Action Projects

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Fellowship Opportunities:

At the core of Resource Generation's work is our commitment to affect change--to take action for change. The diagram to the right shows different "sites of action." RG action projects happen on a national and local scale, and often work to affect change on multiple levels.

National Action Projects

Resource Generation is taking action nationally! In 2011 we are launching three national partnerships - strengthening our national programing and organizing in the areas of giving, impact investing and progressive tax reform.

Progressive Tax Reform

Wealthy people pay far less than their fair share of taxes.  But important policy changes are up for debate in Congress and state legislatures right now. These decisions impact the funding that is available for schools, healthcare, jobs creation, safety net programs, and other critical services.  It's time to get involved!

Wealth for the Common Good and Resource Generation are partnering to launch a new campaign on progressive tax reform. In the months ahead, an organizing group will shape actions we can take as a community to leverage privilege for progressive tax reform. For more information contact Elspeth at elspeth@resourcegeneration.org

Through March 14 we are accepting applications for The Progressive Tax Campaign Organizing Team. Resource Generation and Wealth for the Common Good are partnering to convene young people with wealth who are ready to launch a campaign for progressive tax reform. The 2011 group will engage in collective study on taxes, build storytelling, media and campaign skills, and work together to hone and launch a campaign.

Impact Investing

What role do young people with wealth have to play in influencing the other 95%? As philanthropy and the non-profit sector have grown in sophistication, so has the management of their finances. Foundations are finding unique ways to go beyond their 5% grantmaking by leveraging "the other 95%" in assets, while nonprofits are adopting investment strategies to further social and environmental causes. How can we forward this work?

Through March 7 we are accepting applications for The Next Gen Fellowship Program in Mission Related Investing. Resource Generation and Confluence Philanthropy are partnering to convene a group of RG members for a pilot year of learning and action, culminating in a collective project focused on organizing young people with wealth around impact investing.

Giving

Bolder Giving and Resource Generation are partnering to build on our respective seminal work around giving. For more information contact Elspeth at elspeth@resourcegeneration.org

Member-Led Action Projects

Member-Led Action Projects provide an opportunity for RG-ers to take collective action together. Action Projects emerged out of chapters as communities of RG members were moved to practice the social change concepts and values they developed through meeting together. Member-Led Action Projects:

  • Span a broad spectrum from giving circles, to specific campaign organizing
  • Focus on collective action, systemic change, and partnerships with local organizations
  • Provide opportunities for members to put theory into practice

A few examples include...

Next Generation Giving Project

In 2010, Social Justice Fund Northwest launched a special initiative with Resource Generation members to develop a cross-class cohort of young people under 40 to move money to social change through collective fundraising and grantmaking. Participants in this project have built cross-class community while learning fundraising, analysis and skills to make effective philanthropic decisions. This Donor Circle is ongoing. For more information contact zeke@socialjusticefund.org

Gulf South Allied Funders--GSAF

Gulf South Allied Funders was a donor circle launched by nine Resource Generation participants in collaboration with the Twenty-First Century Foundation after Hurricane Katrina. By engaging friends, family and community in grassroots fundraising and partnering with the Women Donor's Network among others, it succeeded in moving $3.5 million over three years directly to grassroots organizing in the Gulf South. GSAF is no longer an active donor circle but the Twenty-First Century Foundation continues to fund the Gulf South and relationships continue to thrive.

Save Our Safety Net Campaign

As the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression continues to hit residents of cities like Washington DC hard, the situation is made worse by serious revenue shortfalls – putting at risks funds for schools as well as health and human services.  DC's response has been deep cuts to such services that jeopardize the District's ability to recover and to invest in a prosperous future.

The DC chapter of Resource Generation joined the city-wide coalition Save our Safety Net DC (SOS) in the spring of 2010 to fight for tax increases on the cities highest income earning residents in order to prevent further service cuts.  DC RG held a public event to recruit high-income earners to the cause, and has continued organizing wealthy residents to speak out in favor of new taxes.  Two DC RG members sit on the steering committee of SOS and this fall they once again took the argument for higher taxes to the DC city council. After raucus protests on Decmeber 7, the council voted 8-5 against new taxes on the wealthy... but the coalition has vowed to fight on, and remains a model for local tax and revenue campaigns. For more information, contact Burke at burke(at)stansbury.com.