What is a cooperative?

Cooperatives are people-centered enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations.

Cooperatives bring people together in a democratic and equal way. Whether the members are the customers, employees, users or residents, cooperatives are democratically managed by the 'one member, one vote' rule.

The cooperative movement is far from being a marginal phenomenon. At least 12% of humanity is a cooperator of any of the 3 million cooperatives on earth.

What is the Zebras Unite Cooperative

Dazzle LCA (Limited Cooperative Association), d/b/a Zebras Unite Co-Op,  is a cooperative owned by the community of founders and investors who are building the next economy. The Zebras Unite Co-Op is the operating entity through which we offer services, events and networking opportunities for the community; conduct programming related to our capital, culture, and community priorities; and provide the infrastructure for local chapters around the world.

The Zebras Unite Co-Op makes money from its membership, educational offerings and events, licensing agreements, and consulting and service delivery. Membership in the Dazzle CoOp will entitle shareholders to special offers, access to chapter and other events, and of course to the patronage dividends as and when our commercial activities start generating profits.

We chose a cooperative structure to share power and value with the diverse stakeholders that make up the Zebras Unite community.

Who are the Shareholders of the Zebras Unite Cooperative?

The Co-Op has four voting classes of shareholders, and one non-voting class. The voting shareholders are represented on the Co-Op board of directors with one or more seats. They are:

1. The Zebras Unite nonprofit (501c3) organization. It holds the golden share that gives it veto powers over certain decisions, anchoring the social mission of the Co-Operative.
2. The four “Dazzle Doulas”. These are the four women entrepreneurs (Jennifer Brandel, Astrid Scholz, Aniyia Williams, and Mara Zepeda) who first articulated the Zebras Unite vision and principles in 2017, and shepherded the emergence of the movement to date.
3. General Members. These are individuals and corporations who identify with the Zebra ethos. We are pleased to welcome a small number of Founding Members to the co-op who have contributed startup sweat equity.
4. Institutional Partners. These are highly aligned corporations, foundations, and other entities who are providing growth financing for the Co-Op and are playing an active role in the delivery of services and / or programming.
5. In addition, there is one non-voting class of shareholders for potential investors who provide financing but do not want or expect a governance role in the Zebras Unite Cooperative. Investors participate in dividends and realize a financial return from their investment according to pre-agreed terms .

What does it mean to be a General Member of the Dazzle Co-Op?

Each General Member owns a share of the Co-Op, and each share has a vote. This is different from a “subscription” or a “club” membership in that members and shareholders in the Co-Op also participate in the governance and decision-making for the Co-Op by voting according to their share class. Rather than merely being customers or consumers who pay for products and services, Zebras Unite Co-Op members are thus empowered as owners, participants, and creators who receive an annual dividend in proportion to the Co-Op’s growth and in proportion to their patronage. Rather than the benefits going only to those “at the top” or outside investors, the cooperative structure ensures that all members can participate and  benefit from the good that we create together. You have the chance to vote on the co-op's directors, policies, etc. For more, please read our by-laws.

What is patronage?