Annual Report

FOR YEAR ENDING 2022

Letter from the Nan'tan*

*A cultural/spiritual Leader within a Starfish-modeled Organization.

Welcome to another installment of the F3 Nation and F3 Foundation Annual Report. This is the Executive Group’s method of reporting and memorializing a snapshot in time for our wonderful organization. In here you will find updates on all the metrics we consider important. If you’re a “plugged in” kind of person, not much in here will be news to you. One thing that you probably aren’t in tune with are the numbers. This report includes all our final accounting for the 2022 fiscal year as well as the Board approved budget for the 2023 year. Every. Single. Dollar. This is information that belongs to the pax because organization belong to the pax. My heart-felt gratitude goes out to all of the men who have participated in creating this report and all of the men across the Nation who have contributed to creating the information container herein. There’s a lot of unsexy chopping wood and hauling water going on out there to make the cogs turn. Thank you.

As an executive group we have recently been faced with the decision of what to do about our national marketing. As you may remember and will read in this report, we were fortunate enough to end up in a little bit of the National spotlight last year. The New York Times article pegged our new-interest inquiries and our website views. The Good Morning America appearance mostly contributed to some internal excitement within the Nation. Both great opportunities and great outcomes. We did have the option to continue with a publicist organization to beat down the doors of main-stream national media for yet more opportunities in the limelight. We elected not to do that at this time. One of our guiding ideals is that F3 is best kept as a program of attraction rather than promotion. There are plenty of pitfalls associated with the fast and loose growth that may come from widespread marketing and we aim to do our best to avoid them. The exponential growth that will come from organically spreading our reach will allow us to better control the quality of our organization. Look for some information coming from our CMO, Bing, soon. It is a press kit designed to help you get the word out to your local media outlets as a recruiting tool to grow the organization and positively impact our communities.

Gentlemen, we are fighting an epidemic in our world. One filled with a stew of bad mojo. Everything from hate and obesity to suicide and alcoholism. A dearth of virtuous leaders and an absenteeism of fathers and husbands. F3 is the solution. Everything that we stand for flies in the face of everything that I see as broken. It is up to us to stand strong and be the example that should be set in this world. Being an organization of attraction rather than promotion was borrowed from the 11th Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are a lot of parallels within our two organizations. At the core of both we strive to not only save lives, but to give them purpose and direction. To create impact.

Please keep doing the hard work. Keep being a good example. Don’t let the stresses of life dictate your future. I really do believe that the fate of the world lies in our hands. I believe that because I know we have the solution that the world needs to right itself and thrive. If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re a leadership organization disguised as a fitness group. And it’s working. Every day I get to watch how well it works. Thank you for your part in that. Thank you for being a good strong contributing member of this thing I love so much. The F3 freaking Nation.

Your Friend,

Slaughter

Nantan/CEO

Our Mission

Our mission is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

Plant

At the end of 2022, F3 Nation provided 3,608 workouts in 307 regions in 47 states on 5 Continents including Asia

Grow

During the year, 89 new regions were planted (a 41% increase over 2021) and 771 new workouts (a 28% increase over 2021) in 14 Countries.

Serve

In 2022, F3 Foundation provided $362,599 in grants to PAX-led projects to accelerate F3 Nation’s mission and impact.

2022 Growth

41% Increase in Region Count and 28% Increase in Workout Count

States

Regions

AOs (Workouts)

Connecting F3 Nation

2022 Year in Review

Executive SLT Announcement

As F3 Nation continues to plant, grow, and serve, it is important that we continue to look closely at the organization as a whole, and make sure we are utilizing the resources we have to their fullest. The greatest resource that F3 Nation has is the Pax of F3 Nation. We are continually amazed at the eagerness of the PAX to help us grow and as such, we have decided to, as we always say, “modify as necessary.” These modifications will help us harness the momentum of our growth and keep it focused on our goals. Effective October, 2022, the changes to the Executive Shared Leadership Team are as follows…

Joining Slaughter as Chief Executive Officer is Gobbler as Chief Operating Officer, Bing as Chief Marketing Officer, and TML as Chief Financial Officer.

