Fundraising Guide: Raising money during the COVID-19 pandemic

FUNDRAISING GUIDE

RAISING MONEY DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

CONTENTS 1: Introduction ... 1 2: What your fundraising will support

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3: Fundraising ideas ... 3 4: Online fundraising ... 7 5: Staying in touch ... 9

1: INTRODUCTION

Thank you so much for your interest in supporting the global movement for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI) human rights by fundraising for GiveOut! This guide is full of inspiration and ideas for fundraising activities and events you can organise to help raise money to support the vital work of LGBTQI organisations around the world. We’ll walk you through the steps you need to take to make it as easy as possible to raise money and get the most out of whatever you choose to do. We have updated this guide in the context of the COVID-19 crisis and the physical distancing restrictions which many of us are under. Who we are GiveOut is an award-winning charity supporting the global struggle for LGBTQI human rights. We pool the donations we receive to provide grants to LGBTQI organisations around the world, ensuring that they have more of the resources they need to defend their communities and campaign for equality. For more information on the 24 LGBTQI organisations and initiatives supported by GiveOut, please visit our website www.giveout.org Why we’ve been established Across the world, LGBTQI people face serious human rights abuses for being themselves. Courageous activists are working to protect and improve the lives of LGBTQI people, demanding respect for human rights in law, policy and practice. However, the movement is woefully underfunded, particularly in the Global South and East. GiveOut has been established to help address this urgent need by bringing new resources into the global LGBTQI movement. We look forward to supporting you in however you choose to fundraise! Thank you so much.

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2: WHAT YOUR FUNDRAISING WILL SUPPORT GiveOut’s donors currently support 24 LGBTQI organisations and grassroots initiatives around the world, ensuring that they have more of the resources they need to continue their vital work. In just over two years, we have provided more than £250,000 of new funding to the global struggle for LGBTQI human rights, ensuring sustainable support to the movement across five continents. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, this support is needed now more than ever, as LGBTQI organisations adapt their ways of working and develop new services for their communities and approaches to activism. Here are some examples of what your fundraising could support:

£100 £500

£750 £1,000 £3,000 £4,000

Would support Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India SAATHII to provide a stipend for one month under its Fellowship Programme, which is currently supporting two trans activists to share their work with new communities. Would support the Tonga Leitis Association in its advocacy and outreach work in Tonga’s outer islands, as they campaign for the decriminalisation of same-sex relations and social acceptance, provide vital health services, and raise awareness of issues affecting the leiti community of trans and gender non-conforming people.

Tonga Leitis Association training

Would enable an LGBTQI activist in South Africa to attend Access Chapter 2’s Advocacy Week, for training on human rights activism. Would support TransWave to provide 150 care packages of food, personal hygiene items and water to trans people in Jamaica during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TransWave team

Would help fund the expansion and maintenance of the Centre for Law and Policy Research’s TransLaw Database for one year. This is the first online trans rights database in the world, making accessible all legal sources on transgender rights in South Asia. Would pay the annual salary of IraQueer’s part time Documentation Officer, who focuses on documenting the stories of LGBTQI Iraqis and the human rights violations committed against them.

CLPR celebrates decriminalisation in India

£5,000 Would

go towards J-FLAG’s “Operation Restore” budget, covering expenses associated with restoring J-FLAG’s operations and the Rainbow House LGBTQI community centre, after it was destroyed in a fire at the end of 2018. The J-FLAG team

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3: FUNDRAISING IDEAS Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online fundraising is more powerful and important than ever. Although inperson events and gatherings have been cancelled due to the importance of physical distancing, there are many creative ways to fundraise from home. Whether setting yourself a fitness challenge, hosting an online show, or inviting people to a virtual brunch or party, online fundraising is a great way to stay connected and have fun at this challenging time. In need of some inspiration? We’ve come up with a range of different ways you can raise money for GiveOut, and some tips on how to go about them. With a little creativity and the right technology, all of our suggestions below can be adapted to online fundraising initiatives. In the next section, we will discuss how to take your fundraising online.

GIVEOUT’S CHALLENGES GiveOut’s Fruit Quiz Challenge your friends by taking GiveOut’s Fruit Quiz! With questions on GiveOut’s grant partners and the global LGBTQI movement, this is a great way to have fun and learn more about LGBTQI human rights around the world. To take our Fruit Quiz and fundraise for GiveOut: 1. Email GiveOut’s Supporter Engagement Officer Lee at lee@giveout.org to request your virtual Fruit Quiz pack. This includes instructions on how to run the quiz, as well as all of the questions and answers. 2. Set up your Fruit Quiz fundraiser page on Total Giving (www.totalgiving.co.uk) for GiveOut. 3. Invite your friends to join in and donate!

