We are shifting fundraising culture and practices to build stronger movements for justice and liberation in New England.

ROP provides everything from concrete fundraising skills to solidarity, empathy, and encouragement to take care of ourselves and keep our work sustainable.
— Participant in the Grassroots Fundraisers Circle
 
 

We're a New England regional movement infrastructure project working to align fundraising practice with movement values and build stronger movements. Together we:

Strengthen fundraising capacity of frontline movements

Check out our constellation of offerings for training and capacity building.

Expand the Pie of Resources for Movement Building

Collaborative fundraising, funder and donor organizing to better resource our movements

Build community among movement fundraisers

Fundraisers from frontline movement groups in New England breaking through isolation and competition

 

We Value:

What we do

 “Many movement fundraisers face burnout. ROP directly connects us to community, resources that continue to grow, and a voice in the process. We also break bread, enjoy libations, and dance!”

– “Celebration of Grassroots Organizing” Partner


Fundraising can be a form of organizing, power-building, and healing.

We support community organizers and solidarity economy practitioners to align fundraising with movement values.

Our Constellation of Offerings includes:

  • Sustainer Learning Circle (1.0)

  • Sustainer Learning Circle 2.0

  • Offering for Movement Grantwriters (OMG) 1.0 and 2.0

  • New Fundraisers Cohort

  • Black Movement Fundraisers Affinity Space

More information on ROP:


Sustainer Learning Circles

“Every time a fundraising goal felt daunting, our cohort helped us work through kinks and cheer us on.”

– “Sustainer Learning Circle” Participant

Español

The Sustainer Learning Circle (SLC) is a yearlong cohort of four grassroots organizations that level up their monthly donor programs in community by:

  • Learning and sharing best practices

  • Developing a unique sustainer strategy

  • Supporting each other to implement the plan

Each organization receives a stipend and matching fund to incorporate into their strategy. Read more about the SLC here.

Click each state/geography below to view our 2024 cohort participants:

 
    • CT Students for a Dream

    • Hearing Youth Voices

    • Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice

    • MaineTransNet

    • Portland Empowered

    • Presente! Maine

    • Southern Maine Workers Center

    • Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust

    • Cambridge Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team (Cambridge HEART)

    • City Life Life Vida Urbana

    • The Network/La Red

    • New England Community Project

    • Pioneer Valley Workers Center

    • Youth Justice and Power Union

    • George Wiley Center

    • Providence Student Union

    • Education Justice Coalition of Vermont

 

ROP Network Meetings

“Our fundraising leadership built a community of practice and mutual support, shifting away from isolation.”

– Network Meeting Participant

ROP holds a drop-in space for members of our network (movement fundraisers in New England) to find connection, grounding, and support, and move together from scarcity toward abundance. Meetings are quarterly, facilitated by fundraising peers.

For more information, contact Ashley@ResourceOrganizingProject.org

 

Celebration of Grassroots Organizing in Boston

“The Celebration continues to be a core part of our fundraising strategy. It’s also a really fruitful multiyear partnership, helping our members connect with more local organizations and build fundraising skills.”

– “Celebration of Grassroots Organizing” Partner

The Celebration of Grassroots Organizing (formerly known as the Lobster Feed) is an annual picnic organized by, and funding, 15 community organizing groups on the frontlines of movements for justice and liberation in Boston:

  • Alternatives for Community & Environment

  • Asian American Resource Workshop

  • Boston Ujima Project

  • City Life / Vida Urbana

  • The City School

  • Families for Justice as Healing

  • Greenroots

  • Haymarket People’s Fund

  • I Have A Future

  • Matahari Women Workers Center

  • Muslim Justice League

  • New England United for Justice

  • Neighbors United for a Better East Boston

  • Stories Inspiring Movement

  • Youth Justice and Power Union

SAVE THE DATE! Our 12th Anniversary Celebration of Grassroots Organizing will be Saturday, June 28th, 2025, at First Parish Dorchester.

Check out our 2024 Event Report (Español), designed by Tamarack Media Cooperative!

