Entity Topology Patterns

Common organizational structures for institutions on ICN. Each pattern shows the entity tree, governance domains, and treasury layout. Choose the pattern closest to your institution and customize.

Pattern 1: Flat Cooperative

A single cooperative with no internal committees. All members participate equally in governance. Common for small worker co-ops (< 20 members).

my-coop                       Cooperative(CooperativeProfile)
├── governance_domain_id:     "my-coop-gov"
├── treasury_account:         "my-coop-treasury"
└── members:
    ├── Alice (Founder)       → Vote, Propose, TreasuryAccess, Sign
    ├── Bob (Worker)          → Vote, Propose
    └── Carol (Worker)        → Vote, Propose

Governance: One domain. All decisions go to the full membership. Treasury: One account. Spending thresholds defined in charter. Communication: One gossip topic (my-coop:general).

When to use: Worker co-ops with fewer than ~20 people where everyone participates in every decision.

Pattern 2: Cooperative with Committees

A cooperative with working groups that have delegated authority. The board/steering body governs, committees execute within their scope.

my-coop                       Cooperative(CooperativeProfile)
├── governance_domain_id:     "my-coop-gov"
├── treasury_account:         "my-coop-treasury"
│
├── my-coop-board             Community(CommunityProfile)
│   ├── parent_id:            "my-coop"
│   └── governance_domain_id: "my-coop-board-gov"
│
├── my-coop-finance           Community(CommunityProfile)
│   ├── parent_id:            "my-coop"
│   └── governance_domain_id: "my-coop-finance-gov"
│
└── my-coop-programs          Community(CommunityProfile)
    ├── parent_id:            "my-coop"
    └── governance_domain_id: "my-coop-programs-gov"

Governance: Board domain for organizational decisions. Committee domains for delegated scope. Treasury: One account. Committees spend within board-approved allocations. Communication: Per-committee gossip topics + org-wide channel.

When to use: Mid-size cooperatives (20–100 members) with distinct functional areas.

Pattern 3: Federation of Cooperatives

A network of independent cooperatives coordinating through a shared governance layer. Each member retains sovereignty. The federation governs shared concerns.

This is the NYCN pattern. With real data:

• 236 organizations in the network
• 29 sponsors with 2026 pledges
• Committees: Content, Logistics, Marketing, Finance, Core Organizing
• Events: 2024 (Syracuse), 2025 (Albany), 2026 (Albany, planning)

nycn                          Federation(FederationProfile)
├── governance_domain_id:     "nycn-federation-gov"
├── treasury_account:         "nycn-federation-treasury"
├── member_entities:          [greenstar, ica-group, ncba, cdi, cfne, ...]
│
├── nycn-organizers           Cooperative(CooperativeProfile)
│   ├── parent_id:            "nycn"
│   ├── governance_domain_id: "nycn-organizers-gov"
│   ├── treasury_account:     "nycn-ops-treasury"
│   │
│   ├── nycn-steering         Community — steering committee
│   ├── nycn-content          Community — content committee (12 sessions for 2026)
│   ├── nycn-logistics        Community — logistics committee
│   ├── nycn-marketing        Community — marketing committee
│   ├── nycn-finance          Community — finance committee ($29K+ in sponsor pledges)
│   │
│   └── nycn-summit-2026      Community — time-bounded event entity
│       └── status:           Forming → Active → Complete
│
├── greenstar                 Cooperative — GreenStar Food Co-op (silver sponsor, $500)
├── ica-group                 Cooperative — ICA Group (platinum sponsor, $2,000)
├── national-coop-bank        Cooperative — National Cooperative Bank (platinum, $2,000)
├── cdi                       Cooperative — Cooperative Development Institute (gold, $1,000)
├── cfne                      Cooperative — Cooperative Fund of the Northeast (gold, $1,000)
└── ... (236 total organizations)

Governance: Federation domain for network-wide decisions (membership, charter). Steering domain for operational decisions (budget, venue). Committee domains for delegated scope. Treasury: Federation treasury (dues, shared resources) + ops treasury (event budget). Committees have scoped allocations. Communication: Layered gossip topics — federation announcements, organizer coordination, per-committee channels, public community.

When to use: Regional networks, sector alliances, any coordination of independent cooperatives.

Pattern 4: Community Organization

An open-membership community with working groups and elected leadership. No treasury (or minimal), governance-focused.

my-community                  Community(CommunityProfile)
├── governance_domain_id:     "my-community-gov"
│
├── my-community-mutual-aid   Community(CommunityProfile)
│   ├── parent_id:            "my-community"
│   └── governance_domain_id: "my-community-aid-gov"
│
└── my-community-events       Community(CommunityProfile)
    ├── parent_id:            "my-community"
    └── governance_domain_id: "my-community-events-gov"

Governance: Low-threshold, open participation. Working groups form and dissolve by proposal. Treasury: None by default. If money enters the picture, upgrade the root entity to Cooperative. Communication: Open public channel + scoped working group channels.

When to use: Mutual aid networks, neighborhood councils, civic groups, movement organizations.

Pattern 5: Nested Federation (Federation of Federations)

A national or sectoral body coordinating regional federations, each of which coordinates local cooperatives.

national-coop-assoc           Federation(FederationProfile)
├── governance_domain_id:     "national-gov"
├── member_entities:          [nycn, midwest-fed, pacific-fed, ...]
│
├── nycn                      Federation(FederationProfile)
│   ├── parent_id:            "national-coop-assoc"
│   ├── member_entities:      [greenstar, breadhive, ...]
│   └── ...
│
├── midwest-fed               Federation(FederationProfile)
│   ├── parent_id:            "national-coop-assoc"
│   ├── member_entities:      [...]
│   └── ...
│
└── pacific-fed               Federation(FederationProfile)
    ├── parent_id:            "national-coop-assoc"
    ├── member_entities:      [...]
    └── ...

Governance: Three levels — national (cross-regional), regional (cross-local), local (per-coop). Each level has its own governance domain and charter. Treasury: Clearing relationships between federations. National treasury for shared programs. Communication: Hierarchical gossip topology — national announcements propagate down, local discussion stays local.

When to use: National cooperative associations, global federation structures, multi-tier networks.

Choosing Your Pattern

Most institutions start as Pattern 1 or 4 and evolve toward Pattern 2 or 3 as they grow.

See Also

• Institution Setup Guide — Step-by-step bootstrap
• CCL Charter Templates — Governance parameters per pattern
• Governance Playbook — Common decision patterns