Relay for Rights GiveOut is supporting 24 LGBTQI organisations and initiatives around the world. Set yourself a fitness goal based around the number 24, ask your friends to sponsor you, and challenge them to do the same! Some ideas for your Relay for Rights challenge are: • Do 24 push-ups a day for 24 days • Run a marathon over 24 days • Set yourself a 24-hour fitness challenge • Run up and down your stairs 24 times To get involved with GiveOut’s Relay for Rights: 1. 2. 3. 4.

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Set up your Relay for Rights fundraiser page on Total Giving (www.totalgiving.co.uk) for GiveOut. Share your challenge with your friends and ask them to sponsor you. Make sure to tag GiveOut (@GiveOut_Org) on social media so that we can share your hard work! Pass the baton! Ask a friend to join in with your challenge and raise money for GiveOut. Why not see how many people you can get involved?

Virtual EqualiTea Get your friends together over a video call to eat cake, drink tea, and have a chat! You could encourage everyone to bake their own cake and pick a winner, hold a discussion around LGBTQI issues, or use the opportunity to check in and share how you are feeling during this challenging time. To host your own Virtual EqualiTea: 1. Set up your EqualiTea fundraiser page on Total Giving (www.totalgiving.co.uk) for GiveOut. 2. Invite your friends to join you and make a donation. 3. Bake your cake, brew your tea, and enjoy! We would love to see pictures and screenshots of your events - make sure to tag GiveOut (@GiveOut_Org) on social media so we can thank you!

TAKE A FITNESS CHALLENGE Why not set yourself a challenge, get fit and raise money for a good cause all at the same time? From running, cycling, walking, to a triathlon - find the right challenge for you and ask your friends and family to sponsor you. We’ll help support you and your fundraising efforts by sharing on our social media channels, so you can focus on your training. Taking a fitness challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic: From doing push-ups in your bedroom to setting a daily running challenge, there are plenty of ways to challenge yourself while observing physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why not get involved with GiveOut’s Relay for Rights? Francis takes the Talisker Coastal Challenge Every year Diageo Great Britain, a leading premium drinks company, gives its employees a chance to participate in a brilliant fundraising event, usually entailing a walking, or walking and rowing challenge. In 2019, the event took place along England’s Jurassic Coast and covered a marathon distance, known as the Talisker Coastal Challenge. Francis, an employee of Diageo, decided to set himself a personal challenge that was close to his heart, while aiming to raise £5,000 for GiveOut. Francis said, “I wanted to use the Talisker Coastal Challenge to give back to the activists making the world a better place to be LGBTQI, so that everybody can know what’s it’s like to be yourself with equality and dignity.”

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HOST AN EVENT Hosting an event is a great way to bring together your friends, family, or local community to raise money. Some ideas for events include: • Hosting an EqualiTea party or cocktail evening • Challenging your friends with GiveOut’s Fruit Quiz • Inviting friends to a Pride breakfast, brunch or evening celebration • Working with local DJs, artists, and LGBTQI venues to put on a charity club night • Organising an open mic night or cabaret show celebrating the work of LGBTQI artists Hosting an event during the COVID-19 pandemic: With gatherings banned and venues closed due to the importance of physical distancing, most events can no longer take place. However, moving events online can be an uplifting way to stay connected with your friends and community, while raising money for a good cause. Some ideas include: • Hosting a virtual brunch where participants eat and talk together over a video call • Livestreaming an open mic night or cabaret show • Organising a virtual dance party or club night using livestreaming or video conferencing services Steve’s online variety show Steve planned to host a drag show to raise money for GiveOut. However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a ban on large gatherings and the closure of all theatres. Never one to give up easily, Steve decided to take the show online using Zoom and brought together almost 60 participants for an online variety show, with jokes, songs, quizzes, an online charity auction and a number of surprise special guests. The event was a huge success, raising almost £3,000 for GiveOut!

GIFTS FOR GIVEOUT If you’ve got a special occasion coming up, why not ask friends to donate to GiveOut instead of receiving gifts? From birthdays to weddings, many of our supporters choose to fundraise for GiveOut around these special occasions. Iain’s 50th Birthday In 2018, Iain marked his 50th birthday with a celebration for friends, family and colleagues at The Ivy in Covent Garden, London. As part of his commitment to the LGBTQI movement, he asked attendees to contribute to GiveOut. “Resources for LGBTQI causes worldwide are scarce and I was proud to have my birthday celebrations contribute to the movement,” Iain said. “I hope this will inspire more people to fundraise for GiveOut in new and creative ways, and of course, to donate!” Rachel & Emma’s wedding Rachel and Emma are getting married in the summer of 2020 and have asked gusts to donate to GiveOut and other charities that the couple support: “If you would like to buy us a gift we’d be incredibly touched although we are of an age where we have accumulated most things, so if you’d would like to make a donation to any of our favourite charities, that would be smashing!” Rupert & Nara’s wedding Instead of wedding gifts, Rupert and Nara (who’s from Cambodia) set up a Total Giving page and asked guests to donate to GiveOut. They said, “We can love each other without living in fear. But across Asia, LGBTQI people face violence and discrimination for being themselves. In several countries, from Malaysia to Sri Lanka, same sex relations are criminalised. In some, they are punishable by death. But activists are fighting back and campaigning for change, with recent victories in the region for marriage equality and same sex partnership rights.”