Past event reports:
2023 ((Español)
2022 (Español)
2021 (Español)
2020
2019
2018
2017

Who we are

Network

“Instead of the participating organizations bearing the brunt of the work, it is shared. This is the exception to most partnership dynamics. A true model or example.”

– Voices From Our Partners

We launched in 2021 out of a decade of collaboration with small justice and liberation organizations. We operate in deep partnership with New England movement organizations who are either engaged in basebuilding-style organizing or in solidarity economy work.

Check out some of our 70+ partner organizations in our Current Partner Giving Guide. Partners guide our work by participating in and coordinating our programs. Fundraising staff and volunteers of these organizations hold stipended leadership roles and formal advisory roles.

Staff

Katherine Asuncion

Associate Director for Training and Capacity Building

I was born in the Dominican Republic and migrated to Lynn, MA in 2003. My journey began as an undocumented high school student involved in the 2010 DREAM Act fight. With a passion for migrant and racial justice, I organized and fundraised at Stories Inspiring Movement (formerly known as Student Immigrant Movement) for almost a decade, stumbling along the way but learning a ton and connecting with amazing people. I leaped into philanthropy when I joined the Grassroots International team in a donor organizing role. It was then when I got the opportunity to travel to Palestine, and deepen my understanding of the occupation and my commitment to Palestinian liberation, the liberation of all occupied and oppressed peoples and the dismantling of extractive systems. For 5 years, I led giving circles to fund Palestine, global Black movements, indigenous-led movements and climate justice work. I hope to continue resourcing movements, decolonizing my mind and celebrating the good stuff more.

Liza

Associate Director for Resource Mobilization

I grew up in Seacoast New Hampshire and have organized and fundraised in Boston for a decade. I learned to organize from Palestine liberation activists and take inspiration from movements for wealth redistribution, housing justice, queer liberation, and the Jewish left. I’ve previously worked for Jewish Voice for Peace, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, and I’m a member of Boston Workers Circle for Jewish Culture and Social Justice, Muslim Justice League, and Resource Generation.

Ashley Blount

Associate Director for Network, Community, and Culture

I am from Jersey and I boldly live my Black Queer life out loud in honor of those who could not. My upbringing within the Black church instilled in me the values of community, organizational skills, and spiritual alignment. Since childhood, the community has been instrumental in preserving, nurturing and safeguarding my well-being. Since Harriet (Tubman) saved my life, I transitioned from corporate work to organizing with a Black Queer Feminist Lens in solidarity with all those who are striving toward liberation.

Dave Jenkins

Executive Director

I’m a voyaging Mainer from the North Woods committed to racial, economic and gender justice in New England and beyond. I got my organizing start in Boston’s youth justice movement where I supported youth-led campaigns against environmental racism and inequities in public education, transit, land-use, and food systems. After turning my 30th birthday cookout with Maine lobsters into an annual multi-organizational celebration and fundraiser, I got more and more excited about resourcing our movements in ways that build collaboration, community, sustainability and power. More recently, as a facilitator and coach supporting New England region organizing groups, I’ve witnessed a cross-section of the challenges that BIPOC, queer, and working-class-led organizations face in trying to fundraise for justice work. I co-founded ROP to help shift that paradigm.

Join us

ROP supports our partners in building sustainer programs because they’re a vital tool to increase resources, independence and sustainability.

Seed Sustainers,” or community members making monthly donations to ROP, will be an integral piece of ROP’s community and receive:

  • Access to virtual gatherings and insider updates on ROP’s work

  • Special invitations to ROP events

  • Resources for developing your donor activism

  • Emerging opportunities to support movement building in New England

Become a Seed Sustainer today!

Donate

One-time donations also make our work possible. Donate here, through our fiscal sponsor Resist, Inc.

You can also mail a check to Resist, P.O. Box 301240, Boston, MA, 02130. Put “ROP” in the memo line.

Join Our Email List

Join ROP’s email list: We send occasional updates on our events and programs.

Contact Us

Artwork by Sarah Jacqz