United for a Fair Economy, Inc.

UFE exposes and challenges the deep-seated systemic causes of inequality and the racial wealth divide: institutionalized racism, low wages, exorbitant CEO pay, regressive tax policies, and more. Strategic Goals for 2014-2018 that were extended for 2020.

GOAL 1. Partner with Low-Wage Worker Movements: Develop deep ongoing relationships with two to three national organizations and two to three local organizations, assigning priority to those organizing low-wage workers.
Priority: For each organization, co-design and implement a range of Popular Economics Education trainings supported by creative communication and social media.
Priority: Integrate low-wage worker organizing with UFE's Inclusive Economy Project, Responsible Wealth, and communications.

GOAL 2. Invest in 'Battleground' States and States of Promise: Strengthen state-based organizing around progressive wage justice and tax policies and key battleground fights which have broad, national implications.
Priority : Provide enhanced UFE support to economic justice groups in two to three battleground states and two to three more progressive states.
Priority: Support the national networks of grassroots racial, economic and social justice organizations and have a presence at times of key federal policy debates; develop one regional or national campaign to do together by 2017.

GOAL 3. Ramp up UFE's Communications Role and Impact: Expand our portfolio and the frequency of creative communications and popular economics education tools; build capacity from bilingual to multilingual content.
Priority: Maximize use of existing communications channels and renew workshops with regular, creative, and engaging bilingual content; multilingual as viable.
Priority: Create unified branding and web site overhaul to include greater use of bilingual interactive tools and video content; multilingual as resources grow.

GOAL 4. Develop Resources and Financial Resilience: Expand and diversify financial support, direct discretionary spending to reflect program priorities, and stabilize financial health within the organization.
Priority: Expand the base of individual and foundation supporters to strengthen programmatic work.
Priority: Increase financial stability to ensure that two to three months of unrestricted operating funds are available at the start of each fiscal year.

GOAL 5. Strengthen UFE's Governance and Organizational Capacity: Strengthen governance and organizational capacity to carry out the work of UFE.
Priority: Build a strong, engaged, and accountable Board of Directors with performance measures and composition goals reviewed annually.
Priority: Align staffing and organizational resources to achieve high functioning team scaled appropriately to available revenue in any given fiscal year.

As part of our strategic focus on low-wage workers and state-level organizing, we will:

1. Collaborate with and support low-wage worker organizations, with emphasis on groups led by immigrants and people of color.

2. Focus our state-level organizing in 2-3 key battleground states that are facing the greatest threats from well-funded, right-wing, anti-public sector campaigns, as well as 2-3 states that show promise for success in adopting new progressive models.

3. Leverage the unexpected voices of progressive people of wealth as allies, especially in targeted states, through our Responsible Wealth Project.

4. Integrate low wage worker and state-level organizing with Responsible Wealth and UFE communications.

5. Expand our communications portfolio with creative and accessible, bilingual content that will engage our constituents and support our other movement building work; build capacity to provide multilingual content.

For more than two decades, United for a Fair Economy has provided trainings and support for organizers across the nation, engaged in state and federal policy debates, and published illuminating reports, such as our annual State of the Dream highlighting the true consequences of economic inequality and the racial wealth divide. UFE has long been known for our unique Popular Economics Education trainings and curricula, and our creative communications that engage people through culture, values, storytelling, and art.

We are also known for organizing members of our Responsible Wealth Project as allies in the top 5% of income and assets in the country. Responsible Wealth members use their influential voices to advocate for progressive taxation and corporate accountability campaigns.

We build on strong relationships that have been nurtured through years of work with local, state and national economic and social justice coalitions including unions, immigrants rights organizations, and workers rights groups.

We seek opportunities to bring low-wage worker networks and tax fairness coalitions together to elevate and connect low-wage campaigns to broader progressive state and national movements that support a robust public sector as critical in reducing inequality.

Recent Significant Accomplishments:

In 2016, UFE co-convened RaisingWagesNC, a grassroots coalition working to raise the minimum wage (NC follows the current Federal level of $7.25) in North Carolina. We launched the campaign at a standing room only event at the NC statehouse on International Women's Day. In December 2012, during the “Fiscal Cliff" negotiations, UFE's Responsible Wealth project developed and organized 40 prominent individuals around the country – led by Bill Gates, Sr. – to sign on to a bold proposal to strengthen the federal estate tax after over a decade of measures that weakened the tax. The proposal drew attention to the estate tax and put it squarely into the fiscal cliff negotiation, resulting in the first increase in the estate tax in 28 years, raising the rate from 35% to 40%. This major achievement was built on eleven years of advocacy, organizing and media engagement, beginning in the first days of the Bush administration, to preserve the federal estate tax.

UFE's staff are leaders in using popular economics education, creative communications, and grassroots organizing to work with our partners to challenge growing economic inequality and build a fair economy for all.

GOAL 1. Partner with Low-Wage Worker Movements
Formed multi-year training partnerships with Minnesotans for a Fair Economy, Service Employees International Union, United Methodist Women, Highlander Education Center. Incorporated Language Justice using simultaneous interpretation into all of our workshops and training programs. Advocated for Language Justice at national conferences.

TO BE DONE: Assess ladder of engagement for Popular Economics Education; incorporate deeper gender analysis into our popular economic education materials and trainings.
Invest in Battleground States and States of Promise

Opened a Field Office in Durham, NC in 2015 and in 2016 co-convened RaisingWagesNC, a grassroots coalition to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2022. Worked with lawmakers to file a bill and launched the campaign on International Women's Day.
New York: March 2017, delivered a letter to Governor Cuomo and the NY Assembly signed by 80 upper-income New Yorkers calling for new top marginal rates for those earning $665,000, $1million, $2 million, $10 million and $100 million respectively. This proposal would generate an additional $2.2 billion in revenue and help to address New York's worst-in-the-nation income inequality.
Connecticut: August 2017, RW organized a letter from 12 wealthy CT residents to the Governor and legislature saying “tax us" as part of an effort to help close the state's $5 billion 2-year budget gap. The effort generated major press coverage. Before RW stepped in, no one was talking about raising taxes as part an overall strategy for meeting the state's budget obligations.
Federal Tax Reform: UFE's RW Project has teamed up with Voices for Progress to rally RW members (income in the top 5%) against the anticipated Trump tax reform plans. As of mid-September, we have gathered 300 signatures from prominent high wealth people. We are organizing a lobby day for October 26, targeting key members of Congress.
TO BE DONE: Create more meaningful opportunities for our RW supporters to engage in the state-level work and build new RW support in states where we have little or no support. Expand to another battleground state.

GOAL 3. Communications
TO DATE: Our report, State of the Dream 2017: Mourning in America features reflections from leaders and advocates who are fighting inequalities every day, and contains a short, accessible snapshot of where we are as nation on the topics of wages, wealth, housing, immigration, and LGBT inclusion. 

GOAL 4: Financial Resilience
TO DATE: UFE enjoys robust support from individual donors but needs to increase funding from Foundations. Significantly reduced operating expenses by moving to cheaper offices in 2015.
TO BE DONE: Build operating reserve of three months expenses.

GOAL 5: Governance TO DATE: UFE board represents the constituencies that we serve, especially low-wage workers, immigrants, women and people of color. Continue building a strong board.