New Resources for LGBT Movement and Its Donors

Looking for some good resources on the LGBT movement and its donors? Well look no further than three new reports now available at the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) website.

First check out the Advancing Transgender Equality – A Guide for LGBT Organizations and Funders comprehensively describes the movement for transgender equality in the US. The report comes at an important time, as autonomous transgender organizations add full-time staff and increase their budgets, while general LGBT groups add trans-specific programs to their agendas. The report has five main sections:

· The evolution and growth of the movement for transgender equality, including an in-depth look at the movement today;
· The obstacles that face transgender Americans, including issues related to physical and mental health; safety and physical security; legal documentation and relationship rights; and employment and self-sufficiency;
· Work underway to overcome these obstacles;
· Recommendations for general LGBT organizations to make their work more trans-inclusive and relevant; and
· Recommendations to help funders increase their support for transgender equality.

Second, be sure to look through the 2008 State of the States Report. Its issued jointly with the Equality Federation, and provides LGBT movement organizations, allies, partners, and funders with an overview of statewide LGBT advocacy organizations, including those organizations’ capacity, the issues they are addressing, and the strategies and tactics they employ to achieve LGBT equality. It analyzes data on 41 state-based groups in 36 states. The report can help organizations craft strategies to achieve local, state, and national LGBT political victories and help donors determine how to direct their funding of state-based work.

Lastly there is some imoprtant information on the state of Nonprofit Endowment Funds – Why and How LGBT Movement Organizations Should Establish Them, a snapshot of current endowment funds and planned giving programs at US LGBT nonprofit organizations. Overall, they find that most organizations have little in the way of permanent or board-created endowments, and few are engaged in active planned-giving development.

The report provides a starting point for LGBT organizations interested in building endowment funds or launching planned-giving programs.