Gilmore: The transfer of money among the baby boomers receives a lot of attention. It makes sense that there would be acknowledgement of more money moving to a new generation, and that people need to start thinking about that. Whether they choose to engage on a social-change model is another question, but at least the question gets raised. And one of the organizations that comes up is RG—there just aren’t that many groups of young people of wealth.

What is the reaction of families to this sort of work?

Moteelall: They vary. Some members bring their families in and they can have a conversation. Then there are others who struggle with how to reconcile the differences in values and vision with their families.

All kids have those struggles, it’s just writ large when money’s involved.

Gilmore: The exciting thing about RG is that members see their work as organizing, so they’re thinking strategically. They’re thinking, "I know my family really well. What are the things we can connect on, what are the things I can start pushing them on, what do I have to learn from them?"

It’s really a combination of this very personal family dynamic and then political organizing, which is a different animal.

Moteelall: And then there are the technical skills. The areas we focus on are personal growth and development—and, within that, building community and working collectively. The second part is the political education; some people come in already politicized, others are ambiguous. And then there’s the technical piece, which is our giving plan where we bring in people who do socially responsible investing. We teach members about investing, about shareholder advocacy and how to leverage that power in the boardroom.

How are you funded? Do you have membership dues?

Moteelall: We don’t, although it’s a conversation that’s on the table. Right now we receive a large amount of our donations from our constituents. We also have foundation funding from places like the Ford Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation. We have earned income from our publication sales and through our workshop registrations. We also receive support from our more than 35 allies—parents or progressive constituents who did this in, say, the 1970s and want to pass it on to the next generation.

Do young people of wealth talk about Paris Hilton? I’ve certainly heard parents discuss her lifestyle as a cautionary tale.

Gilmore: Members talk about Paris, but it’s not from a fear perspective. The people in RG joke about it or feel really separate from that kind of orientation.

Moteelall: Paris, as the one who gets the most exposure, creates an image of what a young person with wealth is like. I think a lot of people in RG—not through the media, but through the way they live their lives—work to debunk that myth. The more we can do to lift up another kind of youth—one that lives according to values and is responsible with wealth and accountable to a larger world—that helps counter some of the Paris stereotypes.

Are there any high-profile people you consider good role models?

Moteelall: Former staff member Karen Pittelman, author of Classified, has received a lot of media coverage. She was in People and on 20/20 and she is the person whom most people come to talk to. Karen dissolved her trust fund in her early 20s and set up a foundation for, and run by, low-income women in the Boston area. Her story has become an inspiration and mobilizing force.