As Resource Generation (RG) celebrates our 10th Anniversary and embarks upon our second decade, we are witnessing social, economic and environmental devastation nationally and globally that demands a well organized and resourced movement for social change. RG is playing our part as evidenced by the many budding leaders and dynamic movement builders organizing in local communities across the country. Each day, we hear stories of hope and action from our constituents and we are in turn inspired to stay focused on our vision of change.

In order for RG to continue to dream big, we need your strong support now more than ever. We invite you to check out all that is happening inside RG and to become a part of it today!

2008 Donor Organizing Institute

Resource Generation’s staff and board are working towards an overarching goal of creating a national organizing strategy to strengthen our work as a whole. We are laying the foundation for sustained national organizing by strengthening RG communities in key cities nationally. This spring we offered an intensive Donor Organizing Institute with the following goals as our guide: develop more leaders, increase RG’s capacity to engage constituents, and increase the number of constituents involved in RG.

We are delighted to report back that eleven local organizers and organizers-in-training from eight cities partnered with a cross-class team of facilitators to strengthen their donor organizing skills at the 2008 DOI in Minneapolis during the first weekend in April. Storytelling, skill-building and creating action plans were major components of the training and we’re excited to continue to work with all 2008 DOI graduates as they organize on the ground in communities across the country.

As RG continues to work on a comprehensive National Organizing Strategy, the 2008 DOI was an important stepping-stone allowing us to prioritize leadership development. In the coming years, we will move towards a model where there are larger numbers of constituents with increased responsibility throughout the country. Shifting in this direction requires RG’s vision, mission, goals, and policies to be especially clear, and our board and staff are diligently working on these aspects of organizational development.

Below are reflections from our 2008 DOI attendees:

“At the DOI I got a great perspective on this work that we’re doing – from the larger context of social change movements, right down to the nitty gritty of what my next steps are going to be tomorrow.”

“At the DOI I had the chance to think more about how I can share my story to get others involved in social justice work. The DOI was an opportunity for me to connect with leaders in the RG community - new and old – to share experiences, ideas, skills, and tools about how to continue my personal journey and to think about how we can engage others in the important work of donor organizing.”

“The DOI was an amazing opportunity to discuss, strategize about and envision organizing among wealthy young people. I really liked working together with other young people with class privilege who are committed to serious thought and action. I have gained valuable insights, ideas, and skills related to moving myself and my community towards being authentic and effective allies in the movement for systemic social change.”

“At the DOI I saw potential for RG to be part of a broad national movement for racial and economic justice!”

Want to learn about leading in your community? Contact elspeth(at)resourcegeneration.org.
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Resource Generation at Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit

Resource Generation organized a thirty-person delegation to attend the 2008 Council on Foundations Summit in D.C. as part of our Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy (CCTFP) program. Working in partnership with Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, 21/64 and the Council on Foundations, we developed a Generational Leadership Program (GLP) – a four-day series of retreats, panels, workshops and mixers developed specifically for emerging leaders in the philanthropy and nonprofit sectors. As part of the GLP, we will be grappling with big questions: What will philanthropy look like in the future when more and more Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers step into leadership? What will we fund? How will funding decisions be made? How will technology be used to streamline processes, make funding more accessible and more green?

Through our involvement with the Social Justice Philanthropy Collaborative, we will bring together people working in the philanthropic sector that share a common destination -- increased funding for social justice. At a time when growth in the field of philanthropy is met with escalating need, we want to clearly, collectively and intentionally steer philanthropy in this bold direction.

The RG Delegation, Generational Leadership Program, and Social Justice Philanthropy reception have all been organized to support our constituents’ development as grant-makers and change-makers.

Below are reflections from our family philanthropy constituents.

"Resource Generation is playing a pivotal role in transforming how philanthropy supports social change. By convening young family philanthropists at sector events like the Council on Foundations Philanthropy Summit, and raising challenging questions about how money is allocated and who makes those decisions, Resource Generation is shifting the dialogue about how funders can more effectively address inequality."
– Alison Goldberg

“Being a part of this community has made me see how much my active involvement in [my family’s] foundation can significantly impact social change. The [CCTFP] program has given me leadership skills and confidence to make my voice louder within the foundations in which I am a part, and has dramatically increased my abilities as a strong, effective, and valued board member. I am really grateful for this community, which I find to be consistently inspiring.”
– Zoe Estrin

Click here to read the COF Generational Leadership Program press release. For more information on the CCTFP program contact mike(at)resourcegeneration.org.
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Catalyzing Our Resources for Equity (CORE)

Through CORE, Resource Generation is building a base of young people of color with wealth, developing new programs and promoting racial justice in philanthropy. In the past year, we organized within communities of color and supported CORE constituents to become empowered agents of change by leveraging their financial resources and social networks. In November 2007, we held our first national workshop in partnership with Changemakers, and through our ongoing efforts this spring we continue to witness an increase in our constituency.

A major tool for organizing young people of color with wealth will be our forthcoming publication. Over the past few months, we have interviewed 15 CORE constituents and we will continue interviewing in the coming weeks. By the end of this year, we plan to release our third book, which will include stories of young people of color with wealth as well as articles by thought leaders in the fields of social justice, racial justice, economic justice, philanthropy and more.

Below are some testimonials from participants at our November 2007 Strategic Giving Workshop:

“I believe people of color are at a disadvantage in terms of leveraging their resources because the social networks available to other groups are not readily available. And because of the diversity of class, access, and experiences of people of color, these networks are hard to find. CORE is a great first step in creating and inspiring these networks.”

“The CORE program is really critical at this moment in philanthropy. Creating space for young people of color who give to clarify social change values, and explore ways to make their giving more strategic seems especially essential. In support of these aims, the CORE program has pioneered this crucial conversation, and provides participants practical tools for deepening their giving's impact.”

“Being able to leverage your personal resources for progressive change— and being given the tools to do so— that’s what CORE & Resource Generation are all about. Wonderful— and thank you!”

For more information on CORE contact sam(at)resourcegeneration.org.
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Donor Partner Program

Our staff had the privilege of working with three committed, energetic RG constituent fundraisers this year as part of our Donor Partner Program. The program was designed to support constituents’ development as donors and fundraisers through hands-on experience, which in turn supplements RG’s fundraising capacity. A big thank you goes out to our first round of Donor Partners: Cameron Jordan, Jenna Ritter and Zoe Estrin. Below are some of their reflections:

“Taking part in the Donor Partner Program has provided me a deeper look in to the inner workings of RG giving me a clearer understanding of the organization. The process has been beneficial, as the experience has helped me to feel more comfortable with myself as a young person with wealth. I have a clearer understanding of my position of power and feel empowered to utilize my situation with intelligence, skill and compassion to bring about change.”
–Jenna Ritter

“Resource Generation has a specific niche in the social justice community. RG’s unique approach to social justice—creating a large network of young people with wealth who are committed to social change—is unlike the work of any other organization. RG’s work is about personal connections and relationships as well as about deep, personal change.”
–Zoe Estrin

“I feel compelled to give to Resource Generation because I can, because I feel committed to a community of learners and drivers of social change, and because my voice, actions, and dollars do make a difference… Breaking a little bit of the ice around making “cold calls” to RG constituents about supporting the individual donor campaign, I realized that I like fundraising more than I care to admit!”
-Cameron Jordan

Email taij(at)resourcegeneration.org if you would like to be a part of RG’s next group of donor partners.
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We hope you will sustain RG with a meaningful contribution as we continue to
support young people, supporting change.  Please donate or pledge now!