CCSSM Vision

• Promote the development and growth of the cooperative form and principals of commerce throughout the United States to the general public.
• Promote education and awareness for cooperative thrift and credit management to members throughout the United States.
• Assist members with obtaining the value and benefit of group purchasing through cooperative forms of business.
• Participate as a corporate citizen in supporting community needs and interests.

Values
Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.  In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

Organization
Organized in 1936 as a Cooperative under Rochdale's cooperative principles of:

• Open Membership
• Democratic Control - One vote per member
• Limited return on share capital
• Net surplus savings returned to members
• Political and Religious neutrality
• Focus and Strategic Positioning

Promote the Cooperative Form of Business

• Member of the National Cooperative Business Association
• Annual contributor to the Cooperative Development Fund

Cooperative Financial Services
Approved by CCSSM Board to be:

• Annual contributor to Shapiro Group for small credit unions
• Annual contributor to the World Council of Credit Unions

Consumer/Cooperative Education - General Public

• General public information on the Web page
• Annual scholarships to local high school students supporting cooperative education
  • Annual contributor to the National Endowment for Financial Education which support education in high schools

Corporate Citizenship
Contribute to various community programs which support good corporate citizenship

Financial Philosophy and Positioning
The strength and viability of the Co-Op is vested in our ability to obtain and retain a strong equity base. This equity is obtained through an annual membership renewal fee of $10.00 which is safely invested in financial institutions supporting the cooperative form of business. The earnings from equity are used to support our mission of expanding the cooperative form of business, supporting cooperative financial services, supporting general cooperative education and participating in cooperative group purchasing arrangements.

Patronage and participation is rewarded by providing access to cooperative forms of business and returning value to the community through the fulfillment of our mission.

Our financial philosophy is:

• To preserve equity
• Invest our equity safely
• Accumulate sufficient equity to spend earnings on equity of approximately $500,000 annually after which a portion of the life-time membership fee will also be used annually
• Minimize administrative expenses