2022 ANNUAL REPORT
Table of Contents
- Letter from the Executive Director
- Get Involved with Resource Generation
- Highlights
- Member Mobilization
- Resource Mobilization
- Current and Emerging Chapters
- Member Testimonials
- Chapter Organizing Updates
- Leadership Skill Building
- Membership Drives
- RG in the News
- Organizational Health & Development
- Budget summary
- Closing
For a PDF version of our 2022 Annual Report, click here.
Beloved RG Members and Supporters,
2022 was a year of adaptation and evolution for so many of us personally and for Resource Generation as an organization.
We set the stage for the next chapter of our organization in developing an updated Strategic Framework. Not only that, but we built the framework through a deeply collaborative process bringing together Member Leaders of our National Member Council, Staff, and Board. With the support of Dragonfly Partners, we built skills and practices for engaging in principled disagreement and advocated for the Resource Generation our movements need today and for the future. If you haven’t yet, I hope you check it out.
Along the way, we were figuring out how to return to some form of in-person work after years of working virtually. It is still a learning journey, but we were able to have a hybrid Staff, Board, and National Member Council gathering in June, and a mostly in-person staff retreat in September.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to be able to connect with each other as full people, around meals and in the evenings, and not just in meetings with agendas. I hope that 2023 brings more opportunities for safe connections across the organization.
Last year also saw Adam and Caroline leave and with that, our rebuilding of a brand new Resource Mobilization team. We welcomed Valeriya, Julia, Leah, and Sahana to the team; and already they have been kick-ass resource mobilizers and strategists. On other parts of the team, we welcomed Eliza as our Midwest Regional Organizer, Megan as our first-ever HR Manager, and Emery as our first-ever Local Power Organizer adding a second full-time staffer to our campaign work.
With all those celebrations, we also saw challenges.
After many years of steady growth, our fundraising for RG began to plateau. This, coupled with rising costs across the board and a 7.7% cost-of-living increase for staff (of which I’m very proud), meant that our budgeting for 2023 was leaner than it has ever been. And while we rallied, raising 24% of our budget in December, we know that we have to adapt.
For 21 years, RG was a national organization built around transformative in-person political education experiences. While we quickly switched all our programs over to virtual, we know that relational organizing, which is foundational to how we see change happening, is made so much stronger by coming together in real life. In the coming year, we are excited to be offering two in-person membership programs—Making Money Make Change conference and an Organizing Summit.
Additionally, after experimenting for a year with a membership ask of 5% of overall giving, we are returning to a membership ask of 5-10% of overall giving. This shift is necessary for us to powerfully fund this work.
I hope you are inspired by the contents of this report and are recommitted to our movement for the redistribution of wealth, land, and power. If you are, I invite you to join RG as a dues-paying member or take this opportunity to renew at the 10% level of your overall giving.
I continue to be so grateful for all of you who make this work possible and are the work manifested in the world.
With gratitude and in solidarity,
Yahya Alazrak
Executive Director
GET INVOLVED
STEP ONE: Become a Resource Generation Member or Renew Your Membership
Membership dues are part of our practice of accountability to social justice movements and commitment to deepening and expanding RG’s community. When we pay membership dues, we not only enable RG to keep running and pay its staff equitably, but we also strengthen our alignment with social justice movements through participation in coalition building, campaigns, and more. Our ask to you is to fund and participate in this organization like you want us to win and to make a commitment to move your membership dues by May 31st. This year, we ask that 5-10% of your overall redistribution go to RG membership dues. If you have not yet done so, make your membership dues today!
STEP TWO: Sign Resource Generation’s Redistribution Pledge
Resource Generation is working toward a vision in which wealth, land, and power are equitably shared. Achieving this vision requires more than just individual action—it requires systemic, cultural, policy, institutional shifts, reparations, and a radical reimagining of society. We believe that well-resourced grassroots social movements led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, poor and working-class communities, queer and trans folks, and women are our best hope for achieving this vision, and so we ask our members to commit to sustaining social justice movements that are working towards systemic shifts. Take bold action toward your redistribution, and sign RG’s 2023 Redistribution Pledge today!
