🌱🐰💰 Donation effectiveness for LGBTQ+

Colin Markham -

The Good, the Bunny and the Money is our monthly take on the latest impactful success stories from across the U.S. and around the World.‌
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‌'🌱 The Good' looks at nonprofits leading the way in impactful change;

'💰 The Money' takes a dive into the private-sector champions driving financial inclusion & economic development; and

'🐰 The Bunny' showcases the most promising collaborations between nonprofits and businesses working hand in hand for the People and the Planet.

June marks the start of Pride month, an opportunity to celebrate, educate and reflect on the influence of the LGBTQ+ community across the globe. Although 2021 saw a wave of anti-transgender state legislation, there was also some success - with new pro-equality laws being passed to ensure LGBTQ+ people can take one step closer to full legal and lived equality.

In this edition, we're doing things differently. Instead of focusing on all three areas of The Good, The Money and The Bunny, we're going to focus on The Bunny, by shining a light on the great work being done through non-profit and private sector partnerships to support LGBTQ+ equality. A particular focus will be placed on the crucial task of measuring and reporting on the effectiveness of LGBTQ+ philanthropic initiatives.

🌱 The Good: Monitoring LGBTQ representation in media and advertising

Telling diverse and inclusive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) stories have never been more critical as an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ bills continue to be proposed in state legislatures across the US.

Representation: More than 90% of agencies and advertisers agree that companies can make consumers more familiar with diverse groups of people and break down social barriers through representation.

Collaboration: GLAAD works to advance cultural inclusion in the media through building collaborative ecosystems with media organizations across the private sector to spark discussion and change (See collabs with P&G, Fabletics)

Measure what matters: The World Economic Forum’s Audience Representation Index just launched to help measure and improve the state of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) in the content audiences consume. This year saw all-time highs in LGBTQ representation with 11.9% of series regular LGBTQ characters on scripted primetime series. Insights also provided key challenge areas to focus efforts in the year ahead.

🐰 The Bunny: Out Leadership release State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index for 2022

Who is Out Leadership? An LGBTQ+ organization harnessing the power of business to drive equality by connecting LGBTQ+ people and leaders through advocating for inclusion at every level.

What is LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index? A report that gives each US state a score out of 100 points based on 20 different indicators assessing LGBTQ+ people’s lived experiences across 5 broad categories, such as Legal and Nondiscrimination Protections, Youth and Family Support, and Safety, Work Environment and Employment.

What’s the importance? The report provides business leaders with actionable information about the climate in which they conduct business. It also quantifies the economic imperative for inclusion and the cost of discrimination.

Highlights from the 2022 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index:

  • New York is the highest-ranking state for the second year in a row, scoring 93.67 out of 100 points.
  • South Carolina is the lowest ranking state for the third year in a row, scoring 33.63 out of 100 points.
  • The highest mover was Alaska, with an increase of 8.1 points between 2021 and 2022 driven by the implementation of positive legal & nondiscrimination protections.

💰 The Money: Fighting for LGBTQ+ Elders

The situation: One segment of the LGBTQ+ community that is often overlooked is LGBTQ+ older people. There are currently between 1.5 - 3.8 million adults over 65 who identify as LGBTQ+ in the US and this number is expected to double by 2030.

A unique issue: The prospect of entering long-term care can bring a host of new challenges for older people in the LGBTQ+ community - a study has revealed that 60% of LGBTQ+ elders are concerned about how they will be treated in long-term care settings.

Finding a solution: The non-profit, Sage, has been working for 40+ years to support elders of the LGBTQ+ community by forming support networks and working with administrations to advocate for LGBTQ+ older people at the federal, state, and local levels through enhanced policy and educational services.

A measurable impact: SAGE has partnered with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) to create the Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI) to support long-term care institutions to adopt LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices that provide culturally competent care to LGBTQ older adults. The impact and adoption of LEI policies are measured and published in an annual report, including an interactive map of institutions that have signed LEI’s caring pledge.

🥕 What else we’re munching:

  • Point Foundation (Point) is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons. Point’s objective is to build a generation of leaders committed to increased acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in society.
  • The show and podcast, Queer Money, is the only show talking about the financial nuances of the LGBTQ community with an aim of building a financially strong queer community.
  • Converse is celebrating Pride through the Found Family campaign which celebrates the people met on the journey to Pride. The campaign will include original art, images, and film from more than 50 contributors from around the globe.
  • Capital One is providing LGBTQ+ focused benefits for employees such as fertility coverage, domestic partner benefits, and health coverage for gender reassignment. The bank also partners with LGBTQ+ community organizations such as SAGE, Attic Youth Center, and GLAAD.

Image Credits: Cover Photo by Toni Reed via Unsplash; GLAAD; Out Leadership; SAGE.