Build *movement* electoral power, not donor electoral power
As activity across the country is ramping up for the November 2018 elections and the social movement organizations that many Resource Generation members are in relationship with step up their civic engagement activity, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to apply Resource Generation’s values and social justice philanthropy principles to elections.
Resource Generation’s social justice philanthropy principles call us to focus on the root causes of social, racial, economic and environmental injustices. How we get to those root causes and who is making strategic choices along the way matters too. The principles also call us to support the leadership of those most directly impacted by harmful systemic oppression and exploitation. Fighting back against those harmful systems and building new ones can often include blocking or moving specific pieces of legislation, and blocking or moving specific people — elected and appointed officials — who create, change and enforce them
If a donor directs a contribution to a candidate directly, the candidates would be accountable to the power of the donor. If a donor directs a contribution to membership organizations doing community organizing, then the candidates are accountable to communities impacted and the issues they prioritize. And the community … Continue reading »