AUTOGEST -Udine : Savings for supporting social enterprises

Autogest was founded in 1983. It is active in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, in the North of Italy. It has 318 individual and 79 collective members and a total of 1.300 million Lire (around 870.000 US $)in savings. It has an active interest rate of 13% and a passive interest rate varying between 6,5 and 8%. Autogest was originally set up in close cooperation with another cooperative aimed at creating job opportunities for disabled people. Autogest intende to provide a reaction to the general indifference in the management of money and it wants to invest the savings of its members in socially useful projects. Therefore it finances organizations and cooperatives active in supporting disabled and marginalized people,in agricultural production based on organic techniques and in improving the cultural and cooperative sectors.

Over the years Autogest partly changed its working structure. It has one part-time member of staff who is responsible for the everyday work of the cooperative. He has a salary of 800.000 It. Lire (around 530 US $)a month. All other tasks are done voluntarily by other members of the cooperative and by the Board of Directors. The most important decisions are always taken collectively by the general assembly. All members are regularly informed and updated on news concerning the cooperative.

Autogest is collaborating on specific topics with other cooperatives who are in also members of Autogest. It also regularly works in close cooperation with another cooperative - Co.Se. - for consultancy work. Autogest doesn’t plan specific training courses for its members or staff.

Autogest’s only source of finance is the difference between its active and passive interest rates. Autogest only finances its member cooperatives. In financing a member cooperative it has a rule of never exceeding 10% of all savings available. The Board of Directors of the cooperative that receives credit from Autogest is asked to give guarantees. For all transactions that under Italian law cannot be run by a cooperative, Autgest makes use of a bank account.