The RCM Certification offers program offers a sought-after professional designation for cooperative housing managers throughout the country. It is the only nationally-recognized designation and certification specializing in Cooperative Management and is recognized by the Registered in Apartment Managers (RAM program).
Development of the Registered Cooperative Manager (RCM) designation program
The National Association of Housing Cooperatives recognized the important contribution of site managers and in 1993 created the Registered Cooperative Manager (RCM) designation program. A Board of Governors supervises the RCM designation.
The RCM program is dedicated to building upon the work of your predecessors and to help the profession achieve even higher professional standards, expectations, and rewards. The designation is awarded to managers who meet the RCM standards of excellence, understanding, and achievement in the area of cooperative housing management. RCM course topics provide exciting insight into housing cooperatives and help develop skills necessary for a successful career in management. The courses:
- Refine understanding of housing cooperatives
- Renew dedication to the principles of cooperative housing
- Codify the ethics of cooperative housing management
- Improve housing management practices
- RCM Board Registered in Cooperative Management
Resident Cooperative Manager
NAHC co-sponsors a Registered Cooperative Manager (RCM) certification training program at each Annual Conference. This certification is for all Cooperative Managers.
Recently certified RCM’s report:
“The class provided me with the knowledge that I’ve been trying to obtain for years”
“The courses offer instructors that really know their business.”
“There is no other organization geared specifically to co-ops and we can improve our skills and offer experiences to others.”
The RCM Program also offers a continuous education program via quarterly newsletters and RCM-only designated tracks at the NAHC Annual Conference, which assist the manager in understanding all of the aspects of Cooperative Management.
The RCM Curriculum
The course requirements for RCM designation cover three topics fundamental to the profession. These courses are not intended to replace the operating policies of the participating cooperative, nor to provide detailed instructions for the day-to-day operation of the cooperative. Instead, the RCM courses are intended to enrich the candidate’s understanding and appreciation for cooperative housing and the ownership value housing cooperatives can offer to their members.
Ethical Practices for Cooperative Management is a review of ethical considerations and requirements for an RCM. In this course the participant discusses the principles of agency and examines the ethical issues that affect the work of the cooperative manager. Participants have an opportunity to examine the obligations and duties of an RCM from an ethical perspective. It will lead the candidate to a better understanding of the personal convictions required for success in the industry and strengthen the candidate’s professional self-confidence.
The Business of Housing Cooperatives reviews the structure and business of housing cooperatives from their formation to their management. A generic review of documents gives the candidate a perspective about how and why cooperatives become successful. It offers insights into how cooperatives are governed and the important role of governance to the success of the housing cooperative. Participants discuss practical and useful issues that help the practitioner to be more productive in his or her work.
The History of Housing Cooperatives gives the candidate a perspective of cooperative housing that focuses on the underlying principles of cooperation and a history of modern cooperatives. The course covers the work of the Rochdale pioneers, who are recognized as the founders of the cooperative principles by their creation of the first cooperative (a food co-op) in 1844 on Toad Lane in Rochdale, England. The course examines significant government and non-government initiatives and their impact on the cooperative housing industry. Although cooperatives are international and there are cooperative forms of nearly every type of business, our study will focus on the history of housing cooperatives in the United States during the 20th century.
Click here to download the NAHC 2010 Conference Registration form, which includes registration for the RCM Certification Class.
The REGISTERED COOPERATIVE MANAGER program
is an affiliate of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives
1444 I Street NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005
Phone 202-737-0797
Fax: (202) 216-9646
Email: info@nahc.coop
RCM 2010 Board of Governors
Gregory J. Carlson, Chair, Carlson Realty, Inc. Forest Hills, NY
Vernon Oakes, Oakes Management, Inc., Washington, DC
Ralph Marcus, Marcus Management, Inc., Farmington Hills, MI