Cooperative principles

Every Desjardins caisse operates under the following 9 cooperative principles.

The 4 Inimitable Features, unique to cooperatives:

• Participation in ownership: Members are both the users and owners of their caisse.
• Participation in power: The members, in a general meeting, set the major orientations of the caisse and elect the officers.
• Sharing in results: The members decide on the use of annual surplus earnings and, if applicable, individual or group dividends.
• Inalienable collective wealth: The general reserve accumulated by the caisse from its surplus earnings is an inalienable collective wealth, which each year produces income that benefits all the members.

• Commitment to the local environment: The caisse supports the development of its local environment in many ways (gifts, sponsorships, lending resources or equipment).
• Education: The caisse provides its members with information to help them make educated financial decisions.
• Mutual aid among cooperatives: The caisse collaborates with other caisses and promote collective entrepreneurship.

• Commercial practices: The core of a caisse's duties is concern for the interests and the needs of members and services that are accessible to all.
• Management practices: The caisse exercises prudent and disciplined management, and integrates the values and objectives of promoting people, practices which are inherent to cooperation.