Metz grant presentation

Issue Introduction

Overview and Explanation of Bloomington Cooperative Living

Why BCL needs the support of Metz Grant

Strategic Expansion Init iative (SEI) Explanation

Implementation of SEI

Wrap-Up

Question and Answer Session

AGENDA

"Cooperatives are a reminder ... that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social

responsibility."

–– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

recognizing 2012 as the International Year of the Co-op

BCL MISSION:

Provide affordable housing, while engendering an open and supportive community among its members, based on the values of cooperation, sustainability, democratic self-governance, self-sufficiency and healthy living.

Cooperation

VALUES

Self-Sufficiency

Sustainability

Healthy Living

Community

Self-Governance

Introduction BCL Overview Case for Metz SEI Explanation Implementation Wrap-Up

BCL is unique in that it

is an organization that

helps low-income

students help

themselves by

providing them with

the tools they need to

succeed and teaching

them how to use the

tools

NEED STATEMENT

21.9% of Monroe County residents are

below poverty line:

►15% of those are students or alumni

►40% of MC’s very poor residents

are aged 18-24 (8% IN average)

►RPS raises rates by at least 3%

annually

►Rising costs and lack of affordable

housing

►Off-campus student alienation

►Student transiency

95% of BCL members qualify for low-

income housing

►BCL Members save close to $3400

a year on housing as compared to

RPS housing.

►We have not raised our rent in 3

years.

►We welcome both student and non-

student residents.

►We create a community to avoid

alienation.

►Co-op institution provides continuity

and flexibilityISSUE

SOLUTION


BCL BUILDING BLOCKS OF OPERATION

donations and

recycling

town-gown

relationships

INTERNAL


Tasks

Decision making

Officers

THE BCL ALTERNATIVE

BCL

Monthly

Co-Op meetings

Land

Lord LiaisonTreasurerFood Buyer

Ad Hoc

Tasks

Individual

Cleaning

Chores

Weekly

PotlucksDaily Dinners

Weekly House

Meetings

Bulk Food

Purchases

Food

Donations

Furniture

RecyclingSavings


WHAT IS BCL?--FACTS

• Founded: 2007

• Status: Incorporated Federal 501(c)(3) not-for-profit ( since 2.2011)

• Governance: Democratic, member-run self-governance

• Target Market: low-income IU students and alumni

• Operation Strategy: Leveraging economies of scale, labor sharing

• Current Membership: 33 # of Houses: 3

• Annual Growth: + 13 members/ year , +1 house/ year

• Annual Operating Budget: $123, 975

• Room and Board Rates: $475 to $575 (monthly)

• Property management: Group lease from landlord

• Average Annual Member Savings: $ 3,368

UNDERGRADS26%

GRADS44%

ALUMNI26%

POST DOC4%

Member Composition:

5

18

33

45

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2009 2010 2011 2012

Annual growth

(August-May)

2010-2011

RPS

Room and

Board

BCL

Room and

Board

$8218 $4850

BCL Savings $3368 41% reduction


BCL PROPERTIES

Bag End

• Fall 2008

• 831 W. 6th St.

• 5 members

Helms Deep

• Fall 2009

• 630 E. Atwater

• 13 members

7/11

• Fall 2010

• 711 Kirkwood

• 5 members

Woodlawn

• Fall 2011

• Woodlawn Ave.

• 12 members

House

picture House

picture

House

picture

House

picture


RATIONALE

Need for affordable and flexible housing arrangement to

aid current or former students

Need for skills training in cooking, grocery

shopping, finances and household management

Need for welcoming, supportive

community off campus

Need for efficient and

sustainable living

Need for student

transiency mitigation

BCL provides flexible

affordable food and

housing

BCL teaches cleaning, cooking, living

with others, house management

BCL breaks isolation associated with poverty

through a peer-to-peer help network

BCL connects students with opportunities to grow

their own food, make and recycle furniture, clothing,

BCL, as an organizational entity, establishes a long-standing

relationships with landlords, city and university officials while

providing continuity to students


BCL ISSUE

SEI SOLUTION

►Strategic and structured

investments in the

organizational infrastructure

along the parameters of

►(a) Leadership

►(b) Operations and

►(c) Management

will provide in a more

stable and robust

infrastructure that will fuel

BLC’s continued growth

PROBLEM

►Because of strong demand for

affordable community living,

BCL has grown exponentially but

organically.

►Currently BCL lacks foundational

structure to support and provide

stability for sustainable growth of

the organization in the future


STRATEGIC EXPANSION INITIATIVE

• GOAL: Strategically expand BCL to provide affordable housing to a greater number of needy students

• OBJECTIVE: Improve BCL’s foundational structure along the parameters of Leadership, Operations

and Management

Leadership Operations Management

►Training

►Stipends

►Marketing

►IT infrastructure

►Office Space

►House Deposit

►Accounting

Strategic Expansion Initiative

Outcome

A stronger

cooperative

community better

prepared to support a

larger cooperative.

Outcome

An operational

foundation that can

support the quick

growth of the

cooperative.

Outcome

Increase in

accountability,

transparency and

stability of finances.


