8 Ways To Engage Queer People That Don’t Involve Asking For Money

Aug 5

Dear Fundraisers and Nonprofit Leaders,

The LGBTQIA+ communities are countless intersections of underserved and underpaid people. LGBTQIA+ full-time workers in the USA make an average of $0.90 for every $1.00 their heterosexual counterparts make – which is an even greater gap for people of color and transgender people.

So if you’re just learning this now, but you’ve been passionate about expanding your fundraising program by raising money from the LGBTQIA+ community, you may have wondered why you still have so few queer donors. Well, it’s because most of us are underpaid, living paycheck to paycheck, and we don’t have the financial security to be generous with our money, even if it’s modest.

But who said that’s the end of the road, and who said fundraising is only about money? We all know donors have more value than just cash and that donors donate more than just their money. So when you can’t fundraise from them, friend-raise from them. They will be invaluable.

To help you get started, I’m providing 8 ways to ask queer people for support that don’t involve asking them to donate money.

Recruit them to your board

If you want to raise money from the LGBTQIA+ community and for LGBTQIA+ projects, you absolutely must have queer people on your board. They need to have a seat at the table, helping govern the organization’s decisions, especially regarding their own community. This is twice as important for straight-led organizations.

Granted, being a board member typically comes with the expectation of a cash contribution (100% board participation is essential), but if your organization practices a give/get policy that allows your board members to donate a personally significant gift, then great! If you don’t, you should seriously consider it. This makes your board more accessible to underpaid communities, and allows you to diversify your board and better represent the communities you wish (or claim) to serve.
Engage them through a DEI advisory committee

Similary, you can create a DEI advisory committee which is a group of highly committed volunteers who can consult with you about your organization’s LGBTQIA+ (and other DEI) discrimination policies, employee handbook inclusivity, how well programs serve and represent the community, staff culture and feelings around being “out” in the workplace, among other topics. The committee could even serve as a liaison for existing queer staff to discuss issues the staff may not feel comfortable in doing so with their leadership.

I’m telling you, this sort of initiative will skyrocket your credibility because LGBTQIA+ people will see that you are not only giving queer people their own table, but that you are also listening to them and allowing them to lead. When queer people see themselves in an organization, they are more likely to donate and support.
Ask them to plan your Gala or fundraising event(s)

LGBTQIA+ people are the life of the party (imo;) and so they really know how to throw one. We are vibrant, artistic, creative, resourceful, communal, and energetic. That’s not to say heterosexual people are none of these things, but event-based fundraising is your golden ticket to attracting a lot of LGBTQIA+ people to your cause. When you work with queer volunteers to plan your event, and let the community know, they will feel safer attending, know that people from our own community lead the way in planning it.

And this isn’t to say you should accept all of their ideas about how to run and decorate your gala. That’s actually terrifying, please don’t do that. Collaborate with them so that they feel ownership in the event, and by extension ownership in your mission. Sounds like a future donor to me.
Invite them to provide their talents for your community

As an intersectional community of communities, there are talents galore among LGBTQIA+ people. And because we are often underpaid and underrepresented, your straight-led organization is the perfect ally to broadcast our skills. Hire a drag performer to host a fundraising event (even if it’s a straight-led event and/or mission). Hire LGBTQIA+ leadership coaches for your next professional development in-service day. Hire queer authors for your next book talk.

When you uplift the vibrancy of the LGBTQIA+ community, you’ll begin attracting their friends to your doors.
Hire them!

Speaking of hiring LGBTQIA+ people, you should totally hire them to your staff! If you need help assessing whether your organization is ready to hire queer people, refer to my previous blog addressing that very question: “Am I Ready To Hire Queer Here?”

This is important like having queer board members is important. Your staff are the face of the organization, and LGBTQIA+ people will respond better to an ask to donate their time, energy, and talents if it comes from a queer staff member. The door is opened with a familiar face, a warm glow of trust, and invitation to join the family.
Coach them in leading your fundraising campaigns

This one is really great for friend-raising. When you do put in the effort and you have LGBTQIA+ people who are close to your mission, close to your inner circle, you position them in a great place to ask them to lead your fundraising campaigns. My suggestion would be your year-end peer-to-peer campaign (if you’re not doing this sort of campaign, contact me and I can help you get started;).

Inviting them to be the co-chair to your year-end peer-to-peer campaign opens up their entire network to support your mission. While most people’s networks reflect themselves, and if we are talking about LGBTQIA+ people who can’t spare cash to donate to your cause, well, we all know the biggest mistake in fundraising: not asking.
Let them lead a volunteer committee

Aside from a DEI advisory committee or fundraising campaign or event, you may have other volunteer committees. Use these opportunities to pivot your fundraising asks with LGBTQIA+ people. They respond to your ask with “I’m not in a position to give right now.” and so you respond with “We understand how important our mission is to you, and we’d love to invite you to explore one of these other opportunities.” We’re talking about integrating and involving LGBTQIA+ people into the very fabric of your mission.
Pay them for their work

At the end of the day, pay your LGBTQIA+ contractors, artists, performers, et al. Especially if you’re going to ask them to support your Pride event. I know this may seem out of place on this list, but it’s the most important. You may be thinking “WTH, Matt?! I’m trying to grow my fundraising program, not spend more money on staff positions!” Well, I can tell you that it may be difficult for queer people to listen to you ask them to volunteer their time or energy for you when you don’t give a cent to queer people on your staff.

As fundraisers, we know that the people who are most likely to donate to us are the people already inside the home. If the price of admission is a donation, you are being inequitable to the myriad intersections of the LGBTQIA+ community. When you involve them through volunteering, advising, planning, and more, you welcome them in with equity, and you begin the journey of cultivating significant relationships and future commitments.

Sincerely,
Queers

Learn about our services and resources for Nonprofits here.

Learn about our services and resources for Professionals here.