How to Include LGBTQIA+ Donors in Your Mission
Dear nonprofit leaders & professional fundraisers,
In my last blog, I discussed several methods you can start practicing now in order to more easily find LGBTQIA+ donors. So, you know how to find them – but how you include them in your mission?
As is the case in general when engaging LGBTQIA+ donors, there isn’t a single trick that will bring in every single Queer person through your doors and into the limelight of your mission. Not all LGBTQIA+ people want to be seen or heard, and some of them definitely don’t want a seat at the table. These tips and practices will help you include LGBTQIA+ donors who have the capacity, affinity, and propensity to support your mission. In some cases, you’ll need some relationship building magic. Here are four tips on how you can involve them in your mission before you ask them for money.
LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE WANT TO BE SEEN
Here’s the short list: Hire LGBTQIA+ staff. Work with LGBTQIA+ organizations and volunteers and groups. Host an event specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community. If they are new to your organization, they will feel safer being introduced if they know the space is just for them.
My first professional fundraising job was at a science center with a mission to “bring science to life and lives to science.” Nothing about the LGBTQIA+ community, at all. The center hosted 21 and older nights featuring local breweries and wineries where adults over the age of 21 could enjoy the science with no kids and more booze. People loved it! (duh!) Since each of these events had a different theme, we hosted one for “LGBTQ in STEAM'' to prioritize engaging the LGBTQIA+ population and partnered with the local LGBTQIA+ community center. You can prioritize engaging specific communities without changing your mission. As established, the LGBTQIA+ community is a part of every fabric of life so you aren’t in any real danger of “mission drift.”
The more LGBTQIA+ donors see themselves in your organization, the more connected they will feel and the more likely they will believe that your mission impacts them and leads them to donate. (I bolded and underlined that part because you should read it again and like write it down somewhere.)
LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE WANT TO BE HEARD
Give them a voice at the tables. Recruit them to your board. If you want to raise money from the LGBTQIA+ community and you have no queer people on your board, you need to revisit the “Reflect and Do the Work” section for a really long time.
Build a table just for them; create an advisory committee – a group of highly committed volunteers who can consult with you about your organization’s LGBTQIA+ discrimination policy, employee handbook inclusivity, programs, staff. 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.
Let them plan your gala – trust me, it will be the best gala you ever host.
BY QUEER PEOPLE, FOR QUEER PEOPLE
No matter an LGBTQIA+ donor’s age, they will ask you questions. Younger donors may trend toward causes that benefit them directly, while older adults may ask specific questions like “How many gay kids are you serving?”
That being said, older donors tend to only give to queer organizations or explicitly queer work. I’ve believed for a while now that most if not all nonprofit work is inherently queer – so it’s up to you to find the path from their why to your mission because at the end of the day it likely must be relevant to the community.
This can be as specific as an organization that provides free camping and nature experiences for transgender youth. That connection is obvious. One that is broad and not as obvious such as a climate organization – you must be prepared to discuss and show how your work affects and helps the queer community, specifically.
THROW THEM A PARTY
Queer people – Gay men especially (Some stereotypes are true!) – love to attend parties. Event-based fundraising is your golden ticket to get them through your door.
Have an already-loyal gay donor host a house party. There are 10 new high network queer donors right there. If you don’t have an already-loyal gay donor, then host other events to get them in your door.
Hire a drag performer – a queer person who dresses as the opposite gender as an expression of art and performance – for your fundraising event.
You’re probably already hosting an annual gala – add gay/queer donors to your gala guest list! Gay donors love any opportunity to dress up and be flashy in a crowd. Note that these types of gay donors typically live in or near big metropolitan cities like New York City or San Francisco. But rural queers do exist!
At the end of the day, an LGBTQIA+ donor will need some relationship managment in order to feel inspired to get involved. Get to know them as a human being. And if you need more tips on how to engage Queer people that don’t involve asking them for money, check out our Video Class “Gay Best Friends: How to Engage the LGBTQIA+ Community Without Asking for Money” or read the blog post.
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>.
