ok here is the actual rule on pushing
so am i allowed to send the lower ranked members of my alliance resources for nothing in return.
so that they grow faster and we become higher ranked as an alliance faster.


V. Pushing

It is not allowed for any account to obtain unfair profit out of a lower ranked account in a matter of resources.This includes but is not limited to:

• Resources sent from a lower ranked account to a higher ranked one with nothing tangible in return.
  
• "Loans" that are not returned within 48 hours.
  
• Trades in which the higher ranked player does not return the resources within 48 hours.
  
• Trades
  that mean an unfair profit to the higher ranked player by make use of
  range of ratios which are far off the world-specific ones.

Notes:

• Players answering to a higher ranked player extortion by paying resources have to be acknowledged by a GameOperator.
  
• If
  you unexpectedly receive resources from a lower ranked player, you
  cannot keep them. Contact your GO immediately and send the resources
  back to a citiy owned by the player who pushed you.
  
  After a pushing ban is over you MUST send the resources back to the player who pushed you.

Bounties:

• Bounties
  need to be acknowledged to the GameOperators before they happen. They
  can only be paid for after the conditions of the bounty have been
  fulfilled.

you can give to lower ranked players as much as you want. this is considered pulling. perfectly legal.

Yes, docstar is right, You may send as much as you want as long as the player is lower than you in total score.

keep in mind, GOs are very strict on this. If the player is even 1 point higher than you in total score it constitutes pushing. As long as they are lower than you, its pulling, and you can send as much as you want for any reason receiving nothing in return.