Join the movement and become part of Co-operatives Ireland.

We are creating a powerful platform to advocate for the growth of enterprises owned by the people who matter most – their communities, their producers, and their employees.

Membership is open to co-operatives and inclusive, democratic enterprises of all kinds, as well as supportive organisations and individuals who share our values.

The process is simple — scroll down below to submit an expression of interest and start your journey with us.

 

Membership and Governance at a glance

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You can find a summary of how our membership and internal democracy works below. For more information, please review our Constitution.

  • a. Full members

    Co-operatives registered as societies or companies, or unincorporated associations which have demonstrated to the Committee that they abide by all seven co-operative principles and have their registered address on either jurisdiction on the island of Ireland.

    Any other democratic and inclusive enterprise or organisation which has demonstrated to the Committee they abide by the co-operative principles of open and voluntary members and member democratic control and have their registered address on either jurisdiction on the island of Ireland.

    Full members have full voting rights in general meetings.

    b. Associate members 

    Cooperative organisations which do not comply with the criteria for full membership and support the purpose of the Association may join as Associate members.

    Individuals who support the purpose of the Association may join as Associate members.

    In principle, those members who are eligible for membership under article 3(a) shall not be accepted as associate members. 

    Associate members have no voting rights in general meetings, but may vote for positions on the Management Committee as provided for in the Rules.

  • To ensure broad representation across the movement, full members are grouped into five classes when electing the Management Committee:

    Class C: - Consumer/Community Co-operatives, Mutuals and other community enterprises/organisations

    This class includes but is not limited to community co-ops, consumer co-ops, energy co-ops, housing co-ops, mutuals and credit unions.

    Class W: - Worker Co-operatives and other employee-owned enterprises/organisations

    This class includes but is not limited to worker co-operatives and employee ownership trusts.

    Class P: - Producer Co-operatives and other producer-owned enterprises/organisations

    This class includes but is not limited to producer co-operatives, farmer co-operatives and other producer owned enterprises/organisations.

    Class F: Consortium Co-operatives and other shared services enterprises

    This class includes but is not limited to consortium co-operatives and other mutual organisations providing shared services to their members.

    Class O: Other co-operative, inclusive and democratic enterprises/organisations

    This class includes but is not limited to multistakeholder co-operatives and enterprises, and any other organisation that does not clearly fit within any other class.

  • Each full member has one vote in general meetings.

    Associate members do not have a vote at General Meetings, except to vote for their representatives on the Management Committee.

  • Co-operatives Ireland is governed by a Management Committee of between five and twelve members, elected by and from our membership.

    • Class representatives: Five members are elected by the five membership classes (one per class).

    • At-large members: Five are elected by all full members as a whole.

    • Associate representatives: Two are elected by associate members, which includes individual supporters.

    Every member organisation appoints a named representative to exercise their membership rights.

Expression of Interest to join Co-operatives Ireland

Any organisation or individual interested in joining us can use the form below. Each membership application is handled personally by a member of our team, who will follow up with you to finalise the content of the application that goes to the our Board for approval.