Less than 5% of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community gives to an LGBTQ cause, according to research from the Horizons Foundation and Movement Advancement Project. To increase this number, Bolder Giving created Give OUT Day, a national initiative that aims to mobilize thousands of donors across the country on one day in May to give in support of the LGBTQ nonprofit community.

The 2nd annual national Give OUT Day will be held on May 15, 2014. Last year, more than 400 organizations representing all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico participated in Give OUT Day 2013, including several Federation members who used the opportunity to raise critical funds to support their work.

Bolder Giving sponsors Give OUT Day and handles all the logistics: building and maintaining the giving platform, raising prize money, generating media attention, and supporting all the organizations engaged in fundraising as part of the day. Participating organizations use the energy and excitement of this unique opportunity to transition their supporters into donors.

So how does your organization get involved? Bolder Giving has created a series of webinars to help you create a successful Give OUT Day campaign.

The first webinar will be held this Friday, February 14th at 2pm ET, and will teach the “ins and outs” of registering your organization to participate. Go here to register.

In the upcoming weeks, the remaining webinars will teach you everything from designing your Give OUT Day webpage to engaging volunteers.

• February 28 - Setting Up Your Page. Attendees will learn how to setup and customize their Give OUT Day pages to engage donors. From uploading photos and videos to setting up a match grant, this workshop will walk you through the many features of the Razoo platform.
• March 14 - Designing Your Strategy. Now that you have registered your nonprofit and set up your page, it’s time to think about your strategy. Will you be targeting your major donors or trying to turn your volunteers into first time donors? Join this webinar and learn from some of the most successful strategies used in 2013.
• March 28 - More Strategies Beyond Social Media. One of the great things about Give OUT Day is that it harnesses the power of storytelling and social media. However, different organizations have different audiences and need to reach them through a different tactic. Attend this webinar and get a taste for some other strategies your organization can use to reach your audience.
• April 11 - Getting Your Volunteers on Board. There is a role for everyone to play in Give OUT Day, whether you are a member of the LGBTQ community or an ally. This webinar will go over ways to engage your board members, volunteers and social media following to make Give OUT Day a success for you.

Make sure to register your organization for these informative webinars, the first one this Friday at 2pm ET.

To learn more about Give OUT Day 2014 and how to get your organization involved, go to their website, or check them out on Facebook and Twitter.