AFP LGBTQIA+ Articles and Resources
This page provides fundraisers of all identities with resources for better understanding the LGBTQIA+ nonprofit experience.
- LGBTQIA+ identifying members share their personal experiences working in the fundraising field, both the opportunities and the challenges.
- Members who are a part of, or serve the LGBTQIA+ community, share how to approach LGBTQIA+ donors in a way that is genuine and wholistic, as opposed to tokenizing.
- Researchers provide valuable data on topics such as sexual harassment in the LGBTQIA+ community, and the growing number of LGBTQIA+ identifying donors.
What's New
LGBTQ+ Affinity Group Meetings: Join an upcoming affinity group meeting to connect with fellow LGBTQ+ fundraisers: August 27, 2026 | November 19, 2026
AFP Webinar: Get Q'd Up: Grow Your Fundraising Program By Including LGBTQIA+ Supporters: Watch the recording of this webinar exploring the five phases of the life of a donor from an LGBTQIA+ perspective. Learn where to find them, how to involve them, how to ask them, how to thank them, and methods to keep them around for good.
LGBTQIA+ Funders Page: Find information/links for LGBTQIA+ foundations, LGBTQIA+ friendly foundation/corporate funders, LGBTQIA+ scholarship opportunities, and LGBTQIA+ specific funding related websites and resources.
Member Stories
AFP Member Spotlight: Lee Roth: I deeply appreciate that AFP creates space for the myriads of communities that AFP members represent and especially have found comfort in the LGBTQ+ affinity group.
AFP Member Spotlight: Brian Lam: As a member of the LGBTQIA+ and AAPI communities, being part of affinity groups meant stepping into spaces where I didn't have to code-switch or dilute my identity (and even have opportunities to more thoughtfully explore who I am). I could lead, be vulnerable, and learn all in one breath.
Advancing Philanthropy Articles
Matthew Easterwood, CAP®, CFRE, founder and CEO of Queer For Hire, a Queer- led fundraising and strategy firm, shares a series of articles on LGBTQ fundraising:
Get Q’d In: One in every four Gen Z-ers and 1 in every 10 Millennials identify as LGBTQIA+. How can you reach, engage, and elevate this community, without generalizing these donors and volunteers into one category?
Belonging: Queer for Hire: This article explores how engaging LGBTQIA+ employees, board members, volunteers, donors, and community partners can advance your mission and grow your impact.
The Future of Philanthropy Is Intersectional—Leading With Inclusion for Maximum Impact: Move beyond performative DEI and explore what intersectionality looks like in real, day-to-day fundraising decisions, from grantmaking and program design to donor engagement and evaluation. Drawing on lived experience, this article offers practical ways nonprofit leaders can redistribute power, build trust, and create fundraising strategies that truly reflect the communities they serve.
Micro-Learning Videos
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Beyond the Pride Flag: Understanding the Complex Dynamics of Philanthropy in the LGBT Community: In this micro-learning video, Charles Callihan and Brian Williams share how nonprofits can effectively and authentically engage with LGBTQ donors year-round and discuss their survey which will examine the changes in LGBTQ+ philanthropy since the rollback of DEI measures. |
Engage the LGBTQIA+ Community to Grow Your Organization & Advance Your Mission: In this micro-learning video, Matthew Easterwood, CFRE, CAP shares how to first do the work internally within your own organization, as well as how to engage LGBTQIA+ donors and partners. |
Research
THE LGBTQ+ Index 2024: Measuring Giving to LGBTQ+ Organizations: The 2024 edition of the LGBTQ+ Index incorporates fresh data from 2020 and 2021 to offer a decade-long perspective on the sector. This period marks a critical juncture, reflecting both the impact of global events like the COVID-19 pandemic and significant shifts in public and private support for LGBTQ+ causes.
Funders Concerned About AIDS: For more than two decades, Funders Concerned About AIDS has examined the state of HIV philanthropy through their annual resource tracking report. Check out the 2025 report (which reviews 2023 data), as well as a new study in response to the drastic cuts to HIV-related funding since January 2025. 
Speaking Truth to Power: Drs. Megan LePere-Schloop and Erynn Beaton, professors at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, conducted research on sexual harassment in the fundraising profession and the results are troubling, especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, who were targeted more frequently than their non-LGBTQIA+ peers.
51.23% of LGBTQIA+ fundraisers have experienced sexual harassment of some kind in the last two years, compared to 40.98% of heterosexual peers. 
Belong and Exclusion: Creating a Space for Growing LGBTQ+ Donors (Renee Colombo, Leah Munnelly, Dominic Pepper): This handout from AFP ICON 2023 provides useful stats for understanding the growing LGBTQIA+ donor base and the causes they support. 
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