STEP THREE: Sign Up for Updates and Get Involved Locally
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR WORK
WE MOBILIZED PEOPLE…
We mobilized people….
- We ended the year with 1033 dues-paying members
- This included 180 new members and a 78% renewal rate (our highest ever!)
- 19 official chapters and 6 emerging chapters
- 9 college campuses with RG activity, 6 new Student Fellows, and 79 dues-paying college members
We mobilized resources….
- In 2022, 593 RGers pledged to:
- Give $99,183,375.78 to social justice movements
- Fundraise $22,560,874.00 from their networks (or via family foundations)
- Invest $15,158,002.00 in alignment with our Transformative Investing Principles
- Give $4,190,881.00 to RG’s campaign partners, Movement for Black Lives and Center for Popular Democracy
WE GREW…
19 Current Chapters in
- Austin
- Bay Area
- Boston
- Chicago
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York City
- North Carolina Triangle
- Ohio
- Philadelphia
- Portland
- Seattle
- Vermont
- Western MA
6 Emerging Chapters in
-
Asheville
-
Baltimore
-
Nashville
-
New Mexico
-
Pittsburgh
-
St. Louis
MEMBER TESTIMONIALS
“My early years in RG involved a lot of backing away from power; fearing and resenting the disproportionate power my class-privileged communities had over others and imagining I needed to become smaller to even the score. In the past 10 years, RG has leaned into seeing power as a tool that we can understand, embrace and use WITH our friends–we can get BIG together—to end wealth inequality.
I love us for supporting the power of cross-class donor organizing in the Giving Project Network within social justice philanthropy, exploring the power of our visibility during Occupy Wall Street, finding our role (not only as funders!) in public-facing power-building campaigns for racial and economic justice, building partnerships with M4BL and CPD, and planting (and sprouting) many more powerful seeds all the time.”
– Mac L. (RG Alumni Member and Board Co-Chair)
“I joined RG in 2014 after looking for resources to navigate being the youngest board member of my family’s foundation. Eight years later, I continue to be a member in order to grow the organization’s ability to politicize, educate, and empower young people like me—to ask hard questions of their families, to seek opportunities to grow support for grassroots organizing in their local communities, and to redistribute inherited and earned wealth to work towards real, community interdependence and collective power. The work that RG does to build an alternative to wealth hoarding and isolation is essential—and as wealthy people, it’s essential that we support that work ourselves.”
– Olivia W. [RG NYC Member]
WE LEVERAGED POWER THROUGH CHAPTER ORGANIZING…
| Washington D.C. | The DC chapter threw down in support of the Baldwin House Community Collective, a project to buy an apartment building to turn it into an affordable housing cooperative and community center. The chapter held events for RGers in DC and around the country and made connections with members across chapters. RG DC also conducted a base-building outreach campaign to its listserv and people who had expressed interest in the chapter and wrapped up a praxis group in 2022. |
| New York City | The New York chapter deepened partnerships, moving over $100K to the Manna-hatta Fund, creating regular programming for RGers to learn about Make the Road NY, fundraising $62K for Release Aging People in Prisons, and participating more deeply in the New York Renews coalition for climate justice in New York State. They also began building out a program to train new members in organizing skills on a live campaign, working with Housing Justice for All to pass Good Cause Eviction in NY. The chapter ran a praxis group with 31 participants, held several member orientations and social events, and created a circle focused on members’ relationships to labor. |
| Philadelphia | The Philly chapter revived all-chapter meetings in 2022, met in person, and built stronger relationships. Two praxis groups wrapped and two more began, and four chapter members were trained in Transformative Justice to bring those skills into chapter work. The Investing Financial Education Working Group partnered with the Villanova Law Clinic to learn how to do a pooled investment in the solidarity economy. The chapter raised over $240K for the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, raised $82K for abolitionist Freedom Side School, and deepened relationships with and moved over $32K in funds to the Poor People’s Economic and Human Rights Campaign. |
