Fifty by Fifty is catalyzing a movement to scale up employee ownership
Our goal: 50 million employee owners in the US by 2050
An initiative of The Democracy Collaborative, Fifty by Fifty is aimed at creating a more inclusive economy through employee ownership. Our goal is to catalyze a movement with the knowledge, resources, and skills to grow the number of employee owners in the U.S. to 50 million Americans by 2050.
The latest employee ownership news
Co-op Innovation Awards Announced
Awards go to groups using cooperatives to empower workers and support immigrant rights.
Ownership Design: Why does it matter?
At Fifty by Fifty we’ve been exploring ownership design. Our research has led us to conclude that enterprise design is an important lever of change, the key to building an economy that is both sustainable and equitable.
SBDC Working Group Pilots Employee Ownership Training
Preparing Business Advisors to Carry Out New Mandate.
Continue Reading SBDC Working Group Pilots Employee Ownership Training
Consum Cooperativa: Feeding 3 Mil in the Spanish Mediterranean
A worker and consumer cooperative powered by renewables.
Continue Reading Consum Cooperativa: Feeding 3 Mil in the Spanish Mediterranean
Mission-led Employee-owned Firms: The best of the best
Fifty by Fifty releases report identifying new ownership design.
Continue Reading Mission-led Employee-owned Firms: The best of the best
Eastern Kentucky Launches Employee Ownership Training
Retiring business owners target for employee ownership conversions.
Continue Reading Eastern Kentucky Launches Employee Ownership Training
Worker Ownership Proposal Garners Widespread Support in National Poll
New report proposes giving workers the “right of first refusal.”
Continue Reading Worker Ownership Proposal Garners Widespread Support in National Poll
Mission-led employee-owned firms: The best of the best
Mission-led employee-owned firms embody a powerful model of enterprise design for a new era of environmental sustainability and social equity.
Continue Reading Mission-led employee-owned firms: The best of the best
“It takes a job to get out of poverty but it takes assets to stay out of poverty. Ownership shares increase in value over time, generating wealth and security.”
—Fifty by Fifty cofounder Marjorie Kelly
Employee ownership offers a solution to the vast income and wealth inequality that is undermining America’s economy.
GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES
- WAGES: Employee owners’ average wage is 5 to 12 percent higher than employees in conventional firms.
- WEALTH: The net worth of employee owners aged 28 to 34 is 92 percent higher than for non-employee owners.
- RETIREMENT SAVINGS: The average retirement savings for an ESOP employee is $170,000, twice the national average.
GOOD FOR BUSINESS
- TURNOVER: Employee engagement is higher and turnover is lower at employee-owned companies.
- GROWTH: Transitions to employee ownership increase productivity by more than 4 percent.
- STABILITY: Employee owners are one-fourth as likely to be laid off and their companies go bankrupt less frequently.
GOOD FOR COMMUNITIES
- JOBS: Employee ownership saves local jobs, because companies that are owned by their employees are far less likely to leave their communities.
- LOCAL WEALTH: Employee ownership keeps wealth circulating in local communities.
GOOD FOR OWNERS
- LEGACY: When business owners sell their businesses to their employees, they can keep their legacy alive for generations to come.
- SAVINGS: Entrepreneurs and family owners can realize the value the business has built while enjoying substantial tax savings.
- RESPONSIBILITY: Business founders and families can find ready buyers in employees, avoiding sale to those who would dismantle the business.