Gobbler’s role as COO is to execute the day-to-day planning, implementation, management and oversight functions of the F3 Nation in order to achieve the mission of F3.
Bing’s role as CMO is to spearhead the marketing and branding strategies of F3 in order to help achieve F3’s growth goals. The position oversees the organization’s branding, digital & traditional marketing, public relations and community outreach programs.
TML’s role as CFO is to oversee the financial planning, budgeting, and operations of F3 Nation in order to ensure the achievement of F3’s financial objectives.

Rounding out the Nation’s SLT is Dark Helmet as President, GMO as Head of Sectors, Beans as Head of Growth, Bono as Head of Leadership Development, Bada Bing as Head of Technology, and newly appointed Italian Job as Head of Comz.

GrowRuck Training Event

This year the GrowRuck team executed eight GrowRuck Training Events (GTEs), with one planned event being postponed. The eight events were:

GTE 26- Eastern Fleet hosted in Greenville, NC
GTE 27- Ruck the Line hosted by Franklin, TN
GTE 28- NWA hosted by Bentonville, AR
GTE 29- Epicenter hosted by Puget Sound
GTE 30- Building it Farther & Wider hosted by Plainfield, IL
GTE 31- The Tomahawk hosted by Cherokee,
GAGTE 32- Neptune’s Adventure hosted by Hampton Roads
GTE 34- The Crucible hosted by Katy, TX.

Within the first several events of the year the graduates of the December 2021 F3 Cadre Academy became fully certified F3 Cadre by completing their Cadre In Training (CIT) event and achieving all of the required tasks on the CIT checklist under the supervision of a legacy veteran Cadre. This process ensures all newly assessed Cadre members can independently lead future GTEs safely and effectively.

The GrowRuck team also tested and validated a new event during 2022. The IMPACT Ruck is designed to maximize the down time between GrowSchool and the overnight Ruck event, while providing an entry level event for F3 men who might not yet be ready for the intensity and duration of the overnight Ruck. The IMPACT Ruck was held at Plainfield, Cherokee, and Katy. All three Regions saw amazing impact and recommend that future GTE’s incorporate it into their weekend. As an added bonus, the IMPACT Ruck provides an opportunity for Pax who need to be challenged by allowing them to Double Down and complete both events.

As the mission of the GrowRuck Department grew, it was matched by changes in leadership. Repeato, Shortstop and Steak Knives stepped aside to focus on other areas of their Concentrica. The Nation is grateful for these men’s contri

butions during an important time for GrowRuck. Their leadership was vital to improving the organization and getting the plate set for the next phase of growth.

Linus (or as many of you know him- Cadre Danny) took a break from his Epic Bicycle trip and redesigned the GrowRuck structure. Akron, Flight Nurse, Captain Planet, and Murdock joined Noonan on the SLT to add experience and robust leadership.

The GrowRuck Team is excited to serve the Pax of F3Nation. Look for them in a Region near you!

GrowRuck Trainer Academy

The increase in events across the F3 Nation resulted in an increased demand for Trainers. In response, the GrowRuck Department developed and executed a plan to meet this emerging need. Trainer Candidates applied to attend F3 Nation’s first ever Trainer Academy. After a rigorous selection process, 11 candidates participated in an even more rigorous training in Katy, TX.

The Academy consisted of a PT test (the same PT test used at the Cadre Academy), team builder activity, academic evolution focused on improving their teaching, and culminated in a real life application. The candidates applied their new knowledge and skills during GTE- 34 by teaching at GrowSchool and executing the Sunriser. All 11 candidates excelled and will continue to employ their new skills at future GTE’s

In the News in 2022

As featured in The New York Times: Read the full Article about F3 Nation; A Workout Craze with a Side of Faith and how it is impacting the lives of men in suburban TX communities and around the Country.

