Let the Lesbians Talk: Why Your Donor Strategy Can’t Be Gay-Centric Alone

Dear nonprofits and fundraisers,

On Saturday, August 16th, I had the privilege of helping my client, Pacific Center for Human Growth, organize and host the first-ever Berkeley Pride street fair (yes, really). It was a day full of community, celebration, and Queer Joy. One of my favorite parts of the festival was our outdoor movie night featuring Desert Hearts—a classic lesbian love story that gave space and visibility to a narrative often sidelined at Pride events.

That choice was intentional. Too often, Pride programming (and generally mass media) defaults to being gay man-centric. While gay men are an important part of our community, our movement is far more expansive. When donor engagement centers only one part of Queer identity, it risks flattening the richness of LGBTQIA+ experience and excluding the very people we claim to serve. Remember: the LGBTQIA+ community is a community of communities.

Why Representation Matters in Donor Strategy

Fundraising is storytelling. The stories you choose to tell, or fail to tell, signal to your donors who matters in your mission. If your campaigns only spotlight gay male couples, or if your events disproportionately center their narratives, you inadvertently tell lesbian, bisexual, Trans, non-binary, intersex, asexual, and other people: this isn’t for you.

But here’s the truth: representation builds trust. When donors see their own identities reflected in your storytelling and stewardship, they’re more likely to feel a sense of belonging and invest deeply in your work.

Diversifying Your Donor Engagement

Here’s how you can move beyond gay-centric strategies:

• Broaden Your Impact Stories: Share donor and client stories from across the spectrum of Queer identity. Highlight lesbian families, bisexual professionals, Trans youth leaders, and elders in chosen families.

• Audit Your Messaging: Review your newsletters, appeals, and annual reports. Who’s pictured? Who’s quoted? Whose voice is absent?

• Program with Intention: Just like our Desert Hearts screening, design donor events that intentionally spotlight underrepresented voices in the community.

• Acknowledge Intersectionality: Queer people are not only defined by sexuality or gender identity—we are also people of color, immigrants, disabled folks, and more. Your fundraising should reflect these layers of lived experience.

Why This Matters for Donors

Donors aren’t just giving to programs; they’re investing in a vision of community. If your vision reflects only part of the LGBTQIA+ experience, your donor base will remain shallow and incomplete. But when you expand representation, you don’t just deepen your donor pool—you strengthen the relationships that sustain your mission long-term.

The Bottom Line

Pride isn’t just about rainbow flags and parades. It’s about creating space for every member of our community to be seen, valued, and celebrated. The same must be true for our donor strategies.

So let the lesbians talk!!! Let the Trans folks lead! Let the bi+ and ace communities shine! And watch as your fundraising becomes not only more inclusive—but more impactful.

Sincerely,

Queers

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>.