According to research from the Horizons Foundation and Movement Advancement Project, less than 5% of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community gives to an LGBTQ cause. 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.

Winning equality in the communities we call home requires funds -- funds to help get our message out there, to create successful campaigns, to mobilize our supporters. Although budgets are always stretched too thin, the movement’s state-based organizations do a lot with very little to continue making progress.

But let’s face it: every movement organization is on the lookout for new opportunities and new ways to fundraise. Give OUT Day is a new opportunity, a new way that Federation members should consider this year.

Give OUT Day offers a new way for LGBTQ nonprofits, including Federation members, to build a more diverse funding base. The model has been proven to bring in new donors and new dollars to fuel the important work state-based organizations are doing every day. Giving Day campaigns such as this have been successful at raising millions of dollars for local nonprofits across the country.

Last year, more than 400 organizations representing all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico participated in Give OUT Day 2013.  Bolder Giving sponsored the day, building the giving platform, raising prize money, generating media attention and supporting all the organizations engaged in fundraising as part of the day. Organizations used the national attention to build momentum with their supporters and competed against similar sized organizations to win additional price money. Several Federation members successfully used the day to exceed their fundraising goals. 

Give OUT Day 2014 is almost here. Here's what you need to do to participate:

• Save the date. The 2nd annual national Give OUT Day will be held on May 15, 2014.
• Mark your calendars for January 29, 2014. On that day, the Give OUT Day website will launch, and participating organizations will register their non-profits on the site and build their fundraising pages.
• Sign up for the first Give OUT Day webinar on February 14. Learn the “ins and outs” of registering your organization to participate. 
• Follow Give OUT Day on Facebook and Twitter to stay connected and gain access to upcoming webinars, sample materials and ongoing support.