Time is weird, it can feel both fast and slow all at once. This has felt especially true over the last two years, but has always felt true for me when it comes to Resource Generation. Being in the work, it can feel like it takes so long for an idea to become reality. And at the same time, it can feel like in the blink of an eye the leadership of our chapters, staff, and board have changed; it feels so quick how fairly recent developments can become core pieces of what we do, that feel like they’ve always been there. 

Our campaign partnerships with the Movement for Black Lives and Center for Popular Democracy, the Redistribution Pledge, our Transformative Investing Principles, a membership over 1,000 strong; none of these existed even five years ago and yet they feel so central to who we are now. 

The other thing they share is that our last set of five-year goals and our last strategic plan pointed us towards all of them. 

Strategic planning is how we take stock of who we are and name who we want to become. Not in a way that limits or constricts us, but in a way that allows us to move with intention and power, inviting in what serves us and setting boundaries against what doesn’t. 

The last time RG embarked on strategic planning was in 2012. The strategic plan we developed then led to our current mission statement and organizing model. And now, ten years later, we’re doing it again. 

It feels important to name the moment we’re in, to offer context to all the questions about our work, about how we relate to our changing world. It is important to have the time to affirm who we are, or start the process of making changes, so we can be powerful and aligned in our organizing. 

The RG NYC Moving Money Circle is hosting a workshop on transformative investing for folks who know they want to move money to the solidarity economy but need some help turning these intentions into action. Register here! 

You may have read RG's Transformative Investment Principles but aren’t sure what it actually looks like to invest in communities and movements that are building a new economy. Whether you are looking to divest from Wall Street, build a retirement plan that aligns with your values, or just move money into an anti-capitalist economic system, we have an astounding array of radical investment practitioners who will share their stories and answer your questions.

During this workshop, we'll 

• Break down what we mean by "solidarity economy" and "transformative investing"
• Process thoughts/feelings that have us stuck investing our resources in oppressive systems 
• Be in conversation with a group of awesome panelists about their experiences with these topics
• Panelists include: Ed Whitfield (Seed Commons), Kate Baron-Alicante (Abacus), Kate Poole (Chordata Capitol), Jellynne Morse (The Drivers Coop), Nadav David (RG staff), Kim Griffen (RG member), Jules Panagacos (RG member) 

Here's the link to register - hope to see you there!

Maren, Kelly, and Cole on behalf of the Moving Money Circle

This event will move resources to Stop LAPD Spying  an amazing grassroots coalition building community power toward abolishing police surveillance. Their work is largely volunteer-based and accountable to an organizing base made up of those who are most vulnerable to police violence, particularly in the Skid Row community of Los Angeles where they are located. Through collective study, participatory research, and direct action, Stop LAPD Spying is building a robust a responsive culture of resistance to police.

Come and Celebrate Stop LAPD Spying’s 10 year anniversary! 

• Learn about their history and work, including their newest research report “Automating Banishment: The Surveillance and Policing of Looted Land,” on “data-driven policing,” real estate development, displacement, and settler colonialism
• Enjoy musical performances, poetry reading, and theater from an *incredible* line up of guests including poet Claire Schwartz, musician Sonny Singh, writer and director Miranda Haymon, and more! 

Who’s this for? Anyone in RG - not just LA!

FAQs? Check out this document and linktree!

With daffodils blooming in NC, so too is the Triangle NC Chapter! We wrapped up February with a weekend virtual retreat where we defined two simple but energizing goals for 2022: to rebuild our chapter membership and to guide every member in creating a redistribution plan to give locally. The retreat wrapped up with bocce ball and cookies in the park. We also kicked off a new Praxis group with 10 fine folks, and had a delightful in-person, outdoor hangout at the Chatham Beverage District, pictured here. 

In Mid-February, RG Boston held its annual retreat where the chapter reflected on the last year of our organizing, and especially the ways racism has shown up in our work, set intentions for 2022, and welcomed new folks into involvement and leadership. 

During the first day of the retreat, members regrounded ourselves in why we are invested in RG and why we are focused on this work at this moment. In addition, on day 1, to model principles of transparency, radical honesty, and accountability, specific experiences of racism in the Base Building and Leadership Development (BBLD) working group were shared, as well as how they’re being addressed and what folks are learning. This conversation was about building a greater understanding among RG Boston members/leaders/teams about what multiracial base building and decentering whiteness looks like in RG’s organizing. 

On day 2, we reflected on the previous day’s session, and we discussed what accountability to our goals and commitments looks like and how we can make it a shared priority in our chapter. This included celebrating our accomplishments from the prior year and beginning to set goals and intentions in our working groups for 2022. 

The new RG Maine chapter is growing and learning. Explorations include shared values, roles, and structures within the chapter, the Maine funding landscape, cross-class partnerships, and collaborations with other small and emerging chapters. Thanks to regional organizer Nadav for catalyzing some of these conversations!

This month, BARG hosted an event on donor-advised funds (DAFs) to educate our chapter members on what they are, why they exist, and what we should do with them. Working alongside the Unmasking Fidelity Campaign, we want our chapter members to understand how DAFs are used as a wealth-hoarding vehicle and fight against it.

