How to Prospect New + Known LGBTQIA+ Donors

Dear nonprofit leaders & professional fundraisers,

A question I get asked – a lot – is “where do I even find LGBTQIA+ donors?” The answer is simple: you don’t. Instead, you and your nonprofit organization need to do the work to position yourselves as an outstanding ally and fierce advocate for for the LGBTQIA+ community. An agency that isn’t shy about uncomfortable conversations about local and national issues, that reflects the communities they wish to serve, that collects data about the impact they have on these communities, and more.

The answer is simple, but it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. As a Queer professional fundraiser for almost a decade, I’m breaking down 5 key points that you can start to work on right away. You’ll notice more LGBTQIA+ people will start to suddenly appear out of nowhere!

REFLECT AND DO THE WORK

LGBTQIA+ people are loyal to those who genuinely care about them. You have to start with the work internally and they will notice. A few really easy ideas that cost you nothing? Include pronouns in your email signatures/bios/name tags. Collaborate with your local LGBTQIA+ community center – give them money, provide them resources, work to establish collaborative and mutual partnerships, plan and organize community events so they don’t have to do it all – plus it’s really great to see allies and non queer organizations put in the work. Display Pride flags at your brick-and-mortar whether in the form of a literal flag or even a small Pride flag window decal. Those are just the easy ideas….

LEARN IT AND PAY FOR IT

Fundraisers should ask their organizations for LGBTQIA+ cultural competency trainings (this blog is not that!). If you are someone who needs help with LGBTQIA+ competency, read carefully. There is likely a local LGBTQIA+ community center or organization (or a Queer For Hire you know!) that provides this education in your community, which you can pay for. And if not, there are national organizations too. If you want your development team to engage a diverse audience, they need to walk the talk – put your momney where your mouth is. I mentioned trainings, plural, because language and cultural context change over time and need to be constantly addressed and refreshed. Even as part of the community, I am often still learning about my greater community. A good example is if you ask an elder gay person about an LGBTQIA+ issue, it may not be accurate for the younger generation. Like the word “queer” – elder LGBTQIA+ people don’t always agree or like to use the term because it was often used as a derogatory slur back in their day. Younger people – Millenials and Gen Z – are empowering themselves by reclaiming the word and finding vibrancy in the identity.

PAY US FOR PRIDE

June is international Pride month as a celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts, culture, community, and history. Straight-led organizations start pouring into their local Pride organizations by the dozens in late May and early June because they want to do an event for Pride. This is a sign of good intentions, though a clear sign of walking the edge of tokenism – jumping on the band wagon to get extra exposure and engagement with the queer community. Because your local LGBTQIA+ organization is an invaluable resource, and because we are queer all year long, you should never expect them to work for free. Whether you want them to show up or promote your event, you need to pay them for their time and effort. And when you show up to ask, do it in January with a full plan. (:

That being said, your Pride event does not HAVE to be in June. Both the LGBT centers I worked for had their Prides in August or October – this is because entertainment booking fees are cheaper, and the smaller centers can’t compete with the large metropolitan Prides. If you pay close attention, there are Prides for at least half the year in your greater vicinity. Hosting your pride event outside of June shows one of the highest forms of allyship because it sends the message that Pride is all year long.

ARE THEY QUEER?

Some queer people aren’t obviously queer. There simply is not one way to BE queer and so there isn’t one way to LOOK queer. No one can really expect a community of communities to look one way. I’m going to use somone I knew as an example – he is a transgender man which means he was assigned female at birth and has since went through the transition to become and present as a man. He has a full beard, deep voice, big muscles, he’s a personal trainer. These are all characteristics commonly associated with someone who is masculine. Which is what he wants. He calls it “blending in” or sometimes referred to as “passing” as your chosen gender. By looking at him and interacting with him, you would have no idea that he is transgender. Like being queer, there isn’t one way to be transgender. And you won’t know unless he invites you in and lets you know. This is just one example of how someone in the LGBTQIA+ community may not be giving off “Queer vibes” but if you understand my earlier statement that there isn’t one way to BE or LOOK queer, your comrehension is where it needs to be.

When you make an environment LGBTQIA+ inclusive and welcoming, queer people often self select to share their identity because they feel safe in doing so, like they won’t be targeted. You can do this by normalizing asking for people’s pronouns. Introduce yourself by sharing your name and pronouns and asking them to do the same. “Hi my name is Matt, my pronouns are they/he. How about you?” For example, AFP does a really great job normalizing the use and acknowledgment of pronouns – we provide them at event registration, in our AFP profiles, and even on our conference name badges. AFP even hosts sessions on Advancing Your Mission By Engaging LGBTQIA+ Donors – all great ways to make a space LGBTQIA+ inclusive!

THEY ARE ALREADY INSIDE

And not in the scary way, like the movie “There’s Someone Inside Your House” but chances are, you already have LGBTQIA+ donors, employees, clients, etc. in your organization. Yes, you can ride that sigh of relief. Ahhhhh….. Think for a second about how you have successfully found queer donors in your organization. You may have just concluded that you have not been successful. That may not be true. AFP normalizes putting our pronouns on our badges, and so we don’t really have to ask for them. And so that takes the opportunity away for you to make queer people feel safe in self identifying. Except it doesn’t matter! Because you are already in a queer-friendly space. 

If you’re like me, you’ll just assume everyone is queer until proven guilty–I mean straight. Act like you are already serving them and working with them – but still do the work to make it better and keep it better! This prevents you from needing to specifically identify any queer people in your community or organization. When we create a space – a world – where we operate inclusively with LGBTQIA+ people in mind, then we eliminate the need for people to come out. Do your due diligence – reflect and do the work, learn it and pay for it, support queer organizations however you can, and create and sustain LGBTQIA+ inclusive spaces  – and they will follow you.

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>.