Midwest Association of Housing Cooperatives
50th Annual Conference
June 2 - 6

Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

Reservations 702-785-5555

Registration form . . . . . . T-Shirt form . . .

More Information

The Perils of Nepotism

In the cooperative world, nepotism is the practice of showing favoritism toward one's family members or friends in economic or employment terms. A good example is using the Director’s position to give special dispensation to certain individuals or even hiring a friend or relative in a position with the cooperative. This not only has a damaging effect on the overall operation of the cooperative, but also erodes the membership’s trust. Further, it may ultimately lead to situations where elections are fixed, member issues are ignored, members who speak out are intimidated, or worse, embezzlement of corporate funds. In recent years we have witnessed flourishing cooperatives that have discovered that the relationships between employees and board members have destroyed member confidence in the Board, and even resulted in tens of thousands embezzled due to cover-ups and favoritism towards family members and friends. In short, Directors should not be related by marriage or blood to other Directors or employees.

More Infomation . . . .

Cooperative Housing Handbook

The director knows that things in a cooperative don't "just happen". He/She knows that conducting a cooperative's business may involved up to a million dollars a year, and several times that in total assets. It involves the lives of hundreds of people who live there, and many others whose earnings depend on the cooperative.

So where do we start? What do we do?