Our Queer New Year Blueprint: Rest as Resistance, Strategy as Care

Dear nonprofits and LGBTQIA+ movement leaders,

The nonprofit sector loves urgency. Queer communities know survival.

As we step into 2026, many LGBTQIA+ organizations are carrying more than just new-year goals – we’re carrying burnout, grief, political fatigue, financial pressure, and the weight of being asked to do more with less again.

So let’s be clear from the start:

This is not a year for hustle culture disguised as hope.
This is a year for rest and strategy.
For care and clarity.
For building futures that don’t require us to sacrifice ourselves to sustain them.

This is our Queer New Year blueprint.

Why Rest Is Still Resistance in 2026

Rest has always been political for Queer communities.

In a world that expects us to constantly prove our worth, our productivity, our legitimacy – choosing rest is an act of refusal. It says: We are not disposable. We are not infinite. We are not machines.

For LGBTQIA+ nonprofits, rest isn’t just personal – it’s organizational.

• Burned-out staff don’t build strong programs

• Exhausted leaders can’t think long-term

• Scarcity-driven teams replicate harm even when intentions are good

Rest is not the opposite of impact. It’s the condition that makes impact possible.

In 2026, rest must be planned – not postponed.

Rest Looks Like Structural Decisions, Not Just Time Off

Rest is not only a wellness practice. It’s a leadership practice.

For Queer organizations, rest can look like:

• Setting realistic fundraising goals instead of aspirational ones that break your team

• Building buffer time into campaigns instead of stacking urgency on urgency

• Saying no to funding that compromises your values or capacity

• Normalizing slower seasons without panic

• Protecting staff from being “on” all the time, especially Queer, Trans, and BIPOC staff who already carry emotional labor

If your organization can only survive through constant crisis mode, the system – not the people – needs to change.

Strategy Is Care When It Reduces Harm

Let’s retire the idea that strategy is cold, corporate, or disconnected from care.

For Queer nonprofits, strategy is how we protect our people.

Good strategy:

• Reduces chaos

• Clarifies priorities

• Creates predictability

• Prevents burnout

• Makes room for joy

In 2026, strategy isn’t about growth for growth’s sake. It’s about alignment.

A Care-Centered Strategy for the New Year

Here’s what a Queer-centered, care-forward strategy can look like right now:

1. Fundraising That Prioritizes Sustainability

Shift away from over-reliance on:

• One-off grants

• Politicized government funding

• Last-minute crisis appeals

Double down on:

• Monthly giving

• Peer-to-peer fundraising

• Community-based donors

• Relationship-driven major gifts

Sustainable funding is care for your future team.

2. Planning That Centers Capacity, Not Fantasy

Ask these questions honestly:

• What can we realistically deliver with our current staff?

• Where are we overcommitted?

• What would it look like to do less – better?

Growth that costs your people their health isn’t growth. It’s extraction.

3. Metrics That Measure More Than Output

In 2026, care-centered organizations track:

• Staff retention

• Donor retention

• Program sustainability

• Community trust

• Leadership well-being

If your metrics only measure volume, you’re missing the point.

For Leaders: Rest Is Also Modeling

Queer leaders set culture whether we mean to or not.

If you never rest, your team won’t either.
If you glorify exhaustion, others will internalize it.
If you model boundaries, your team will feel safer setting their own.

Leadership in 2026 means:

• Taking rest seriously

• Talking openly about burnout

• Making strategic decisions that protect people

• Letting go of guilt tied to productivity

You don’t need to earn rest. You need to design for it.

For Funders and Allies: Care Is an Investment Choice

If you fund LGBTQIA+ organizations, hear this clearly:

• Restricted funding increases burnout

• One-year grants create instability

• Crisis-only funding traps organizations in survival mode

Care-centered philanthropy looks like:

• Multi-year funding

• General operating support

• Trust-based relationships

• Funding for infrastructure and leadership—not just programs

If funders want resilient Queer organizations, they must stop rewarding exhaustion as proof of commitment.

Our 2026 Commitment

This year, let’s commit to:

• Rest without apology

• Strategy without harm

• Growth without extraction

• Fundraising without panic

• Leadership without martyrdom

Queer communities have always known how to survive. 2026 is about learning how to thrive – together, sustainably, and with care.

Rest is not retreat. Strategy is not selfish.

They are how we build the future we deserve.

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>.