Compare models
Begin with people, purpose and control.
Compare the questions different models raise. This is a guide to a conversation, not a tool that selects your legal form.
Who belongs — and what should you ask?
| Model or activity | Typical member group | A useful question |
|---|---|---|
| Worker co-ops | People who work in the business | How do people become members, delegate management and hold decision-makers accountable? |
| Housing co-ops | Residents or people with a shared housing need | What rights and responsibilities come with a home, and how are repairs, costs and participation managed? |
| Credit unions | People within an eligible common bond | Am I eligible, what are the current product terms, and which protections apply to this particular product? |
| Agricultural co-ops | Farmers or other producers | What must members supply or buy, how are service costs shared, and how are competing interests resolved? |
| Energy co-ops & community energy | Members supporting energy activity | What activity am I joining, how is it governed, and what obligations or investment risks would I accept? |
| Consumer co-ops | Customers or service users | How can members influence priorities, elect representatives and see what has been done with their input? |
| Social-purpose co-ops | Members organised around a social purpose | Who owns and controls the organisation, who benefits, and how is the mission reflected in its governing documents? |
| Multi-stakeholder co-ops | Two or more member groups | How are different interests represented and what happens when groups disagree about priorities? |
Five questions for any model
- Purpose: what need are you meeting and who benefits?
- Membership: who can join, leave and participate?
- Control: which decisions belong to members and what is delegated?
- Money: how does the business trade, raise capital and use surplus?
- Assets: what happens to property and reserves if the organisation changes or closes?
There is no automatic answer about size, pay, funding eligibility, investment return or resilience attached to a model. Look at the actual rules, business and operating practice.
ICA’s co-operative identity explains the shared principles. FCA guidance distinguishes registered societies, and GOV.UK explains the range of social enterprise forms.