IMPACT ANALYSIS

IMPACT

►Better Need-Matching

►Building Community

►Organizational

Health

Outreach

►Social Capital

►Diversity

►Reputation

►Succession

Planning

Infrastructure

►Continuity

►Credibility

►Competence

►Capacity

Leadership

►Initiative

►Creativity

►Skills

►Strategy


SEI:BUDGET

Item Unit Cost Quantity Total Projected

A. New Desktop Computer $1000 1 $1000

B. QuickBooks Simple Start

Accounting Software

$13 per month 36 $468

C. Office Space in the IMU

Activities Tower

$1 per sq. foot 200 $200

D. NASCO Cooperative

Education and Training

Institute, program fees

$100 5 $500

E. Travel Expenses to NASCO

Institute

$26 5 $130

F. Advertising Budget N/A N/A $900

G. Rent Stipend for

Accountant

$600 1 $600

H. Need-based rent stipend $600 2 $1200

I. Savings for a Deposit to

Purchase a House

$200 per month 36 $7200

J. Indiana University Credit

Union Banking

$10 per month 12 $120

Total: $12318

BCL requests the support of the Metz Grant in the amount of $4998 to cover items A- H only.

Items I-J will be paid by BCL through additional sources of financing.


ADDITIONAL FUNDING

Additional Costs

$7320Parking Space Sales $2700

$ 660 Boarding Members

$3960 Member Savings


SEI IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

‘13

Winter

‘13

Fall

‘13

Summer

‘13

Spring

‘12

Winter

‘12

Fall

‘12

Summer

‘12

Spring

‘11

Winter

‘11

Fall

‘11

Summer

‘11

Spring

Leadership

NASCO Training

Stipends

Operations

IT Infrastructure

House Down-Payment

Management

Accounting

IMU Office Space

Outreach and Advertising


Issue Introduction

Overview and Explanation of Bloomington Cooperative Living

The case

Strategic Expansion Init iative (SEI) Explanation

Implementation of SEI

WRAP-UP

“Research based on field studies, laboratory and field experiments,

game theory, and agent-based models has conclusively demonstrated that it is possible for

individuals to act collectively to manage shared natural resources on a sustainable basis."

–– Elinor Ostrom , Nobel Prize Winner

and IU Professor

Q&A

APPENDIX

• Showcase:

• Potlucks

• BCL Alumni

• Sustainability

• What is NASCO?

• Effective SEI implementation parameters

• SEI Budget Visualization

• Key Contacts

• Works Cited

SHOWCASE: Sunday Potlucks

SHOWCASE: BCL Alumni

Emily Cheney- NASCO National Board

Zach Dwiel– High-tech Entrepreneurial Startup

Daniel Weddle –Bloomington Cooperative Plots

Eric Scott– Non Profit Management

Melanie Frank- Farmer’s Market Management

Currently all students who have

been members of BCL have either

graduated or are on track for

graduation. All alumni members

hold at least a part-time job.

SHOWCASE: Community

involvement

Open-Mic Wednesdays

Free Skool

Couch Surfer Hosting

SHOWCASE: Sustainability

Gardening and

Farming

Recycling

Bloomington

Grower’s Guild

Membership

EFFECTIVE SEI IMPLEMENTATION

PARAMETERS

SEI BUDGET VISUALIZATION

Computer8%

Accounting Software 4%

IMU Office Space2% NASCO Training

4%

NASCO Travel1%

Advertising 7%

Treasurer's Stipend5%

Need-based Stipend

10%

House Deposit58%

Banking1%

Budget Break-Down

• NASCO is a foundation that aids in the establishment, growth, and training of student cooperatives across the United States.

• NASCO Institute: Ann Arbor Michigan November 4-6, 2011

• A cooperative educational workshop that teaches:• cooperative values

• how to expand and maintain a sustainable cooperative

• As an expanding cooperative it is important that we send representatives from BCL to this event to increase knowledge and strengthen our community.

• Cooperative members attending the institute are expected to return from NASCO Institute and share their new found knowledge to fellow BCL members formally at the monthly BCL co-op wide meeting.

• Grant money will be used to:• Pay NASCO Institute fee of $100 a person for 5 people totaling $500

• Partially subsidize travel expenses at $26 a person totaling $130

Membershpping Process

Submit an Application

Attend Events and Potlucks

Attend Membershipping

Dinner

Get voted on by current members

Sign room lease and BCL contract

LEARNIN’ SOME SKILLZ

► Elliott Hayden

[email protected]

812-391-4302

► Barbara Carroll

[email protected]

► Alexandra Chtchedrina

[email protected]

720-236-0250

► Seth Frey

[email protected]

812-650-2199

KEY CONTACTS

CONTACT US :

E-MAIL us:

[email protected]

Find us on the WEB:

http://bloomingtoncoop.org/ and

http://bloomington.freeskool.org/

Find us on FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/group

.php?gid=6203132425&ref=ts

Follow us on TWITTER:

bloomingtoncoop

mailto:[email protected]





http://bloomingtoncoop.org/

http://bloomington.freeskool.org/

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6203132425&ref=ts

Works Cited

• STATS Indiana. Information for Indiana. Bloomington: , Web. 3 Mar 2011. <http://www.stats.indiana.edu/profiles/profiles.asp?scope_choice=a&county_changer=18105&button1=Get+Profile&id=2&page_path=Area+Profiles&path_id=11&panel_number=1>.

• Greenburg, Sarah. "Homelessness in 2010: An Analysis of Indiana Cities ." School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Spring 2010. Web. 1 Mar 2011. <http://www.indiana.edu/~spea/pubs/undergrad-honors/volume-4/greenberg_sarah.pdf>.

• Bloomington, Indiana Poverty Rate Data - Information about poor and low income residents. Web. 3 Mar 2011.< http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Bloomington-Indiana.html>.

• IU Bloomington housing rates to increase by 3.22 percent. Web. 1 Mar 2011. <http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/2900.html>

http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Bloomington-Indiana.html

Government & Nonprofit

Metz grant presentation