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This is the last week of national co-op month. The theme this year, “Build Back for Impact,” is a rallying cry for all of us, whether we belong to a cooperative or not. Many – perhaps most of us – do, as consumers, producers or workers. Credit union members – not account holders, but owners – mutual insurance company policy holders – owners, again – and, of course, members of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op and Skagit farmers Supply are owners. So are Organic Valley farmers.

The theme, as co-op websites sum up, was chosen “to leverage our shared cooperative identity in the face of some of the biggest challenges we face: a global pandemic, climate emergency and systemic racism. As we build back an economy that works for everyone, our biggest impact comes from embracing the values and principles that make us truly unique.”

First and last, co-ops are businesses. They have to succeed economically. No profit, no business. No business, no meeting the needs of the member-owners. Since all members have an equal ownership stake, co-ops are democratically controlled. Owners all participate economically: surplus – another name for profit – allocation back to the business is decided by members. Members may get a patronage refund, based on their purchases.

Then there are the seven co-op principles, including education, cooperation among cooperatives and concern for community. These three lead to organizations that – hopefully – respond to the world around them by honestly defining and addressing a pandemic, a changing climate and systemic racism.

Do they have to bring up those issues? No, but they are this month because “Build Back for Impact” is this year’s theme. Managers, board members and leaders of well-run co-ops know that honesty is the best policy, whether it is in purchasing, employee relationships, marketing or dealing with the larger world beyond the doors of their businesses.

Beyond all our doors in these United States we seem intractably stuck with a pandemic, a changing climate and racism backed into our systems of being. Better to rally around the theme of building back with the goal of impacting – changing – these tragic conditions. Let’s move forward with developing plans, assigning tasks, naming results to target and working toward achieving those results.

Cooperation is a good idea whether we are members of cooperatives or not. Cooperation in the most basic unit, the family, at school or work, and in our larger community is the gold standard for moving forward. And we will not move forward if we are not together. Yes, we need to build back. The pandemic, we might get through that. There might be an end to that, in our lifetimes, in this decade. There is more of a chance for local, national and global success against that first scourge on the list of this year’s co-ops challenges.

Beating back, building beyond, having an impact that slows and stabilizes and maybe one day reverses climate change? Driving a stake through systemic racism? The only way we are going to make progress is cooperatively. Best that we take a lesson, take to heart and make these co-op principles real: Yes to education, training and information; cooperation among co-ops – and among all of us; and concern for community every day all year round. We are reminded every October of why co-ops are a critical and successful social and economic component in communities across the United States.