The Re-evaluation Foundation
The Re-evaluation Foundation is an independent charitable organization (incorporated in the State of Washington, USA, and recognized as a tax-exempt 501.c.3 organization by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service). It is distinct and separate from Re-evaluation Counseling Community Resources (RCCR) and the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities.
The mission of the foundation is to support projects and activities that spread the concepts and tools of Re-evaluation Counseling, especially to those who would otherwise have difficulty acquiring them, and to support the development of RC leaders. Consistent with the values of the founder of RC, Harvey Jackins, we have been especially interested in encouraging the spread of Re-evaluation Counseling among low-income people and people of color and in helping to build Communities in places where RC is just getting established.
The foundation accepts gifts and donations from all sources, including members of the RC Communities. It solicits them only from people who are not directly involved in Re-evaluation Counseling. Over the last four years, it has granted approximately one and a half million (U.S.) dollars to RC projects around the world.
FINANCIAL REPORT
In 2016, the Re-evaluation Foundation received contributions of over $500,000, allocated over $400,000 to projects, and had approximately $29,000 of administrative expenses. Administrative expenses were less than 7% of the foundation’s total expenditures. Volunteer board members do almost all of the work of the foundation. There is only one (part-time) paid staff member, who is the foundation’s business manager.
PROJECTS OF THE RE-EVALUATION FOUNDATION
The Re-evaluation Foundation funds approximately one hundred projects. At the end of 2016, the accounts of all the projects together contained over $1.1 million. Many of the projects have no more than a few thousand dollars allocated to them. Several, including the Black Liberation and Community Development (BLCD) Workshops, Africa Liberation, and Sustaining All Life, have been allocated substantial amounts of money.
The projects fall within four categories:
1) Geographically based projects—for example, Africa Liberation and Latin America Liberation. These projects help to bring RC to frontier places and develop RC leaders there. They are usually led by the Regional Reference Person for the geographical area.
2) Constituency-based liberation projects—for example, the Black Liberation and Community Development (BLCD) Workshops, Native Liberation, Asian Liberation, and Chicano/a Liberation. These projects focus on developing RC leaders within the constituency and supporting the constituency’s International Liberation Reference Person (ILRP) to reach more people. They are usually led by the ILRP.
3) Projects outside the RC Communities—for example, No Limits for Women, United to End Racism, Tule Lake, and Sustaining All Life. These projects bring what we’ve learned in RC to non-RC activists. They are often led by the International Reference Person, the Alternate International Reference Person, or an ILRP.
4) Projects to make RC information more widely available, including to RC leaders—for example, projects for archiving, making use of computers and the Internet, distributing RC libraries, and getting RC literature to people with reading impairments.
More information about the projects of the Re-evaluation Foundation is available on the foundation’s website at <www.rc.org/publications/foundation/contents>.
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM
Historically, most of the money donated to the Re-evaluation Foundation has come from voluntary contributions from Re-evaluation Counseling Community members. This is still true. However, more efforts have been made in recent years to help RCers fundraise from people not directly involved in Re-evaluation Counseling.
Fundraising projects have been organized in local Communities or have been based on liberation constituencies or an interest in shared projects. Recent fundraising projects have included
- fundraising house parties—organized locally with RC leaders as guest speakers and with RC Community members inviting friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, or classmates to attend and learn about Re-evaluation Counseling and the projects of the Re-evaluation Foundation as well as donate,
- fundraising Wygelian groups—groups of RCers who are of the same liberation constituency or share a common interest in an RC project who have met by phone, usually over six months, to report on progress, think about next steps, and discharge toward doing one-to-one solicitation of non-RCers for contributions to a project of the Re-evaluation Foundation (for example, Young Adult Liberation, Black Men’s Liberation, Jewish Liberation).
We welcome members of the RC Communities to become engaged as fundraisers. Our experience is that fundraising for the Re-evaluation Foundation is a highly re-emergent activity. It challenges us to reclaim our power with regard to money and scorn fears about sharing RC with friends and family.
The Re-evaluation Foundation is led by a Board of Directors. Its current members are Mary Ruth Gross <maryruthgross@gmail.com>, Rudy Nickens <rudynickens@gmail.com>, Cynthia Phinney <cynth@gwi.net>, Ellie Putnam <ellieput@w-link.net>, and I. Please reach out to any one of us if you have questions or would like to be involved in fundraising.
(Present Time 188, July 2017)