What next for the FairShares Association?

Hi Rory

Thanks for posting. For me the Fairshares approach has always been an interesting one and deserves wider attention and development. It feels like something that is in a relatively early stage of development, and something that has yet to establish key relationships with allied and adjacent areas of interest.

So in terms of what next or where next, I would encourage active dialogue with things like Zebras Unite, the B-Corp thing, the cooperative development community (which as far as I'm aware has always looked askance at Fairshares), etc. I'd like to see it developed beyond what I see a rather niche quasi-academic project into something more mature and much more widely used and supported in the real economy. Of course that will all take time and resource that may not be available.

Graham,

Thanks for the response. I think FairShares moved out of being 'a quasi-academic idea' some time ago, with the adopting and use of FairShares by the Evoluter incubator at Evolutesix, and more recently the Solve Earth eco-entrepreneur network. Both organisations are themselves FairShares companies, and teach their entrepreneurial startups about FairShares. Ideas spawned in academia go where they find fruitful soil and the (worker) co-op community is a relatively conservative (small 'c') bunch when it comes to multi-stakeholder organising, and there are still powerful voices who speak against it, despite its recognition and adoption at the highest level in the co-op movement.

In terms of your suggestions, are you willing/able to pursue the dialogue you suggest? I have no plans to be proactive in this field now I'm in retirement (what energy I have left has switched to music composition and golf - I have unfinished business for both from long before my academic career started). I can support a handover to whoever wants to be active, but don't plan to lead any more.

Hi Rory,

Thank you for updating us on what's happening with Fairshares. I very much appreciate all the work that has been done for the model and approach, and for the training that I received from you. It has helped me think through new ways of setting up organizations. I was one of the users of the rules generator, and I found it helpful. Our LLC hasn't been in operation yet. My husband and I are still working on our ideas and at some point they will manifest. Fairshares is a significant part of our learning journey. I am interested in keeping up with what happens with the association and the rules generator in the future. I wish you all the best in your retirement and all your projects!

I have a sense there is continuing interest, but no-one (yet) wants to (re)form/(re)build an active board. With this in mind, I'll start to wind things down slowly whilst securing the assets that have been created for future generations.

With this in mind, the Loomio subscription came up for renewal. I've extended it to Jan 2023, but requested cancellation at the end of the current period. We can reverse this if a member proposes a new way to take development forward.

I'm a few weeks late seeing all of this! Rory your awesome work here on infrastructure needs to be in the commons in new hands somewhere, somehow!

Are you in discussion with logical takers offline at this stage?

I am envisioning some approaches to commonify this some more, to add some new contexts and directions.

Let's maintain these resources and connect more communities to the FairShares Association. 

Call me idealistic. Call me naive. 

I want to develop this further (as I just expressed by email to Rory). 

Let's do this, all.  

I say yes!     

Hi Graham, Dana, Jennifer

Echoing what Rory writes; we are steaming ahead full speed; I've 2 clients in Canada working on FS incorporation, 3 in the US, 1 in Czech Republic, and have recently completed one in Sweden. Our Startup Factory is due to begin the first cohort in Q2 this year, with the intent of delivering at least 10 companies this year.

Graham - would love to raise awareness with Zebras and BCorp folk! Have had initial connections, but limited followup - if you're able to please do! Craig and Marie can help on our side.

Jennifer, Dana - how might we be able to help? Drop Craig and Marie a line if you want to follow up.

Finally, check out my book, link below; sign up there for our mailing list and monthly webinars; and check out our youtube videos, e.g. this 54s one: https://youtu.be/b6VSQTL9nzE

Details of our startup factory and other programmes are here: https://www.evolutesix.com/startup-factory-overview

btw, I'm slower to respond here that my work email; and generally slow to respond! Craig may well be the fastest of us ..

thank you
Graham

Hi all,

Just to say, as a FairShares Coop that's operating in Ireland, deeply appreciate all the work to date.

On the Zebras point, the simplest engagement would be to join the Coop directly - intercooperation etc - whether as a member, or to focalise a Local Chapter in your area.

That's the way we looked at it when we joined anyway, so I guess we are a potential conduit for engagement?

Getting from a loose 'movement' to something more coherent, structured, and programmatic is my personal impression of the Zebras Unite Coop agenda, and building out internals over side-projects. Tl;dr, simplest way to talk to Zebras is to become one?

In solidarity,

Thom

I'd echo @dana 's comments and I'd be willing to host websites and other resources on one of my servers at low/no cost if that's helpful in order to ensure that stuff remains available and accessible. I'm sure others could make similar offers.

In terms of moving Fairshares concepts more into the mainstream, whilst the efforts of folks like Graham Boyd and others are laudable, it feels really marginal in terms of the scale, even for what is a relatively niche interest. As regards reaching our to allies and adjacent spaces, it seems a sensible strategy in order to achieve more scale and wider engagement/adoption, but that needs to be pursued as part of a structured approach, and building/leading on that isn't something I have the bandwidth to take on.