Building Collective Power Across Multi-State Cooperatives

What happens when we build alliances across regions and leverage the buying power of community institutions for the benefit of our communities? Cooperative group purchasing has the potential to offer savings, insights, and solidarity across state lines that furthers the ability of each member to serve their local community. 

This past summer, the Community Purchasing Alliance Co-op (CPA) witnessed the power of this solidarity when community organizations from multiple regions came together to push back against unfair energy charges. Following a group gas purchase of DC, Maryland, and Massachusetts nonprofits and community institutions, one participating organization identified a discrepancy on their bill. The energy company was measuring volumetric gas usage in a way that differed from what was requested in the group Request for Proposal (RFP). The outcome was a higher effective rate to participants by roughly 4%. The energy company’s initial response regarded the discrepancy as a miscommunication and deflected accountability. 

The co-op came together. Dozens of organizations that had been part of the group purchase met to understand the issue and identify a pathway forward. A consensus emerged to demonstrate the group’s collective dissatisfaction and desire to find a good-faith resolution through a collective letter directed to the company’s leadership. In response, the company made an offer to rectify the discrepancy with a credit and adjustment for each organization that had participated in the group purchase across its multiple states. 

What began with one organization’s frustration around rate reliability and transparency in vendors served to secure fair practices for dozens of community organizations that serve thousands of community members across the country. Together, we have greater power than any of us wields individually. Building cooperative alliances across state lines and geographic boundaries builds the collective power of community organizations for the benefit of our communities.