–> Click link to read the New York Times Feature

As featured on the Order of Man Podcast: Listen to the full episode about F3 Nation and how it’s impacting men’s lives across the globe as featured on the Order of Man Podcast

–> Click link to listen to OOM Podcast Episode

As featured on ABCs Good Morning America: Watch the full segment about F3 Nation, providing a workout for the mind, body and soul to help combat the middle-aged male loneliness epidemic.

–> Click link to watch ABC GMA3 Segment

F3 Nairobi

Day One. Post One.

The soul of F3 Nation is everywhere, even where AO’s are yet to exist. For me (Carmen SanDiego), a trip to Nairobi, Kenya this past fall was another example of F3 Nations universal nature. After being held up in Kenyan customs and paying an “extra” tax to bring F3 shirts into the country, I made it to my hotel around 1am. After 16 hours of travel. The next morning, I received the warmest of F3 welcome from Felix, known in F3 as “Safari”, who picked me up from the hotel at 6am for breakfast then a meeting. After delivering half of the F3 shirts to Felix’s office and chatting for a while, we posed for a few pictures and then we posted.

It was hot (similar to a west Texas summer) and over 20 PAX came to the AO – most walking or running in for warmorama – to post. Ages ranged from 18-32. I Q’d the workout and most PAX were in better cardio shape than me, hence my dual role as “the six” while moseying. We did lots of drills, most of which related to futbol (soccer). We will come back to this later and though posting to an F3 workout was not the same in Nairobi as it is in Naperville, yet it felt familiar.

Day Two. Post Two.

The AO was outside of the city, connected to a church. We picked up large rocks as coupons and then headed out the field – 30 PAX deep today. Again, I Q’d and I had three “thangs” with lots of reps & 11’s to pass the time. The importance of coupon work was noted. We had three FNG’s who joined us on this day and they loved the beatdown. We headed to Coffereria (full-breakfast), then QSource. Though things were different and each one had some nuances (i.e. type of coupon, AO’s in Nairobi, type of food) it was still a version of what I knew in how they did things. Posting was not the same at different AO’s in Nairobi, yet familiar.

There were way too many unique connections, sights, and meals to mention how such a trip helps build range. The magic of Kenyan culture and welcome from PAX was the warmest of hospitality. What stood out were what seemed most familiar. When we posted, it was familiar. Intentional and in a collaborative spirit. COT filled with gratitude – familiar. Coffereria, well, nothing is more universal than men connecting over beverages & meals. FNG much less and vulnerable than the beginning of the workout. Q-Source focusing on something greater than “myself” – all familiar.

It made me think of the awesome opportunity we have as F3 Nation continues to expand. The call to action from visiting PAX in Nairobi was: to intentionally have F3 Nation look to those outside of the nation, the way it feels to PAX inside F3 Nation. To do so it takes each PAX to commit to being intentional in seeking familiarity with those that are more or less than the same. One simple and tangible idea would be to include soccer drills into our lexicon. Soccer is the most popular and recognizable sport. A broad base to find the most common familiar. F3 Nations soul is everywhere, we have an opportunity to make it look like our soul can be anywhere.

F3 Foundation

In an effort to increase transparency, efficiency, and impact, F3 Foundation has a renewed mission and vision for how it will serve F3 and the PAX of the Nation.

Mission: To Accelerate F3 Nation’s mission and impact through generosity.

F3 Foundation 2022 Updates

Building off the success of 2021, and the generosity of the PAX,
F3 Foundation continued its fundraising efforts in 2022, successfully executing the F3 Accelerate Campaign and providing $362,599 in grants to PAX-led projects to accelerate F3 Nation’s mission and impact

Scratch & Win, Executive Director of F3 Foundation

F3 Foundation by the Numbers

F3 Nation President, Dark Helmet, and F3 Foundation Executive Director, Scratch & Win, jump out of a perfectly good airplane from 14,000 feet as part of the Accelerate Campaign’s #doahAIR Challenge. Because 1,000 donations were given in one week, a group of F3 Enthusiasts contributed an additional $100,000 to help give the gift of F3 away to the next man!