| Chicago | The Chicago chapter fundraised $13K for Crossroads Fund and held a BIPOC praxis. They also organized a series of visioning dinners to connect and build together. This intentional, relationship-focused process has resulted in an almost-finalized values statement that will guide and ground the chapter moving forward. |
| St. Louis | The St. Louis chapter organized landlords and property owners to support housing justice. In 2022, several members were part of a giving circle that distributed $53K to 5 Black-led organizations. The chapter also supported a fundraising event that raised an additional $20K for these organizations and is planning to be part of the next round of a local giving circle. |
| Colorado | The Colorado chapter is nearing the end of its first praxis group in a few years. The group now meets monthly and has discussed reparations, the non-profit industrial complex, money stories, the solidarity economy, how to create a giving plan, and more. Additionally, the Colorado chapter collectively, along with Chantelle from Funders for LGBTQ issues, moved over $14K to the Bread and Roses’ Queers for Q fund, to support survivors and those affected by the Club Q shooting. The Colorado chapter also hosted a C4 event, with RG’s Campaign Director, to brief members on C4/electoral organizing. |
| Michigan | Ann Arbor and Detroit chapters merged and formed RG Michigan to support each other and build collective power. Together, they developed collective agreements; organized a Transformative Investment Principles Midwest workshop series with the national solidarity economy working group; held a “how to talk to your family about money” political education gathering; expanded partnerships with Transforming Power Fund (TPF), Peace House, and Fund MI Future; organized an Allied Media Conference panel with TPF and Revalue MI; held a praxis; threw a (covid-conscious) holiday party; and moved $25K to various organizing and mutual aid efforts. |
| Minnesota | The Minnesota chapter conducted a membership survey to gather fundraising/partnership data; developed a partnership/resource mobilization proposal for 2023; began building a partnership with and redistributing to REDACT Minnesota; planned a political education event; and held an art night to fundraise for a mutual aid group (Sanctuary Supply Depot). |
| Ohio | The Ohio Chapter threw down for Dayton Unified Power (DUP), a Black-led, grassroots organization building community control over land and development in West Dayton. Specifically, they are working to launch a cooperative multi-family housing development on Salem Avenue near Gem City, a cooperatively owned grocery store. The Ohio chapter moved $60K to DUP and held political education and fundraising events to engage the broader RG membership in supporting this powerful effort. |
| Boston | The Boston chapter raised $65K as one of the lead sponsors of Celebration of Grassroots Organizing, an annual event resourcing 15 community organizing groups on the frontlines of local movements. The chapter hosted political education workshops for members and canvassed in local communities to rally behind the successful Yes on 1 campaign to tax income over $1 million and fund public transit and education. The chapter continued to play a critical role in the Unmasking Fidelity coalition, helping design the strategy for the next phase of the campaign, hosting political education events, and recruiting members to take action. |
| Connecticut | The Connecticut chapter fulfilled its two-year fundraising commitments to Make the Road CT (a Center for Popular Democracy affiliate), initiated a leadership transition/off-boarding process, experimented with creative base-building tactics, and completed the first round of chapter praxis! |
| Maine | The Maine chapter hosted its first in-person chapter retreat as a new chapter, moved resources collectively to several local organizations through chapter-giving circles, and developed more structures for decision-making and roles to sustain chapter work in the long term. |
| Vermont | The Vermont chapter organized chapter members to fulfill $50K in multi-year commitments to their chapter partners, Vermont Workers Center and the Root Social Justice Center. Chapter members started participating in the statewide Healthcare is a Human Right campaign with Vermont Workers Center through political education workshops, showing up to actions, and participating in phone banks. The chapter hosted a successful praxis group for 10 new people and several of the participants are now involved in chapter roles and leadership. |
| Western MA | The Western MA chapter hosted several political education and fundraising events with their partner, Trans Asulymn Seeker Support Network (TASSN), moving over $25K throughout the year. |
