Annual Report 2023-2024
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Dear Beloved Community,
We see you. We see the challenges and grief you are holding and the ways you keep moving through it, finding moments of joy, connection, and ways to keep creating the world you want.
Like for many of you, it has been a particularly challenging year to stay grounded and keep our everyday energy focused, as we see the devastation wrought by US imperialism, the carceral state, and many issues of inequities that our partners are organizing to solve.
We stay motivated and replenish ourselves learning from histories of revolutionary resistance and cherishing our connections. We continue to look for ways to dismantle our internalized white supremacy, engage in somatic practices, and to change structures that embody oppressive dynamics. We recommit to our mission – to move and support solutions that are by us, and for us, as we act local and think global. We turn towards each other, and find ways to stand in solidarity with each other.
At RVC, we have practiced how to move like starlings, staying sensitive and responsive to the emergent needs of our community. Sometimes this looked like the co-ED team redistributing roles and responsibilities. Sometimes this looked like building in systems for learning and reflection, as well as systems of prioritization in recognition of capacity limitations. Sometimes this looks like adjusting the way we are doing internal work around Pro-Blackness. Sometimes it’s been about finding ways to rest.
with love,
RVC staff
RVC Year-End Review
We gathered some reflections and sweet memories at our staff retreat!
Staffing Updates
- “I joined RVC as a new staff member in April. Time has flown by and I feel truly lucky to be here.”
- Sunshine and Kenzie joined as 2 HR managers to meet org needs!
- We now have a full development team with the addition of Jesse and Grey!
- For the first time in 5 years, fully staffed OS team to handle the workload in addition to Manny and Deserea from FY23, Michel was rehired!
- a celebration of the new position of finance manager to support the org finance lead! Hafidha hired!
- Penny joined the GenOps team, and Menzeba joined DEC as Communications Fellow for the rest of their time in fellowship! Hurrah! 🎉
In our work with partners…
- We’re always in evolutionary mode.
- “Our ongoing commitment: having difficult conversations with our partners, supporting our partners as their needs changed and figuring that out, and always focusing on our infrastructure to ensure our partners feel supported.”
IYKYK! (i.e. nonprofit nerd-ery)
- Updated budget docs! Whoo!
- The Gusto transition kicking off switching from paper timesheets 📑 to digital takes up less capacity!
- Successfully moved to new office space (💰 saved!)
🪄 Magic Cabinet Cohort!
- In case you missed it, we collaborated with Magic Cabinet to launch their first fiscally-sponsored cohorts in the Puget Sound area!
- This means we are supporting these partners with how they use this funding for long-term sustainability
Social Justice League
- Year 2 distribution! $33,000 disbursed to partners
Relationship building
- Eating on the grass outside PCC. Ice cream and movies in Columbia City
- Office holiday party!
- Coffee time for staff bonding across team siloes
- RVC’s 1st annual cookout was an amazing experience. It felt very community, it felt vibrant, it felt connected. If you come visit our office, you’ll see our beautiful office wall art we made there~
Partner Updates & Celebrations!
WA-BLOC (Washington Building Leaders of Change)
- Establishing multi-year school partnerships with five elementary/K-8 school partnerships for Restorative Practices programming!
- Ensuring that students had safe spaces to not only speak about the injustices they experienced, but to learn about paths to action.
- Rededicating ourselves to the core tenets of the 1964 Freedom Schools and creating the “freest” iteration of our summer program yet.
Powerful Little People – Youth-led Social Action @ Freedom Schools
“Our Freedom Schools classes this summer were full of visionaries and change-makers; scholars crafted images of the most beautiful freedom dreams and strengthened their civic engagement muscles. They sent letters to Bruce Harrell, Seattle’s mayor, advocating for lower rent, gun control, and less expensive food. They investigated a stretch of Rainier Ave, conducting their own resource evaluation and identifying ways that the neighborhood could become an even better place to live (safe places to play, a pool for hot days, and more).
And, of course, their biggest change-making project culminated in the Day of Social Action. This year scholars chose familiar areas of focus: gun violence, homelessness, and pollution. A little moment of transparency–we don’t steer them toward any specific direction when we ask what issues they want to center. They choose, every time. The youth are the truth; they know what’s up. If you haven’t checked out the video summary on our Instagram you really should. It’s the story of the day, told by our scholars in their own voices.”
Day of Social Action @ Freedom Schools
MÁS
Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MÁS) Ancestral Whispers: Of Land and Sea, the first ticketed event from MÁS, took place on December 1, 2023. The event showcased a range of traditional music and dance from 9 Central and South American regions. MÁS was successful in creating a space for connection, healing, and remembrance of AfroLatine presence and lineages here in greater Seattle.
We featured MÁS as well as Meg (development coordinator at MÁS; also part of Community Impact Fellowship cohort 2022-2024) in this piece from last year’s holiday campaign!
RCP
Restorative Community Pathways (RCP) Family BBQ: “We had families and youth participants join for burgers, sunshine and large group games. It was a time to connect and grow together in community, through fun and good conversations.”
“We were able to take a group of youth participants and their families Back to school shopping where they were able to get necessities and outfits for starting school.”
AAOC
Alphabet Alliance of Color (AAOC): “We had a year of great transformation: we recently welcomed our new Co-Director, Brianna, and will be saying goodbye to one of our Co-Directors, Fox in December! We invited co-conspirators into our ecosystem of care and are figuring out how all the moving pieces of our alliance work together. If you are interested in joining AAoC as Co-Conspirator, learn how on our website!”
