of what has been paid?
=B7 Is there a membership fee? How much?
=B7 Will payments be refunded? If so, how?

4.  Incorporate.  It costs little to incorporate and this protects your =

personal assets from any future legal encumberment. Being incorporated =

also lends legitimacy to your organization in the eyes of banks and =

other agencies.

5.  Create bylaws based on the decisions made in number 2.  These will =

be changed several times - the purpose is to write down your agreements =

so you don=92t forget them and to create a record you can refer to.

6. Get a bank account.  Once you incorporate you will be able to get a =

tax ID number and a corporate bank account.  Use this for all =

expenditures and put someone responsible in charge of keeping track.  =

Income you generate is taxable, at both state and federal levels in =

some cases.

7.  Collect assessments from members.  I suggest $25 a month.  Along =

with an initial $100 investment this will identify those who are =

committed and also painlessly raise some startup capital for mailing, =

legal paperwork, advertising, etc.

After you have accomplished these first steps you will be ready to =

acquire a site, hire your professionals, and move into the reality of =

developing real estate in your area.

Rob Sandelin
Puget Sound Cohousing Network
Building a better society, one neighborhood at a time