Cooperative Development Services
Cooperative Development Services is a nonprofit organization engaged in cooperative development in the United States. CDS works primarily with food cooperatives and senior housing cooperatives, providing consultation services and co-sponsoring conferences and programs for board members, managers and other professionals in the cooperative sector.
CDS has staff in Madison, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota and is run by a 12-member board of directors.
History
Cooperative Development Services was founded in 1985 by Rod Nilsestuen.Programs
Cooperative Board Leadership Development is a program providing support to the boards of food cooperatives. CBLD works with cooperatives to help define the role that Boards play in relation to staff.Policy Governance: A complete system of board leadership that is proactive, future-based and clearly differentiates between governance and management responsibilities. It empowers management while assuring accountability of performance.
Forestry cooperatives
Cooperative Development Services assists in the development of sustainable forestry cooperatives and associations. Since 1998, CDS has been involved in the formation of 25 forestry cooperatives. CDS has received nearly $1 million in grant assistance from the United [States Department of Agriculture|USDA]'s rural cooperative development grants program.CDS is a founding partner in WoodWorks, a network of organizations that provide services to forestry cooperatives.