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Hi John,
It was probably the moment the lyrics “it’s a party in the movement space” hit me (sung to the tune, of course, of the Nashville-to-LA bop “Party in the USA”) that I realized that we were in for a fun night, but that was just the opener, and at that point, I didn’t know just HOW JOYFUL the “no talent” talent show at the recent Making Money Make Change would get. I had yet to witness amazing individual and group singing, a funding pitch improv, ASMR affirmations (Asmrations?), Disney duets, spoons-themed modern dance set to Enya, stand-up comedy, powerful poetry, wholesome orange peeling, and more, before I could really understand. But it wasn’t just the individual performances that stuck with me—to be honest, what really stood out was the crowd. Every single person who came to support, who sang along when bluetooth speakers died, who stood up and danced, who took a chance sharing with a very new community, who clapped and hollered and snapped and murmured and generally blurred the line between audience and performer, you all made that night SING.
A peril of money hoarding that I’ve been reflecting on recently is feeling like we’re not full participants in spaces—I feel like I’ve been socialized to be either the leader or the observer, with very little in between. Usually, that means I’m paying money to be an audience member, to be entertained, to be passive. This movement needs active participants. And what we had that Friday night at the talent show was a room full of active participants. Echoing Chuck Collins’ invocation of the anarchist principle of guests being hosts, Valeriya described the specialness of the MMMC No Talent Show, saying, “Everyone was really taking accountability for a culture of joy and connection.” As a co-emcee, I feel like I got a front-row show to that magic.
My partner Eli and I co-emcee’d, most simply, because we were asked to by Katie Wang. And we really almost didn’t! The first thought was that it felt stressful, it felt like work, and then the what ifs came out—what if no one signs up, what if it’s not fun, what if someone causes harm? After talking it over ourselves (and almost talking ourselves out of doing it), we tried a new tactic that we are trying to lean into—being open and vulnerable in community. We reached back out to Katie and shared our concerns, and she sent back a typically lovely (brief Katie W appreciation parenthetical! She’s the best!) response saying that she heard us and was willing to support us in case anything happened. So then we shrugged our shoulders and said yes!
And I think that that’s what this weekend was in a nutshell for us, an opportunity to feel the fear that always comes up around taking action and then to resist our conditioning to retreat or hide, and to commit to taking the action anyway. At MMMC, I felt my normal fears around money—scarcity, losing “anonymity,” feeling alone, and guilt—but then I felt counterbalancing forces that were so much stronger—support from community, empowerment, pride, and belief in ourselves.
I came out of the weekend committing to redistributing $15,000 [[link removed]] , the largest amount I have ever moved. ( Sign the 2023 redistribution pledge [[link removed]] and move your money if you haven’t asap!) As someone who doesn’t currently have access to my family’s wealth, it’s a number that makes my palms a little sweaty but also feels aligned with why I am here and what kind of world I want to help build. Why would I do all of this work to attend a conference where brilliant movement leaders describe the strategy to win, only for me to then move out of alignment, shrink away, and hope that someone else will step up?
10% of that ($1,500) is going to RG [[link removed]] because, after the past few years of paying the bare minimum ($250), I realized that I want to fund RG like I want it to grow like we want to win! If we want next year’s talent show to be even more joyful and connecting, we’ll need even more seats to hold even more people—which means we’ve got to be organizing our people and funding our movement. Pay your RG member dues here [[link removed]] !
The Marsh pod rallying cry says it better than I can, and with many fewer words: “Feeling cute, might redistribute!” So feel whatever you’re feeling and then commit, and join the party in the movement space!
In solidarity,
Eli & Eli
P.S. Couldn't make it to MMMC but want to learn more about how RGers are moving money in this moment? Come to the Money Survey Report Back on December 7!
Money Survey Report Back
Thursday, December 7 from 7-8:30pm ET, 4-5:30pm PT
RSVP for the Report Back! [[link removed]]
This will be a casual, anonymized redux of the MMMC Money Survey. Strong encouragement to bring a RG lurker or potential member with you, and/or invite a friend or relative who's curious about our work and how to support it. The money survey is a key tool RG uses at our annual national conference to lift a mirror onto our in-person microcosm of resource mobilization; we know what's happening in our base is reflective of larger trends. In this report back, we’ll also share some topline takeaways from MMMC in general, speak to how the conference impacted attendees' 2023 redistribution pledges, and invite you to support RG's work. Valeriya will be facilitating with Rachel Gelman, who's been doing lots of amazing donor organizing and resource mobilization support with RG members for the last year and a half. Yahya, RG's Executive Director, is also supporting.
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We encourage you to consider joining RG as a dues paying member [[link removed]] , and if you would like to get involved in your local chapter, please fill out this intake form [[link removed]] !
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