Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: dues and an experimental structure

[George Marx (gmarx]

My Sense - with a limited experience with East Bay Coho (EBCOHO) is that an
Umbrella Group will make sense When:

1.)     There is a small (at least) core group who are willing and able to do
the work of coordinating things "for the better of the group" and/or

2.)     Where those doing the work are already living in a Coho Community or
are part of an existing group in formation (and not overwhelmed with their
work in it) and/or

3.)     Where the group work builds a small form of "community" - rather than
becoming a "work group" only and/or

4.)     Where the umbrella group has limited achievable goals and a good focus
on those goals, not overdoing things for the energy level of its members.

(these may overlap with each other.)

My sense is that it may be easy - particularly where there is no coho site
and it is difficult to find a doable one in one's area,  for an umbrella
group to have problems where the agendas of its members potentially
conflict with each other such as when some wanting to find a site asap (and
then not have time for the umbrella group) while others are less driven in
the short-run etc.  A comfort level with each other through play as well as
work may be important with this.

One big advantage of the site-focused group (as opposed to the umbrella
group) is that it is forced to clarify its priorities and it develops ways
of surviving as a healthy community (or it falls apart).   An umbrella
group can do similar things but it also can end up with a lot of work, and
less clear focus (where others may want to join "when it gets its s__t
together" or when there is a site that one wants to focus on) where group
members seemingly are working endlessly with little to show for it.

I think that the umbrella group is important!   It's also not always easy
to keep going.

Thanks!

George Marx, Alameda, California
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