Consultancy Needed - Cooperative Empowerment Expert Cocoa Life

• Education and Counseling: Educating the management, supervisors, and members on cooperative values and principles (family-like cooperation, democracy, self-sufficiency, etc.).
• Organizational Revitalization: Helping to restructure the cooperative's organization to make it more effective and efficient.
• Capacity Building for Management and Supervisors: Training the management team in daily operational tasks and the supervisors in their oversight functions.
• Drafting Bylaws: Assisting in creating or revising the Cooperative's Articles of Association and Internal Rules to comply with regulations and meet the cooperative's needs.

• Simple and Accurate Bookkeeping: Training and guiding the management to maintain neat, transparent, and understandable financial records.
• Financial Reporting: Assisting in the periodic preparation of financial statements, including the Balance Sheet, Income Statement (Profit and Loss), and Notes to the Financial Statements.
• Cash and Capital Management: Providing guidance on managing cash flow, working capital, and member savings and loans.
• Work Plans and Budgets: Helping the cooperative prepare its Annual Work Plan and Budget (RAPB).

• Identifying Business Opportunities: Helping the cooperative identify viable business opportunities that match its members' resources and needs.
• Business Plan Development: Assisting in creating feasible and bankable business plans.
• Product/Service Development

• Regulation Socialization: Informing the cooperative about the latest regulations and policies.
• Administrative Assistance: Helping with licensing, legal entity ratification, and reporting to relevant government agencies.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring the cooperative meets its mandatory reporting obligations to the government.

• Acting as a Liaison: Serving as a bridge between the cooperative and government institutions (Department of Cooperatives), financial institutions, and other supporting bodies.
• Conflict Mediation: Acting as a neutral mediator in internal conflicts between management or between management and members.
• Facilitating Access to Capital: Helping the cooperative prepare proposals and documentation to access funding from banks or government programs.
• Providing input on developing new products or services, whether in savings/credit, joint ventures, or other business units.
• Marketing and Networking: Helping build marketing networks for the cooperative's products and establishing partnerships with other entities.

• In-Depth Knowledge of Cooperatives: Understands cooperative principles, values, and legal intricacies.
• Accounting and Financial Skills: Able to read, analyze, and teach simple bookkeeping.
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Capable of communicating effectively with diverse groups, from regular members to the board.
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Able to diagnose a cooperative's problems and offer practical solutions.
• Integrity and Neutrality: Acts with honesty, fairness, and impartiality.
• Patience and Motivational Skills: The process of empowering a cooperative takes time. A mentor must be patient and able to motivate others.

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