| New England | The New England chapters and members in non-chapter areas launched bi-monthly regional calls to deepen relationships across chapters, invest in peer learning and support, and develop a shared regional political identity. |
| Austin | Austin became an official chapter! The Austin chapter held regular monthly and quarterly meetings, which included multiple resource mobilization efforts. Chapter members and leaders took on new organizing and leadership responsibilities, many for the first time. Members redistributed a lot of money to local organizations rooted in justice work and were also involved in a successful fund-the-city and not-cops broad coalition campaign in Austin. |
| North Carolina Triangle | The Triangle chapter held a fantastic annual retreat that set the stage for the whole year. The focus was primarily on relationship-building, creating structures and foundations for the new incoming leadership, and moving money! Chapter members and leaders held a praxis, deepened relationships with partner organizations, and held multiple giving circles/giving dinners. There are so many new members taking on new leadership roles and the chapter is so excited about where it is going in the new year. |
| Bay Area | The BARG chapter hosted a successful onboarding training where chapter member leaders shared their learnings and best practices from introducing an onboarding process in their chapter. They invited staff and other chapters to participate to learn from their journey, which was very well received across the RG community. |
| Los Angeles | Following their first in-person gathering since 2020, the LA chapter leaders held a very warm social for RG staff, members, and board who were visiting the city. |
| Portland | The Portland chapter had two open houses to reactivate chapter leadership transitions. Two leaders also held fall workshops on how to organize family and networks during the holidays. The chapter has been in a slower organizing season, but is still organizing! |
| Seattle | Pacific Northwest launched monthly gatherings to relaunch community building and organizing energy! The monthly gatherings have garnered traction and brought momentum to the northwest. |
| Student Organizing Fellows | The 2021-2022 Cohort of four Student Organizing Fellows honed in on strategy, structure, and spaces for connection. They revamped the college praxis curriculum, facilitated a six-session praxis for more than 40 registrants, and supported campus-specific praxis cohorts on four campuses. The Fellows strategized a structural shift to college organizing at RG, moving us into further integration and connection with existing regional chapters and at-large members. The Fellows planned a summer skill-building series focused on organizing families and the solidarity economy. They planned an engaging storytelling event for RG’s annual Spring Drive and supported member organizing through the National Member Council. The fellows also supported the hiring and onboarding process for the six new Student Organizing Fellows, who started in the Fall of 2022. |
WE DEVELOPED LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS…
- We held a virtual Making Money Make Change, with 65 total participants, most of whom were completely new to Resource Generation.
- We held four national virtual high net wealth praxis groups, with 27 participants and over $7M in post-Praxis redistribution to movements.
- We had over 2,000 webinar registrants on a variety of topics, including our Transformative Investment Principles, Media Training, Organizing School, and much more
- RG’s Solidarity Economy/Transformative Investment Principles (SE/TIPs) organizing continued growing in 2022! The national SE/TIPs member team hosted over a dozen workshops, from High Net Wealth praxis groups to a Midwest regional series; collaborated with SE movement organizations (SE Principles and New Economy Coalition);, and deepened the RG community’s understanding and commitment to growing the solidarity economy movement through organizing, grants, and investments.
WE HAD TWO MEMBERSHIP DRIVES…
- The Spring Drive had 11 local chapter events, raised $1,048,683, and brought in 29 new members.
- The Fall Drive had 14 local chapter events, raised $560,000, brought in 26 new members, and brought in 19 alumni to make 5-year pledges of 5% of overall giving to RG.
- Learnings from our Drives:
- The way that members resource RG is a microcosm of the movement. The more RG succeeds in getting members to move membership and all money earlier, the more movements benefit.
