How to Ask LGBTQIA+ Donors the Big Question
Dear nonprofit leaders and professional fundraisers,
In fundraising, when you want to pop the “big question” to your donors, it’s going to require a bit of embracing the chaos. Each donor you encounter is different, and therefore, your asks will need to practice variety. When we’re considering asking LGBTQIA+ people for money, there are more nuances and issues to be concerned about.
I’m talking, of course, about perspective. The following four considerations are especially handy for straight fundraisers, as my hope is this information will help put you in their shoes. There are certain things that straight people don’t need to think about that Queer people always think about. Keep reading for a dissection of what Queer people consider when they are asked for money to support your mission.
ASK THEM FIRST
First, we all know the five basic steps to asking any human being for money. Those rules still apply here, but for queer people, ask them first! LGBTQIA+ people often feel like an afterthought, like organizations ask them for money or to participate in something just because they are LGBTQIA+ (i.e. “the token gay”). We are not tokens or just for show. Ask them first and let them know you are asking for their leadership. When LGBTQIA+ people lead the way, the path will more often benefit not only their community, but all communities.
IF YOU KNOW ONE QUEER PERSON
And I cannot stress this enough…you know one queer person. Just like any other donor, motivations are different among the LGBTQIA+ community. Don’t assume that because your very out and boisterous gay major donor prefers this, that, or the other thing when considering philanthropy, that it applies across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. The lesbians will HATE you for it. Trust me.
Older donors who survived the HIV/AIDS epidemic are motivated differently than a young transgender big tech company employee. A gay man’s philanthropic vision board is vastly different than a lesbian woman’s charitable giving excel spreadsheet. Use personalized philanthropy.
DATA TALKS & MONEY WALKS
LGBTQIA+ donors tend to be very knowledgeable about the organizations they donate to. They are likely to ask about how the organization engages in LGBTQIA+ issues – local and national (and yes both matter very much). What types of partnerships do you have with LGBTQIA+ organizations? What percentage of LGBTQIA+ clients and community members are you providing services to and benefiting?
If it’s not obvious already, organizations who wish to engage (the majority of) the LGBTQIA+ population must develop LGBTQIA+ programs and collect community data to project their impact. When an organization has data of the LGBTQIA+ community that presents a case that they’re helping the community – or at least trying or starting – the money starts walking from their wallets to your bank accounts.
IF IT’S NOT QUEER
I allude to this in all my discussions about raising money from Queer people – the LGBTQIA+ community is vastly underfunded, so when you are fundraising for explicitly non-queer issues, your ask must come with a very clear sense of urgency.
Are you providing instantaneous disaster relief? Or are you provding care for injured puppies? Well, everyone donates to injured puppies but my point is, your cause needs both 1) urgency and 2) to connect with your LGBTQIA+ donor. And that is a case-by-case situation. Like I keep saying, these rules and tricks aren’t a one-stop shop for every single queer donor you will encounter. Some queer donors may quickly give to nonqueer missions. But it’s important to mention because it is very common in our community to support our own. (If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of straight people who could be doing better to support us. And that’s on *snap snap*)
At the end of the day, you won’t be raising money from every single Queer person you ask. That’s the reality of fundraising in general. So, if you need assistance in engaging LGBTQIA+ people without asking them for money, check out our video class on just that <here>.
Sincerely,
Queers
Queer For Hire provides fundraising support and LGBTQIA+ diversity training for nonprofits, professionals, and corporations.
Learn about our Fundraising Services <here> – we’ll lead or support your fundraising efforts, whether you need general support or want to focus on raising money from and for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Learn about our Fundraising Trainings <here> – we can coach your board, staff, and fundraising team on how to fundraise and how to engage LGBTQIA+ donors.
Learn about our other services <here> or our resources <here>.
