Steering Team
Revised 06/08/09
The Community vs. Private Projects Guideline is intended to be a tool to help the community make decisions about whether proposed projects should be treated as community projects, private projects, or some hybrid (quasi-community). These decisions are generally triggered when members ask the community for resources to support a project. The guideline is also intended to give guidance about the type and amount of community support that might be given to private projects or quasi-community projects.
The significance of the distinction between community and private is that community projects receive the full benefit of community resources (including team management and labor, money, land, etc.). The community may choose to support private or quasi-community projects in a variety of ways and amounts: with tangible resources, with encouragement and blessings, or not at all.
The distinction between community and private projects is not always crystal clear, but hopefully these guidelines help clarify the extent to which the community may choose to become involved in various projects.
For the community to consider adopting a project as a community project, it must meet at least one of these three criteria:
Additional factors to consider in making the community vs. private project decision:
Benefits
What benefits does the project promise for members?
Benefits can include enjoyment, convenience, financial reward, connection, security, or any variety of other types of benefits members might derive from the project.
Resource Requirements
What resources will be required for project start-up and/or ongoing project maintenance?
Required resources can include labor, money, team management, stress, community energy, or any variety of other types of costs associated with the project.
The community already has a huge work load so we are careful to not add to that work load. Because we have members living here with a wide range of incomes, we strive to keep costs (HOA dues) affordable for all members.
It may be possible to offset some costs. For example, financial costs may be reduced by grant money received and labor costs may be reduced through the use of interns.
Risk
What are the risks? What are the upside and downside possibilities? What might be lost? What might be gained? How likely are the various outcomes? How can the risks be managed and/or mitigated?
Community Interest
Are there a lot of community members interested in the project?
Commercial Enterprises
Is it a commercial enterprise?
For the community to decide to adopt a commercial enterprise as a community project, the community must be the owner of the enterprise and receive the full rewards of ownership. Being the owner also subjects the community to the risks which are inherent in all commercial enterprises. Because those risks can be significant and are ultimately borne by every community member, a thorough assessment of benefits, resource requirements, and risk are especially critical when considering adopting a commercial enterprise as a community project.
When a commercial enterprise is a private project, members may choose to participate in terms of labor, financial investment, risks, and rewards. When a commercial enterprise is a community project, members lose that choice and are ultimately required to participate in the financial investment, risks, and rewards through their HOA dues.
Embarking on commercial ventures would represent a new direction for our community. By definition, cohousing communities do not seek to generate shared income so embarking on a commercial venture would also represent a departure from the strict definition of a cohousing community.
For these various reasons, adopting a commercial enterprise as a community project should be approached with great caution and with our eyes wide open.
Community’s Role in Private and Quasi-Community Projects
The community may choose to embrace, celebrate, and support those private projects that are consistent with our stated values. Tangible support often comes in the form of providing space for the project. For example the Heartwood Store is a private enterprise that brings high benefits to community members so it is supported by the community in the form of providing a room for it in the common house. See also our Private Use of Community Resources Agreement.
Many “luxury” projects (e.g., tennis court, CH home theater, exercise equipment, skateboard ramps) are quasi-community projects. They are initially funded privately and then donated to the community so the community ends up with minimal costs and many benefits. ”Luxury” items are generally funded with only 50% replacement reserves based on the assumption that the other 50% of the replacement funds will come from private donations.
Revised 06/08/09
The Community vs. Private Projects Guideline is intended to be a tool to help the community make decisions about whether proposed projects should be treated as community projects, private projects, or some hybrid (quasi-community). These decisions are generally triggered when members ask the community for resources to support a project. The guideline is also intended to give guidance about the type and amount of community support that might be given to private projects or quasi-community projects.
The significance of the distinction between community and private is that community projects receive the full benefit of community resources (including team management and labor, money, land, etc.). The community may choose to support private or quasi-community projects in a variety of ways and amounts: with tangible resources, with encouragement and blessings, or not at all.
The distinction between community and private projects is not always crystal clear, but hopefully these guidelines help clarify the extent to which the community may choose to become involved in various projects.
For the community to consider adopting a project as a community project, it must meet at least one of these three criteria:
- It directly supports a stated core community value. Examples include facilitator training, Community Meetings, mediated conflict resolution, Meetings of the Hearts, recycling, common meals, etc.
- It directly supports essential community infrastructure. Examples include water system, HOA bookkeeping, Community Meetings, membership recruitment, garden carts, wildfire mitigation, common area landscaping, etc.
- Sharing the resource / project is practical and makes economic sense (in terms of money and labor). Examples include water system, dumpster, S.S. Ponderosa, tractor, greenhouse, hot tub, laundry, open space, trails, garden carts, etc.
Additional factors to consider in making the community vs. private project decision:
Benefits
What benefits does the project promise for members?
Benefits can include enjoyment, convenience, financial reward, connection, security, or any variety of other types of benefits members might derive from the project.
Resource Requirements
What resources will be required for project start-up and/or ongoing project maintenance?
Required resources can include labor, money, team management, stress, community energy, or any variety of other types of costs associated with the project.
The community already has a huge work load so we are careful to not add to that work load. Because we have members living here with a wide range of incomes, we strive to keep costs (HOA dues) affordable for all members.
It may be possible to offset some costs. For example, financial costs may be reduced by grant money received and labor costs may be reduced through the use of interns.
Risk
What are the risks? What are the upside and downside possibilities? What might be lost? What might be gained? How likely are the various outcomes? How can the risks be managed and/or mitigated?
Community Interest
Are there a lot of community members interested in the project?
Commercial Enterprises
Is it a commercial enterprise?
For the community to decide to adopt a commercial enterprise as a community project, the community must be the owner of the enterprise and receive the full rewards of ownership. Being the owner also subjects the community to the risks which are inherent in all commercial enterprises. Because those risks can be significant and are ultimately borne by every community member, a thorough assessment of benefits, resource requirements, and risk are especially critical when considering adopting a commercial enterprise as a community project.
When a commercial enterprise is a private project, members may choose to participate in terms of labor, financial investment, risks, and rewards. When a commercial enterprise is a community project, members lose that choice and are ultimately required to participate in the financial investment, risks, and rewards through their HOA dues.
Embarking on commercial ventures would represent a new direction for our community. By definition, cohousing communities do not seek to generate shared income so embarking on a commercial venture would also represent a departure from the strict definition of a cohousing community.
For these various reasons, adopting a commercial enterprise as a community project should be approached with great caution and with our eyes wide open.
Community’s Role in Private and Quasi-Community Projects
The community may choose to embrace, celebrate, and support those private projects that are consistent with our stated values. Tangible support often comes in the form of providing space for the project. For example the Heartwood Store is a private enterprise that brings high benefits to community members so it is supported by the community in the form of providing a room for it in the common house. See also our Private Use of Community Resources Agreement.
Many “luxury” projects (e.g., tennis court, CH home theater, exercise equipment, skateboard ramps) are quasi-community projects. They are initially funded privately and then donated to the community so the community ends up with minimal costs and many benefits. ”Luxury” items are generally funded with only 50% replacement reserves based on the assumption that the other 50% of the replacement funds will come from private donations.