Cooperatives are businesses which are owned by their members – people like you – who
have an equal say in how the cooperative is run, and share the profit the business makes
among each other. Cooperatives put people before profit.

1 out of 5 people in the EU is a member of a cooperative

Cooperatives are leaders of change, offering a fair and sustainable vision of the world where economic growth and social change exist in harmony. This is why cooperatives have been recognized as key partners for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their unique position in transforming lives through democracy, education and self-help puts people and communities in charge of their own livelihoods.

#CoopsInspireChange is a citizen cross-cutting campaign of the European cooperative movement coordinated by Cooperatives Europe. It is a social media campaign that will showcase examples of cooperative contribution across Europe directly through the citizens and communities.

Join the campaign! Show us how #CoopsInspireChange

This May European citizens will determine the direction the European Union will take by voting in the Elections of the new European Parliament. It’s time to show the huge impact cooperatives have on communities and citizens in Europe and worldwide. It’s time to show how #CoopsInspireChange. Join our campaign!

We want our future representatives to see the impact cooperatives have across the EU and discover each-other’s initiatives while encouraging our communities to vote.

The social media action will cross over with European Parliament’s #ThisTimeImVoting campaign.

Show & tell: #CoopsInspireChange

Take a photo or a video with our postcard printable and speech bubbles and tell us (or show!) how #CoopsInspireChange for you. Get creative and get everyone involved.

  1. Print out the postcard printable and fill it out
  2. Better together: Get yourself, your team, members, your achievements in front of a phone or a camera. You can use fun speech bubbles and posters.
    Hold them up!
  3. Take a photo or a video: hold up the postcard and take photo with it. Even better: hold it up and read it out in front of the camera!
  4. Sharing is caring: Now share it on social media with hashtags #CoopsInspireChange and #ThisTimeImVoting.
    Mention @REScoopEU & @coopseurope to make sure we don’t miss it.

You will be featured on elections.coopseurope.coop, and maybe even on the page of the European Parliament itself! Still confused? Here’s a quick postcard printable guid.

  • Sample Facebook / Twitter post:
    • "#CoopsInspireChange because they show how real democracy in the EU works"
    • "#CoopsInspireChange because they retain money in the community"
    • "#ThisTimeImVoting for a truly democratic and cooperative EU"
    • "#ThisTimeImVoting for a Europe, more than the sum of its parts"
    • "Companies of citizens, by citizens, for citizens #CoopsInspireChange"
    • "I am proud to be a member of a REScoop #CoopsInspireChange"
    • "#ThisTimeImVoting for a Europe that really cares about us!"
    • "#ThisTimeImVoting for a fair transition to a clean, carbon-free energy system
    • "#ThisTimeImVoting for energy democracy!"
    • "For my community, #CoopsInspireChange because that's where we can act consistent with our values"
    • "#CoopsInspireChange for tackling energy poverty"
    • "#CoopsInspireChange because they benefit the local community"
    • "#CoopsInspireChange because there is more than one definition of value"
    • "#CoopsInspireChange because they help to create a stronger, healthier and resilient community"

Spread the word on social media

Social media has the power to spread our positive stories of cooperation far and wide. Why not show your support to the campaign and amplify the cooperative voice online:

  1. Encourage others to join the campaign to tell us how #CoopsInspireChange
  2. Change it up: change your cover photos with our social media headers
  3. Promote elections.coopseurope.coop by putting a banner on your website
  4. Share the campaign with your followers!
  5. Hashtags matter: make sure to include #CoopsInspireChange and mention @REScoopEU & @coopseurope.
    You can also include #ThisTimeImVoting.

#ThisTimeImVoting: Vote and inform others

With self-responsibility and democracy as some of the main cornerstones for cooperatives, this election we encourage our communities and networks to have their say in the future of Europe and vote in the European elections. This is what you can do:

  1. Inform your networks about the European elections
  2. Sign up to ttimv.eu/cooperatives to receive all the voting information you need.
    Encourage others to join through that link!
  3. Check your dates of voting and put it in your calendar
  4. Discover #CoopSupporters before heading to vote