Action

F3 Foundation will fulfill its purpose of accelerating F3 Nation’s mission and impact through generosity by:

Raising funds to support:
-F3 Foundation’s operations
-F3 Nation’s operations
Making community grants to achieve accelerated and measurable impact.

Pillars

F3 Foundation’s three operational pillars – Transparency, Efficiency, and Impact – will serve as the guide and guardrails to fulling its mission.

Transparency: Operations and finances are an open book for everyone to see.
Efficiency: No bureaucracy. We’re just going to get it done.
Impact: Raise funds. Make grants. Create impact. Tell the story.

Year Over Year Revenue

2020 Fundraising Total: $412,000
2021 Fundraising Total: $572,000
2022 Fundraising Goal: $606,000
2022 Fundraising Total: $610,774

2022 Accelerate Campaign

Total Unique Donors: 1,652
Total Donations: 2,037
Total Raised: $384,949

Total Grants Awarded

Invigorate & Sua Sponte Grants: $48,614
Regional Pass Through Fundraising*: $351,586
Total Charitable Impact: $400,200

F3 Foundation Advisory Council

Summary of F3 Foundation Grants

Cadence, Eliza Cate, and F3 Chuck (Zach) toward the end of her cancer journey.

F3 Charleston PAX build clubhouses for kids diagnosed with cancer.

F3 Foundation provides matching funds for the Pickle’s People Clubhouse Community project.

The F3 Foundation Advisory Council completed its first year of service. The Council serves as a non-governing, non-fiduciary group of volunteers charged with providing strategic guidance, raising awareness and assisting with raising funds to help ensure the Foundation’s success in achieving its goals in support of F3 Nation’s mission.

The F3F Advisory Council has seven total members, with a goal to grow to 15 by the end of 2023.

Jim Harshaw, Jr., Chair (F3 Grappler | Charlottesville)
Jay Chadha (F3 Charmin | Houston)
Mathew Correia (Cobra Commander|F3 Toledo)
Allen Denver (F3 Brady | Puget Sound)
Will Johnson (F3 Sawed Off | Lowcountry)
Ron Lamberth (F3 Van Winkle | Charlotte Metro)
Kurt Wunderlich (F3 Wolverine | St. Louis)

Invigorate Grant – F3 Charleston aka “Holy City”

F3 Foundation made a $2,500 matching grant to F3 Charleston to help fund a clubhouse build for children recently diagnosed with cancer. In partnership with Pickle’s People – a nonprofit started by F3 Charleston PAX “Chuck” and his wife Cadence after their daughter Eliza Cate received a leukemia diagnosis – 60 volunteers, including 30 F3 PAX, turned out to build not one, but two, clubhouses complete with shingled roof, flower boxes, windows, shutters and a lot of F3 love. The day was truly magical not only the children suffering from cancer but for their parents and caregivers. What’s more they forever become part of a “clubhouse community” with other cancer families whom they can now lean on in times of need. This project was accelerated and provided increased impact, in the building of the second clubhouse, thanks to generosity of F3 men during F3 Foundation’s Accelerate Campaign.

Regional Pass Through Fundraising*

In partnership with F3 Foundation, the PAX of F3 MECA region increased their fundraising efforts by 568% (from $3,250 to $21,723) in just two short years. Their CSAUP event, the Mt. Afton Challenge, was created to honor the memory of a local PAX who lost the mental battle while simultaneously creating accelerated impact for those struggling with mental health challenges. By leveraging F3 Foundation’s nonprofit status, fundraising increased dramatically, including a corporate sponsorship of $7,000 – which previously would have been impossible to secure without a 501 c 3 fiduciary partner. The event is on track for exponential growth with proceeds benefitting the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), a national leader in mental health advocacy, education, support and public awareness.

Mt. Afton Challenge, in partnership with F3 Foundation, raises $21,723 for mental health awareness.

*If your F3 Region is generating $10,000 or more for a local charitable cause and you want to raise MORE funds while reducing administrative burden, contact Scratch & Win ([email protected]) to see how F3 Foundation can be of service.