Voluntary and Open Membership is the principle that protects the fundamental human rights of interested parties. It establishes that no individual or organization can turn a person into a willing participant, and that their involvement has to come from a place of genuine interest. Voluntary membership also allows for freedom of association, allowing members to opt-in or -out of membership at their choosing.

Cooperatives are founded on the ideals of democracy. Every member plays an integral role in making decisions that affect the organization as a whole. The cooperative makes crucial choices, adds or reforms policies and elects new representatives as a group. All of the members have equal voting rights, with one ballot per individual, and elected officials hear every person’s voice.

Since all members are affected by the co-op’s choices, as they all hold the same status, it’s natural that they should have the power of decision

To maintain fairness, members contribute and receive equitably from the cooperative. Because OMEC is a not-for-profit organization, any revenue above and beyond our operating expenses is returned to our members in the form of capital credits after it has been retired by the member-run Board of Directors each December.

Maintaining an autonomous and democratically run organization is essential to cooperation. Without these two factors, co-ops would have no self-identity and would have no unique connections to share. They also ensure the members can continue to run the co-op by self-governing, regardless of their relationships and agreements with commercial entities and national governments. Securing democratic practices is especially important when it comes to working with sources of capital.

Not only is it imperative that the employees and directors attend regular trainings and classes to maintain the most up to date knowledge of their respective fields, but these classes help us to educate our membership as well as our elected officials about what's going on in the Cooperative world. Teaching the wider public about the history, principles and day-to-day operations of a co-op can create a stronger, more supportive local community.

Overall, continual education is crucial for a cooperative to function. Regardless of how far a co-op’s outreach goes, there’s always a core purpose in mind — to nurture a more complete understanding of the nature of cooperation as well as to emphasize its benefits.

Co-ops often lend support to other co-ops through mutual aid, shared resources, sharing best practices, and so much more. Creating a stable structure establishes independent co-ops as both social and economic entities in relation to other groups and organizations. Forming these networks allows co-ops and their collaborators to gain a mutual benefit from one another, rather than to compete against one another for profit, like non-cooperative businesses. Working together emphasizes the value of solidarity.

All cooperatives focus on their internal communities, but they are also concerned with their local communities outside of the organization. Co-ops source materials from and invest in local suppliers to contribute to the community’s sustainability. While the group works as a unit, each member should also take it upon themselves to contribute to the community in some way.

Many of OMEC's staff and Directors are involved in other organizations that benefit the surrounding communities and we encourage our members to do the same! From church and fire department volunteers to serving on village, school, and town boards to coaching football, hockey, baseball and wrestling, your OMEC crew gives back whenever and wherever they can!