A cooperative is an association of people who create a company to meet a need. The need may be economic, cultural or of some other variety. In the beginning, there is a connection if we consider the basis for the cooperative and the reason for its creation. Basically, members of a cooperative help build capital, make decisions and share the cooperative's surplus earnings. They are connected to their cooperative. They help to work toward the cooperative's goal, the reason for which the cooperative exists.
When these four elements are combined, we have a cooperative. These elements do not exist in an investor-owned business, for example. An investor-owned business can certainly be managed in a democratic manner and can make a profit, but it does not share the profits it makes as a result of the reason it was created—to meet a consumer need. It does not share its profits with consumers. It shares them with its shareholders.
In our case, our shareholders are our users. They have the desire to meet the need for which they created the cooperative. They also find answers to problems within their organization. There is a therefore a connection between the reason the cooperative was created and the people to whom the money goes. The money goes to those who created the cooperative in order to meet their needs.
I do not know if my answer was clear, but the difference is democratic management, the sharing of the profits with those who created the cooperative. What I am saying may be a little bit philosophical, but it is relevant. It is part of the cooperative values and principles.