A highlight from our fundraising this month: BARG rallied around a fundraising campaign for our partner organization Mujeres Unidas y Activas to hire a new organizer. We hosted an event with MUA leaders and were able to meet the entire $75,000 fundraising goal!

RG OH had a great (but sad!) final meeting with Christina, our illustrious departing Midwest Regional Organizer, who guided us in a generative and energizing conversation about opportunities and strategies for basebuilding in Ohio. Christina has been an amazing source of support and guidance for our emerging chapter, and we’ll miss her a lot - but we’re excited to meet the new organizer for our region and continue to build movement power in the Midwest!

We have met for the second time this year with an open goals/workshop meeting, which was quite powerful! Looking forward to welcoming another new member at our general meeting next month.

The Unmasking Fidelity coalition just released “The People Disclose,” a new report exposing how Fidelity Charitable, the nation’s largest grantmaker, has enabled anti-Muslim, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-immigrants groups to be funded to the tune of over 35 million dollars over the past five years. The report details how 10 organizations that further systemic oppression globally receive direct contributions from Fidelity Charitable through its Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs).

Back in the fall of 2021, dozens of organizations and thousands of individuals, including hundreds of RGers, demanded Fidelity Charitable disclose its contributions to these groups, plus the related fees and policies related to this practice. Coalition members, including RG Boston and NC Triangle leaders, delivered the letter to Fidelity headquarters in Boston, MA and Raleigh, NC.

Take action: 

• Read the report and share it with your networks and Fidelity account representatives using the social media toolkit. 
• Join our action hour on Tuesday, March 29 at 12pm-1pm ET / 9am-10am PT. 
• Sign up for the campaign email list so you can take action as the campaign move from the DISCLOSE phase of this campaign to focusing on the DIVEST and REPAIR demands.

Did you recently hear about RG through a friend, a media story or another social justice organization? Do you know people in your network who have class privilege and/or access to wealth? Join us and invite other prospective RGers to our monthly RG 101 orientation! 

You will learn about RG's vision and organizing model, share about why you're excited about being part of the community, and start building relationships with RG members and staff. The RG 101 orientation is open for all, both for people in chapter areas and those that are not. This space is geared towards young people (18-35) with access to wealth and/or class privilege, but anyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to connecting with you! RSVP at tinyurl.com/RG101March22

FORM Collective (Families Organizing to Resource Movements) is looking for new members who are ready to organize their families to move resources to the Movement for Black Lives, and realign their family giving practices through 1:1 peer support! Fill out an intake form today to be looped into their organizing (max 15min), and read through this slideshow about membership. 

FORM is a volunteer-led project, started by several RG members, to organize wealthy families and family foundations to move resources to the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and transform how families resource social justice movements at large through ongoing peer support. Working with FORM involves a six-month commitment. Email [email protected] for any questions.

The Next Egg, an organization included in RG’s Financial Professional Database, is a community / platform that offers resources and tools for people to move their retirement savings out of Wall Street and into local (and/or solidarity economy) investing. They are hosting a series of conversations that are relevant to RG’s Transformative Investment Principles. 

• Can We Repair Harm and Still Grow Our Investments? - February 17, 2022 at 1:00pm - 2:15pm PT / 4:00pm - 5:15pm ET - RSVP link
• Can We Imagine A World Where Personal Security Doesn't Require Individual Savings? - March 07, 2022 at 11:00am-12:15pm PT / 2:00pm - 3:15pm ET - RSVP link
• What IS Retirement Anyway? - Monday, April 04, 2022 at 11:00 AM-12:15pm PT / 2:00pm - 3:15pm ET - RSVP link

"It used to be that those who inherited wealth invested and found ways to keep it. Millennials are bucking that tradition. Instead of buying property or stocks, they are giving away their wealth. ⁠

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It’s a movement that’s been embraced in the Bay Area as millennials such as Clemmy Brown, whose great-grandfather founded Whirlpool appliances, have redistributed their capital among people who don’t have enough, particularly in indigenous communities and communitiises of color.⁠

“I can see in the world how bad things are,” Brown said. “There’s something that feels very wrong about holding onto money that you don’t actually need.”⁠

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Meanwhile, Jonah Kagan, who was a little ashamed of his life of privilege joined @resourcegeneration, a nonprofit whose roughly 200 wealthy Bay Area members pledged to redistribute a total of $14 million last year. ⁠

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He gave away most of his cash savings – about $210,000.⁠

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“I definitely felt a lot of fear and anxiety about the unknown things that would happen later in life,” Kagan said, but overall, he feels better now."

Marisa Kendall

The Mercury News 

Development Director Kofo Anifalaje interviews North Star Fund donor-advised fund holder Sarah Frank. Sarah has had a donor-advised fund (DAF) through North Star Fund for several years. Sarah made some donations during the pandemic that are unique to her situation, but has great insight to share for any donors interested in supporting community organizing.

Kofo and Sarah talk about ways to be a responsible and accountable donor in these demanding times. Their conversation talks about how to move money with intention, including when to use a DAF and balancing it out with other forms of giving.

Meeting the Moment

A North Star Fund Podcast 

Mark your calendars! The official launch date is April 18. Join us in giving BIG and EARLY this year! 

We encourage you to consider joining RG as a dues paying member, and if you would like to get involved in your local chapter, please fill out this intake form!

Resource Generation
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New York, NY 10001
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