Green Space Project
Skyway Coalition
Skyway Homeownership & Green Space Project
- A community-led mobilization plan that addresses displacement in Skyway brought together Skyway Coalition, Homestead CLT, and Community Land Conservancy to develop approximately 55 homeownership opportunities and 11 acres of community-stewarded green space in Skyway.
- Together, we won the direct negotiation RFP with King County for transferring 14 acres of land to the community of Skyway.
- Green Space Community Connectors engaged Skyway residents to envision the future of green space surrounding homeownership development.
Skyway Resource Center
- Skyway Coalition is transitioning from RVC as we work towards becoming a 501c3 Community Development Association.
- The Coalition will receive the donated building of the Skyway Resource Center from community partners who have stewarded it on behalf of community to date, Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP) and King County Housing Authority (KCHA).
- The Grand Opening of the Skyway Resource Center is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
Community Impact Fellowship
Our Community Impact Fellowship program saw the graduation of the 2022-2024 Cohort! This is our 4th cohort to complete the program since first launching in 2015. We were so proud to bear witness to the tremendous growth of each and every fellow. Their leadership journeys may look different, but in community with each other and with support from the Fellowship team, each Fellow took on challenges and developed the skills that will serve them well in their post-graduation life!
Transformation was a huge theme for the 2022-2024 Community Impact Fellows. You can hear from them directly about some of their learnings in the Turn Up for Transformation thought leadership pieces!
The fellowship team also saw some momentous transitions. As Flo bade goodbye after 7(!) years of co-stewarding this team, there was an intentional effort to continue the co-leadership model with Yecelica Valdivia and Christian Moore sharing responsibilities. With the addition of Karina Arroyo, the Fellowship team will be preparing for the next cohort of Community Impact Fellows with deep reflections and learning during FY25. The program continues to evolve and grow – for instance, with Fellows’ feedback, the team piloted development and operations learning tracks with Cohort 4 and the launch of a partner peer-learning cohort – and we look forward to seeing what will come next!
Some Key Takeaways
Fellows:
- Consistently showed respect and appreciation for others in their community.
- Grew most in their ability to address conflict and have a healthy work/life balance, especially as they entered the second year of their program
- By the end of the program, fellows were leading, co-creating, and overseeing many of their own projects and programs. They became more confident in owning their work, making decisions, and advocating for themselves and others.
Host organizations:
- Grew most in establishing regular supervision and feedback practices, developing organizational work plans, and aligning leadership and programming with their org mission
- Demonstrated inconsistent performance around supervisors checking in on fellow work progress, as well as having a clear understanding of the fellowship program’s work and role
- As the program came to a close, the percentage of organizations with active work plans increased
- Continued commitment to strengthen onboarding efforts so fellows and host organizations have a strong start.
Thought Leadership
Storytelling takes many forms so this year we started exploring multimedia as a format for our thought leadership!
We piloted this with our fellowship team, and in that conversation, we talked about the necessity and challenges of creating breathing room to integrate feedback and strengthen programming.
Then we had a powerful conversation with our partners in restorative justice work (Creative Justice,Washington Building Leaders for Change, and Restorative Community Pathways) about why we need to invest in non-carceral solutions rather than policing, why this work needs time, and what restorative justice really looks like in practice.
We also released the template and process for the Collaborative Budgeting Tool. This tool was created in collaboration with Ananada Valenzuela and Alicia Radford, to help organizations move toward more transparent and collective budgeting processes. And, we added Spanish language versions of our decision making tools.
In the coming year, we look forward to amplifying our thought leadership in more creative formats, and from more voices across our community!
Board Search!
RVC is looking for new board members to roll onto our board in early 2025! We’re looking for folks who reflect the communities we serve and are organizational and system builders, non-profit nerds, or movement builders. We thrive with folks who are fans of what we are trying to do at RVC and understand the various aspects of our work from capacity building to finances to leadership development.
If you are interested in learning about and stewarding a self-managing organization and fiscal sponsor, committed to organizations led by and serving BIPOC folks in Seattle and South King County, and being part of a board that offers both strategic thinking and laughter — please reach out to [email protected] for more information.
Financials
In the past year, we faced unique challenges and transitions that significantly impacted our cash reserves. We knew the fundraising landscape would experience shifts, so we prepared by keeping reserve funds available. Thanks to our previous work on building up a healthy reserve, we could step in and support partners when they needed it most and keep RVC running.
Even before our co-Executive Directors stepped into their roles, it was evident that investing in our internal capacity and right-sizing our work was crucial for RVC’s wellbeing. For the first time in a decade, we reached full staffing levels, which has not only improved the health and well-being of our team but also strengthened our commitment to supporting our partners and connecting with supporters.
Despite experiencing a dip in cash-in-hand, this situation reflects both the success of our prior fundraising efforts and our ongoing need for robust donor relationships to sustain our work long-term. We continue to advocate for multi-year general operating funding for RVC and other organizations that are doing vital capacity-building work in our communities. Continued support from our donors is essential for navigating future funding shifts and ensuring that RVC continues to strengthen our communities for years to come.
None of this work would have been possible without the trust of community members who believe in the vision of a just world where BIPOC communities don’t just thrive, but are actively building the power and collective capacity to fulfill the dreams of our communities.
Thank you to everyone who have been supporting us, our partners, and our community! We would not be able to do this without you!