And I love that idea. But I worked at a coop that didn't work that way at all. Maybe it was that the board and management had largely remain unchanged for year

And I love that idea. But I worked at a coop that didn't work that way at all. Maybe it was that the board and management had largely remain unchanged for years or that there was investment larger than normal ownership which may have incentivized board decisions towards returns and expansion. Regardless, there are multiple types from farmer coops, consumer coops, to employee/worker coops out there. and even within those divisions they're all handled in very different ways with different goals. If you're with one of the good ones, that's awesome, help them all you can. But be careful assuming that they all operate similarly.