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SUPPORT GIVEOUT AT WORK Encouraging your colleagues and employer to support GiveOut is a great way to fundraise. You could: • Nominate GiveOut as your organisation’s Charity of the Year • Hold a fundraiser with your Pride Network such as an EqualiTea, panel event, or Fruit Quiz • Raise awareness of our work in your office and ask for donations • As your organisation to match employee donations to GiveOut Special dates in the LGBTQI calendar are a great opportunity to do this, and include LGBT History Month in February, Pride in August, Intersex Awareness Day in October, and Transgender Awareness Week in November. For Pride 2020, GiveOut is asking businesses and LGBTQI networks to fundraise for our COVID-19 LGBTQI Global Solidarity Fund. With Pride events cancelled around the world, this is an exciting opportunity to celebrate and raise money to support LGBTQI people worldwide. The Gym Group The Gym Group, an award-winning national network of gyms, asked its new members to support trans human rights worldwide by donating to the Antonia & Andrea Belcher Trans Fund with GiveOut. This initiative was a huge success, raising £2,500!

TransWave Jamaica’s “Trans Active” team

Camm & Hooper Events management company Camm & Hooper support GiveOut through providing use of their events spaces for free. As well as this, the organisation has donated to GiveOut and encouraged its employees to fundraise. For Christmas 2020, Camm & Hooper also set up collection boxes in their events spaces to collect donations for GiveOut.

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4: ONLINE FUNDRAISING This section looks at the tools which will help you take your fundraising online.

SET UP A TOTAL GIVING PAGE It’s easier than ever to fundraise using online platforms. Simply set up a fundraising page on Total Giving to collect donations from people around the world, and they’ll take care of all the donations, GiftAid, and sending the money directly to us - so you can focus on making your event a success. To set up your Total Giving fundraising page for GiveOut: 1. Visit Total Giving: https://www.totalgiving.co.uk 2. Click “Get Started” under the heading “Charity Fundraising” 3. Search for GiveOut and choose us as the charity you’re fundraising for 4. Create a login and enter your details 5. Set up your fundraising page 6. Start fundraising! Make sure you personalise your fundraising page and share your story about why you’re raising money for GiveOut - and be sure to spread the word!

FUNDRAISE ON FACEBOOK Facebook provides an easy way to set up a fundraising page for your charity of choice: 1. Visit GiveOut’s Facebook page here: https://www. facebook.com/GiveOutOrg 2. Select ‘Fundraisers’ and then click the ‘Raise Money’ button 3. Fill in the details about your fundraiser 4. Click create 5. Start fundraising! If you create a fundraiser for us, GiveOut will receive donations directly from Facebook. Facebook does not charge fees for donations made to charities, and if you are a UK taxpayer donating to GiveOut, your donation could be eligible for Gift Aid. Once you have set up your Facebook fundraiser, you can help your friends follow this through status updates. If you have decided to set yourself a challenge, sharing photos, videos, or livestreaming your activities are great ways to engage with your supporters!

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HOST AN EVENT USING VIDEO CONFERENCING SERVICES Zoom and other video conferencing services are a great way to host online interactive events such as brunches, quizzes, and parties. However, a paid subscription is usually necessary to host larger gatherings. Plan your virtual event, set up an online fundraising page through Total Giving or Facebook, and ask people to donate to attend.

LIVESTREAM YOUR EVENT OR CHALLENGE Livestreaming a fundraising event or challenge is a great, free way to connect with your supporters. Free livestreaming platforms such as YouTube Live, Twitch, Instagram Live, and Facebook Live provide easy ways to do this, and are easily accessible to most people. Livestreams are less interactive than events hosted on video conferencing software, and so may be better suited to broadcasting shows, or sharing a challenge such as taking your supporters on a run! Plan your virtual event, set up an online fundraising page through Total Giving or Facebook, and ask people to donate to attend.

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5: STAYING IN TOUCH Thank you for supporting the global movement for LGBTQI human rights! The generosity of GiveOut’s community of supporters has enabled us to provide sustainable funding to 24 LGBTQI organisations and initiatives around the world, ensuring that they have more of the resources they need to do their vital work. And in just over two years our supporters have provided £250,000 of new funding to the movement. Keep in touch! If you’re planning on fundraising for us - get in touch! We can provide some technical support, and we will also mention all our fundraisers across our social media channels and encourage our community of supporters to donate too. Any questions? Let us know what you’re planning and how we can help. Lee is the Supporter Engagement Officer at GiveOut and they would be happy to help you if you’ve got any questions. Email Lee at lee@giveout.org. Thank you so much! The GiveOut Team

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GiveOut is a charity registered in the UK with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity Number: 1176434)