Reasons for affiliating to the IRU
Overarching term: solidarity-based community
Exchange of experience and information about modern cooperative activities in accordance with the politically and religiously neutral Raiffeisen principles of self-help, self-goverance and self-responsibility
- establishing bilateral contacts with other national cooperative organizations through the IRU (potential commercial contacts, partnership in projects);
- helping to make a case for representing interests/lobbying governments and creating meaningful framework conditions;
- taking part in special meetings (fora) to discuss current issues related to cooperative activities, thus promoting further training of cooperative leadership;
- coordinating cooperative development activities inside the affiliated organizations, thus promoting cooperation between affiliates and an intelligent use of scarce financial resources;
- receiving the IRU Courier: policy issues for the training of cooperative leadership, staff and members and an opportunity to present one’s organization;
- receiving policy papers prepared by IRU executive organizations, and discussed and supplemented by the IRU Board of Directors with reference to the latest cooperative questions;
- potentially standing for office on the IRU Board of Directors and thus helping shape the organizational “architecture”.