Posted 2024-01-09

2023 Annual Report

2023 Annual Report for the Alliance for Self-Directed Education

Mission Statement: The Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to increasing accessibility and awareness of Self-Directed Education as a way of living and learning, and connecting the communities and voices of the movement.

Welcome message: This year, we dreamed about abolishing schools, a world without school, and how to decenter schools in our homes. We thought about the transition from homeschool to unschool, and about deschooling ourselves RIGHT NOW. We also read a Q&A with the author of RIGGED, a Tipping Points Press 2023 release. We focused on releasing the first novel from Tipping Points Press, expanding the reach of The SDE Weekend, publishing SDE Weekend videos on Tipping Points Magazine so the content is accessible to all, supporting values-aligned organizations through fiscal sponsorship, meeting monthly with local SDE group hosts, and working on a large grant. We also began exploring partnerships with various advocacy groups around the world, and how we can continue to be a support for folks in the ways that their communities want and need. This movement happens together, and we are forever grateful for everyone who engages in this collaborative work -- whether that shows up as parents, facilitators, founders of centers or other SDE-aligned groups, or just a voice in your community. This work happens in the small moments, the short interactions, the conversations we offer to friends or strangers.

Tipping Points: Tipping Points now has hundreds of articles in three languages. We have expanded our media to include videos, podcasts, works of art, and other media in addition to articles. This year, we published many videos from the 2022 & 2023 SDE Weekends, making the work, content, and wisdom accessible with no financial barrier. We introduced quarterly writing themes, including Imagine a World Without School, and SDE Flash Fiction. We also published RIGGED, by Hazel Smack our first SDE Fiction book.

Local SDE Groups: Local SDE Groups met monthly, supporting folks in their local efforts to meet together and advocate for Self-Directed Education. We explored tough philosophy questions together, shared ideas for expanding our reach, and discussed the different makeups of our local efforts. Every group looks so different! And everything we have been focusing on has expanded and shifted over the years to meet the needs of ourselves and our communities. At the end of the year, Local SDE Group organizers decided to change the name and purpose of our meetups to SDE Efforts.

Events: We hosted our third SDE Weekend, with participants from all over the globe, and a strong focus on deepening our SDE practice. Our events included over 250 participants. Our events are a strong space for connection; deep dives; and sharing our practices, wonderings, and questions with one another. Our events have reached hundreds of participants across dozens of countries, and only continue to expand.

The Resource Directory: The Resource Directory is an ongoing, shifting, and growing collection of resources to support you in your SDE practice. We are particualrly committed to our growing list of SDE Communities, carefully curated to ensure the rights and autonomy of the young people are protected at the communities we include. We have also expanded to include several new sections, including SDE Fiction, Job postings, and Comprehension Liberation resources.

2023 in Review: 250+ Attendees at events, 15+ Countries represented at events, 43,765+ Resource Pageviews, 84 New Resources Submitted, 35 Articles Published, 24,600+ Article Pageviews, 829 Books sold, 25+ Local SDE Groups Supported

Revenue & Expenses: Your contributions have made it possible for all this work to take place. As you know, we operate on a low budget, but every contribution counts and goes towards the work of our dedicated team. Expenses: Most of our budget went to paying contractors, our Tipping Points editor, and our executive director for their work, with a small amount going towards admin work like accounting and site hosting. We have a commitment to pay contributors to The SDE Weekend for what they do, because that work is valuable and important, so we reserve a large portion of the events budget for that expense. Executive Director Salary - 65%, Contractors - 15%, Editor-in-Chief Salary - 13%, Operating Expenses - 7% Income: Our income comes primarily from monthly donors, which is why they are so important to our sustainability as an organization. We also bring in some funds through events such as The SDE Weekend or one off events, larger and smaller one time donations, and book sales. Monthly Donations - 60%, Events - 18%, Large Donations - 11 %, Small one time donations - 7%, Book Sales - 4 %

Thank You: We are so grateful to you all for the continued support of the Alliance, in all the varied ways you show up for ASDE and for the SDE movement and for your families and communities in this work. We see you, and we are here to support you in it. Contact us: www.self-directed.org, info@self-direcred.org, @alliance4sde

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About the Alliance for Self-Directed Education
 
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