We look for a community mindset and relevant experience in our listed consultants for intentional community.
Get in touch with a professional for assistance with your intentional community. Want to get general information about the types of services these independent consultants offer? The Services page has an outline and descriptions to help you understand the categories below.
Consultants for IC Initial Development
Consensus facilitation
These professionals specialize in guiding groups in coming to difficult decisions using consensus-based decision-making.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
J. Elliott Butler-Cisneros
Southeast U.S.
Legal contracts
Even with the best of intentions on both sides, written agreements are crucial. Our listed lawyers can help you with document preparation. By making clear everyone’s commitments, even when you fully trust the other(s), you give yourselves a mandate to discuss potential challenges thoroughly, which can prevent misunderstandings or disputes. For any financial interactions, agreements should be in writing, signed and dated. If all maintain their good will and compliance with the agreement, it is still possible that a members’ death would call into question how much was contributed by each member. You should have signed records to prevent loss of your contributions. Don’t make it something you’ll get around to later. Each state has different laws around housing, so we recommend you check local jurisdictional requirements and limitations. It is important to consult with a lawyer for specifics on your situation. Get legal advice relevant to your state or province. With our listed consultants, you can limit your search by area. Often, a mediator can assist you in writing your agreements at a lower cost, then you should get a final review by a lawyer and officially file the document with the appropriate governing body.
Realtor service
Our listed realtors specialize in multiple-party purchases or are actively upgrading their understanding of location-specific legal options for joint ownership.
Finance advising
Our finance advisors specialize in community-related contexts.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Lending institution
These are funding or lending institutions that are willing to work with unconventional loan structures or mixed mortgages.
Grant writing
Our listed grant writers may be able to direct you to relevant funding sources even if you are not a certified non-profit organization. Professional grant writers may also be willing to train one of your members to do the bulk of the grant searches and research. Non profits such as Open Collective may be able to act as an umbrella organization to support your funding of a project that meets their guidelines.
Mentoring
Our group mentors develop familiarity with your group over time. They may not have specific certifications but are wise elders.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Consultants for IC Interpersonal Interaction
Group facilitation
These professionals have a variety of specialized skills listed in their profile descriptions.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Marta Gradilone Rodriguez
Rocky Mountain U.S.
J. Elliott Butler-Cisneros
Southeast U.S.
Mediation
Ideally, in an intentional community, there is a hope for an equitable outcome rather than any one party trying to have the greatest gain for themselves. We invite our legal consultants to list based on their experience with intentional communities or their training as mediators, so they can act as intermediaries rather than having double costs of a representative for each side. For relatively minor concerns, you might hire a group facilitator trained in conflict resolution who can do an adequate job at less expense to your group. Be sure to recap and write up the agreement promptly, preferably before the end of the meetings, to ensure that everyone’s understanding and memory of the agreement is the same. Get the agreement signed by all when finalized. Give each member a copy of the agreement, so there is no question later of whether unauthorized changes were made.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Marta Gradilone Rodriguez
Rocky Mountain U.S.
J. Elliott Butler-Cisneros
Southeast U.S.
Leadership
These professionals have skills in sociocracy, holocracy, or general community leadership experience.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Team recreation
You might find these consultants helpful to add in the mix for retreats or visitor sessions for getting to know prospective members.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Marta Gradilone Rodriguez
Rocky Mountain U.S.
DEI consulting
These consultants have experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
J. Elliott Butler-Cisneros
Southeast U.S.
Property management
Our property managers have successfully worked with groups for several years. They can guide you in establishing time-tested procedures related to facilities management, rentals, and hospitality services.
Consultants for IC Programs & Occupations
Youth education
These professionals have a variety of specialized skills listed in their profile descriptions, including charter school setup and alternative education styles such as Montessori and Waldorf.
Marta Gradilone Rodriguez
Rocky Mountain U.S.
J. Elliott Butler-Cisneros
Southeast U.S.
Self-employment
Often remote communities are interested in ensuring that their residents have viable livelihoods, which could include a business that several or most members are engaged in, or individual businesses.
Business management
These professionals have experience with the business and non-profit aspect of ICs. This is more than just book keeping. Look for consultants who run a similar type of operation to your IC or planned IC.
Sky & Avi
Pacific Coast U.S.
Marketing or website
These professionals have in-depth experience with ICs and know how to increase your visibility.
Consultants for Land Management
Zoning & compliance
It’s best to find these professionals local to you, but even when distant, they can guide you in working with local municipalities to change or adapt regulations.
Christopher Kinney
Pacific Coast U.S.
Permaculture design
It’s best to find these professionals local to you, familiar with the climate and regional plants.
Christopher Kinney
Pacific Coast U.S.
Natural building
It’s best to find these professionals local to you, familiar with the best green building materials for your climate.
Christopher Kinney
Pacific Coast U.S.
Sanitation & water systems
It’s best to find these professionals local to you, familiar with specific offices and regulations.
Christopher Kinney
Pacific Coast U.S.
Animal husbandry
If you can’t find these professionals local to you, or willing to travel, make friends with local farmers!
External Community Consultants
The following groups offer services for financial management, group cohesion and decision-making, and for building or finding property. Even those that focus on large housing developments often offer consulting and workshops for smaller groups that aren’t using their full set of services.
Community Consultant Groups in Canada
There are unique cultural aspects and legal frameworks available in Canada that are beneficial for ICs. Co-operatively owned condominiums/strata are becoming increasingly popular.
- CoHo BC: BC-based services focused on small and large housing acquisition
- Cohousing Development Consulting: BC-based services focused on new large housing developments
- LiveWell Cohousing: BC-based services focused on new large housing developments
- “Mixer” mortgages for multiple buyers: from BC-based Vancity Credit Union
- Cohousing Options Canada: Ontario-based services focused on new large housing developments
- Canadian Cohousing Network: variety of Canada-wide directories of services, properties, and events
- Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada: lists regional federations and provides business services
- Alliance of Canadian Land Trusts: (BC, Ontario, and Quebec): Aims to “support the use of best practices for governance and operation, and to ensure Canadian land trusts achieve long-lasting conservation solutions.”
- Bell Alliance (Richard Bell and Ryan Griffin) in BC: law firm recommended for smaller partnership agreements
- Richard Ledding Law Corporation in BC: for more complex agreements such as ICs with more than six owners
Community Consultant Groups in the U.S.
The following organizations have excellent resources for training and list consultants for intentional communities. Contact those closest to you, to get advice relevant to the restrictions and opportunities available in your specific area.
- CoHoUSing: nationwide directories of professionals, seekers, and events
- Foundation for Intentional Communities: nationwide map of ICs, professionals, seekers, workshops
- Cohousing Solutions: West-coast full suite of services focused on new large housing developments
- Land Trust Alliance: A DC-based resource assisting land trusts with info on creating conservation easements