Pride Is Not a One-Month Campaign: How to Make Your Support Sustainable All Year

Dear nonprofits and corporations,

Welcome to Part 3 of our 3-part series for organizations that want to move from last-minute Pride scrambling to long-term Queer solidarity. In Part 1, we covered what not to do when you’re late. In Part 2, we explored what you can do with short notice. Now, we’re focusing on how to build systems, structures, and relationships that make your LGBTQIA+ engagement sustainable beyond June.

Because if you only show up for Queer communities when it’s trendy, you’re not building trust—you’re building resentment. Pride isn’t a campaign. It’s a commitment. And like all commitments, it needs to be resourced, rooted, and revisited regularly.

1. Budget for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Every Fiscal Year

If your Pride efforts only happen when someone “finds extra budget,” that’s a problem. Build LGBTQIA+ inclusion into your annual planning from the start:

• Allocate funds for speaker honorariums, training, and partnerships with Queer-led organizations.

• Support LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or affinity spaces through dedicated line items.

• Set aside funding for unrestricted, year-round giving to Queer and Trans-led organizations doing on-the-ground work. A vendor booth space at your local Pride festival, for example.

This isn’t just about what you can afford—it’s about what you prioritize. Inclusion is not a seasonal gesture or a one-time campaign. If you’re serious, it needs a financial footprint.

2. Develop Deep Partnerships, Not Just Pride Collaborations

It’s easy to send a cold email in May asking a Queer nonprofit to partner on a June event. But if you haven’t shown up the other eleven months of the year, that “partnership” can feel transactional—or worse, extractive.

Instead:

• Begin building relationships with Queer orgs at the start of the year—or better yet, now.

• Show up to their events without asking for credit or publicity.

• Support their work without attaching your logo to everything. Ask what they actually need.

Long-term relationships are more impactful than short-term visibility. Mutual trust leads to deeper alignment—and more meaningful outcomes for the communities you both serve.

3. Integrate Queer Inclusion Across Departments

Too often, LGBTQIA+ inclusion gets confined to the DEI committee or the marketing team. But to create a truly inclusive organization, Queer visibility and support must be embedded into every corner of your work:

• Programs: Are your services welcoming and affirming to LGBTQIA+ clients? Are Queer narratives represented in your curricula or community outreach?

• HR: Do your benefits cover gender-affirming care? Is your parental leave policy inclusive of all family structures?

• Development: Are you engaging LGBTQIA+ donors and foundations? Are you telling stories that reflect the experiences and resilience of Queer communities?

Every team should ask: “How are we advancing LGBTQIA+ inclusion in our day-to-day?”

4. Evaluate and Update Internal Practices

Sometimes, the smallest shifts create the most meaningful change. Conduct a comprehensive audit of your systems, policies, and workplace culture. Ask:

• Do our intake forms include inclusive options for gender identity and pronouns?

• Are chosen names used consistently across platforms, directories, and systems?

• Do we have clearly designated all-gender restrooms and dress codes free of binary restrictions?

These changes may seem administrative—but for Queer people, they’re signals of safety, care, and belonging. Normalize these practices so LGBTQIA+ staff and clients don’t have to advocate for their own dignity.

5. Create Space for LGBTQIA+ Leadership

You can’t claim to be inclusive if no LGBTQIA+ people are in your leadership pipeline. That means:

• Hiring Queer staff—not just in junior roles, but in positions of decision-making power.

• Recruiting LGBTQIA+ board members, especially those who are BIPOC and/or trans.

• Retaining Queer employees by ensuring they’re supported, not tokenized.

• Bringing in Queer consultants when developing strategy—not just for one-off trainings.

Representation matters not because it checks a box, but because it changes the way decisions are made. Power-sharing is inclusion in action.

6. Keep Learning—Especially When It’s Uncomfortable

True allyship is a process, not a destination. And learning is part of that journey. Rather than waiting until June or a public crisis to “catch up,” create ongoing educational opportunities for your team.

Some ideas:

• Subscribe to Queer-led media, blogs, and newsletters.

• Read and discuss books by Queer authors of color.

• Bring in speakers and educators for structured learning.

• Host affinity spaces where Queer staff can lead, reflect, and build.

And when you’re corrected or called in? Receive it with humility. That’s part of the work.

7. Celebrate Queer Joy All Year

Too many organizations center Queer pain in their communications—and while it’s vital to name injustice, it’s just as essential to celebrate Queer joy, culture, and brilliance.

Share stories that highlight:

• Queer artists, entrepreneurs, and change-makers.

• LGBTQIA+ community victories and personal milestones.

• Everyday moments of joy, care, and connection.

Joy is not a distraction from justice—it’s what justice makes possible. Let your storytelling reflect that.

The truth is, you won’t get everything right all the time. You’ll make mistakes, miss things, and need to course-correct. But LGBTQIA+ people don’t need you to be perfect—we need you to be present. Not just in June. Not just when it’s easy. But when it’s hard, messy, and quiet.

So start now. Reevaluate your budget. Rethink your partnerships. Rework your policies. And recommit to showing up with consistency, care, and courage.

Because Queer communities are here 365 days a year. Your support should be too.

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>.