My Journey: Becoming an LGBTQIA+ Entrepreneur

I didn’t set out to become a solo entrepreneur. Honestly, it sort of just…happened.

I started my career in a straight-led science center, and within about 18 months, I found myself working in LGBTQIA+ nonprofits. And that shift changed everything.

Not because I suddenly had all the answers, I was still very new to fundraising, but because I was finally in spaces where I could be fully myself.

And that mattered more than I realized at the time.

Working in Queer spaces gave me something I now see as foundational to my work:

The power of authenticity.

It wasn’t something I had to fight for, it was something I was allowed to step into.

And once I did, it didn’t just change how I showed up at work.

It changed how I showed up in my life. In my relationships. In how I saw myself.

That alignment — between who I am and how I work — became the core of everything I do now.

As I continued growing in my career, I started to notice something else. The LGBTQIA+ community is not one community. It’s a community of communities.

Different identities. Different lived experiences. Different needs, priorities, and perspectives. And yet, the moments that felt the most impactful — the most successful — were the ones where we were working together.

That idea has since become another pillar of my work:

Uniting diverse people.

Because the best ideas, the strongest movements, and the most effective fundraising don’t come from a single perspective. They come from collaboration.

And then there’s the third piece — the one that really pushed me to start building something of my own:

Maximizing the abundance of philanthropy on all levels.

Fundraising, as a sector, often feels…

Too restricted. Too small. Too transactional. Too straight. Too white.

And inside many organizations, the responsibility for fundraising is still siloed, sitting with one person or one team, instead of being activated across the entire organization. But the truth is: Philanthropy is abundant.

Not just in major gifts. Not just in annual campaigns. But in relationships, in community, in storytelling, in shared ownership.

When you activate fundraising across staff, board, volunteers, and community, when you build a real culture of philanthropy — everything changes.

These three ideas — authenticity, collaboration, and abundance — are what led me to define the concept of:

Queer Extravagance

And yes, it’s capital Q, capital E on purpose. Because it’s meant to be personal.

Queer Extravagance is not one thing.

For some, it might mean financial success. For others, it might mean safety, stability, or joy.  For others, it might mean visibility, leadership, or freedom.

On an organizational level, it might mean fully funded programs. It might mean thriving staff and leadership. It might mean building something that actually reflects the community it serves.

For me, Queer Extravagance is about this: Personal success and shared equity, achieved through authenticity, collaboration, and abundance.

So where does entrepreneurship come in?

Like I said, I didn’t plan for it.

But over time, I found myself in a series of experiences with nonprofit leadership, both executive and board, that made something very clear: A lot of organizations are being led by people who were never equipped to lead.

And that has real consequences. For staff. For culture. For fundraising. For the communities we’re all trying to serve.

At the same time, I started presenting at conferences — first locally, then nationally, then globally — on how nonprofits can better engage LGBTQIA+ donors.

And I realized something that honestly surprised me: There weren’t many leading voices in the sector doing this work.

So I started Queer For Hire.

At first, it was focused on educating and training straight-led nonprofits, helping them build the skills and systems needed to engage LGBTQIA+ communities more effectively. But as I continued working in the field, another need became clear.

There were Queer nonprofits, incredible, community-centered organizations, that didn’t need to be convinced of the why. They needed support with the how. Strategy. Structure. Fundraising systems. Leadership support. A guiding hand.

And that’s when Queer For Hire expanded into what it is today.

In 2025, the work grew in ways I couldn’t have predicted.

Queer For Hire expanded to a team of six consultants, supporting organizations across the country.

Together, our clients raised more than $15.5 million across eight states.

We partnered with nonprofits of all sizes and missions — helping them build stronger fundraising programs, more inclusive cultures, and deeper engagement with LGBTQIA+ communities.

And we’re just getting started. This journey, from a new fundraiser to a Queer entrepreneur, is still unfolding. But what I know now is this: I didn’t need to build a career that fit the existing system. I needed to build work that reflected my values.

That’s why I’m especially excited to be moderating a session at AFP ICON this year:

Not Just A Seat At The Table: Building Fundraising Careers That Reimagine The Status Quo

This session brings together three incredible leaders — Arleen Peterson, Daa’iyah Rahman, and Jamie Leon-Guerrero — who are actively transforming this field through equity, authenticity, and movement-building.

Together, we’ll explore what it looks like to grow a career that doesn’t just succeed within the system — but helps reshape it.

If you’ve ever felt like there’s a better way to do this work…There is. And there are people already building it.

If you’ll be at AFP ICON in San Diego, I hope you’ll join us. Let’s reimagine what’s possible — and start building it together.

Sincerely,

This One Queer, Matthew Easterwood :)

Queer For Hire provides fundraising support to Queer nonprofits, LGBTQIA+ cultural competency to straight-led organizations and corporations, and individual coaching for Queer professionals.

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>.