October 2023 Newsletter

Guild News, Community Events, Jobs and Announcements 


October 13th: 2023 Board Elections Q&A Coffee Chat 


In anticipation of the upcoming Board elections, the Cooperative Professionals Guild is hosting a Coffee Chat featuring some of the current Directors of CPG. The event will be held on Friday, Oct. 13th, at 10am PT/12pm ET via Zoom. If you’re a Member of CPG and you’re considering nominating yourself for Board elections, or have questions about the election process, we encourage you to join us at the coffee chat. Register here. You’re also welcome to send questions to nominationscircle@professionals.coop. 

The period for Members to nominate themselves for Board elections opened October 2nd and will close on October 15th; submit a nomination form by October 15th. Board elections will be held online, and will open on October 20th and close November 2nd.

November 2-4, 2023: Annual CPG Conference and Member Meeting in Chicago

    Registration is now open for the Cooperative Professionals Guild’s first in-person conference since 2019. The 2023 Cooperative Professionals Guild Conference will be held at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (formerly John Marshall Law School) from 9am on Thursday, November 2nd to midday on Saturday, November 4th, 2023. 

    This will be the first CPG conference since the Guild’s incorporation as a nonprofit in 2022, so in addition to sessions, plenaries, and site visits, the conference will include an Annual Members’ Meeting on November 3rd. Guild volunteers will present an annual report, Members will elect a new Board to replace the initial Board, and the group will discuss and make decisions about the nonprofit’s future. 

    The conference schedule and registration link can be found here. Members and subscribers can use the discount code emailed to them on September 14th. A remote access option will be available for most conference activities. We will send out a detailed schedule, Board nomination instructions, and an annual meeting agenda in the coming weeks. 


    We have reserved a block of private and shared rooms at the Chicago Hostelling International location; attendees can contact the Hostel to book with the block, or book dorm accommodations directly on the website. https://hihostels.com/hostels/hi-chicago/.


    Photographs are from CPG’s last in-person conference in 2019, which was also held at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. 

    Job opportunities 

    • Key Figures is a fully remote worker-owned financial services coop specializing in bookkeeping and tax preparation. They are growing and currently hiring for two positions: Tax Accountant and Client Accounting Specialist. For more information go to https://www.keyfigures.coop/join-our-team. 

    Community announcements

    • The IRS has requested comments on Form 1120-C, along with a lot of other forms.  Comments to the IRS are due November 27. Notices, 88 Fed. Reg. 66,123 (Sept. 26, 2023). Teree Castanias adds, “If you have an issue or comment on Form 1120-C, we could discuss it here also.” 

    • SELC Fellow & Guild Member, Kelsey Jae of Boise, Idaho is excited to announce her practice has earned the status of Certified B Corporation! She is licensed in Oregon and Idaho and eager to expand her network! Here is a link to the announcement graphic. 

    Community upcoming events 

    • Oct. 20-21: Co-op Cincy and 1worker1vote are hosting their biennual Union Co-op Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. This year’s theme is “From Dream to Action: The Transformative Power of Co-ops, Labor, and Community”. Find more information and register here. 

    • Oct. 23, Nov. 13: The People’s Hub will be hosting bilingual English/Spanish Solidarity Economy workshops this fall: Intro to Solidarity Economy Movements (10/23) and Liberation Culture: Applying Solidarity Economy Principles and Practices (11/13). Please share with your Spanish language cooperatives! An event invitation is included on the left. 

    • Nov. 2-4: Cooperative Professionals Guild annual conference and member meeting, Chicago, IL. Hybrid. Register here. 

    • Nov. 29- Dec. 1: 4th International Forum of Cooperative Law, San Sebastian, Basque Country. Hybrid. 

    Participate in the Cooperative Professionals Guild

    The Cooperative Professionals Guild is a growing network of co-op professionals created by us, for us. We’re currently volunteer-run. Here are some ways you can participate: 

    • Submit community listings for the next newsletter using this Google form;

    • Send messages to the CPG network by emailing the CPG listserv at  members@professionals.coop;

    • Attend meetings or join governance circles. Circle members are also eligible to join the General Circle. 

    If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time by emailing a request to info@professionals.coop.