- When membership and redistribution pledge asks are leveraged as a base-building tool they can bolster chapter capacity as well as help reach local partner fundraising goals.
- Local resource mobilization partnerships are powerful and move hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions to local campaign partners! The RG infrastructure supports this and RG leaders are not only funding crucial movement work, but also acting as transformational co-conspirators in that work. And, resource mobilization partnerships are a powerful base-building asset!
WE SHIFTED THE NARRATIVE…
Resource Generation had its first-ever official media training in October 2022. We trained over a dozen members to tell their stories on a national level. We teamed up with Fenton Communications, a progressive public relations and communications firm, to demystify the media interview process and learn the hard skills necessary to emphasize why wealth redistribution is vital.
WE INVESTED IN ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY & TRANSFORMATION…
RG’s continued commitment to internal policies that support our staff’s long-term mental and physical health is vital to improving our workplace to be a healthy and liberatory space. The Medical Travel Reimbursement Policy and the Gender Affirming Surgery and Recovery Leave Policy are two new policies RG created in 2022. RG continually evaluates our staff’s needs in an ever-changing political landscape, and that is what the Medical Travel Reimbursement Policy policy addresses: the realities of the overturning of Roe V Wade. The Gender Affirming Surgery and Recovery Leave Policy supports staff in not having to choose between being who they are and being able to make enough money to live.
We did staff political education on the following topics: Disability Justice, Environmental Justice, A History of Movement Building through Elections, and Regional Indigenous Land Payment.
We said goodbye to a beloved staff member. RG’s longest-serving staff member, Adam Roberts, transitioned out of the Resource Mobilization Director role.
We launched RG’s Campaign Scope. Nora Lecesse, the former HNW Coordinator, was hired as our Campaigns Director. Nora began to build out a national campaign strategy that will also support chapters’ ongoing campaign work and provide coaching to other chapters in launching their own issue-based campaigns.
We established a Political Education and Programming Scope to coordinate external offerings for RG’s base and broader movements. This scope brings together different areas of our programming including our High Net Wealth, College, and (new!) Multiracial Base-Building programs.
We continued to invest in our National Member Council, including representation from our Large, Medium, Small, Emerging, and At-Large chapters.
Members, staff, and board engaged in important conflict transformation work at national and local levels and practiced living more deeply into our values around anti-classism, anti-racism, and transformative justice.
We began to revamp some of our most loved political education and fundraising-related resources on the RG website. Resources will continue to be updated for ease of reference throughout 2023.
We redesigned our RG monthly newsletter, finding new and creative ways to share staff, chapter, and multi-geographic member-led efforts, such as the Fund Abortion Now campaign.
We planned and held our first RG media training for members, creating more containers to support our members in sharing their stories and sharing their commitment to structural redistribution.
BUDGET SUMMARY
FY22 income:
- Earned Income: $42K
- *MMMC & National High-Net Wealth Praxis
- Investments: $1K
- * Return on investments
- Memberships: $3.4M
- *Membership Dues!
- 98.8% member-funded in 2022!
FY22 expenses:
- Admin: $323K
- *Rent, insurance, & meeting costs
- Miscellaneous: $18K
- *COVID staff support and interviewee stipends
- Professional Fees: $377K
- *Outside facilitators and contract support
- Salary & Expenses: $2.5M
- *Living wage, benefits, & professional development for our staff team
- Sponsorship & Partnerships: $37K
- *Chapter sponsorship & partnership funding
- Travel & meetings: $118K
- All-staff and scope retreats and professional development
FY22 Net Income: 10K
CLOSING: THANK YOU & ONWARD
To our members, alumni, organizational partners, staff, board, and everyone else in the broader RG & movement community: thank you so much for all the ways you showed up in the work this year. We could not have had the impact we’ve been able to have without every single one of you.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about our work. And if you’re not already, consider becoming a dues-paying member of Resource Generation today.
Toward the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power in our lifetimes,
Julia White
Resource Mobilization Director
May 2023
