It-girl Fundraising
The cool girls, gays, and theys fundraising for the trans liberation movement are bringing back partying. And I’m not talking about thinly veiled networking events. I mean killer DJ lineups, turn your best look, dance until two in the morning, fund-ragers.
If there’s one thing queer people know how to do, it’s host a great party. And in the recession-core era, young people are craving ways to connect that feel real, and the cover going to a cause they care about is a large part of the appeal.
For trans people who have shaped so much of pop culture while consistently excluded from rights and protections, these parties become spaces to heal and be held by community. They offer what traditional nonprofits are often out of touch with. They remind us that joy is political. Connection is political. The dance floor is political.
This is exactly why next-gen donors are showing up for these events. As a generation, they are incredibly tuned-in to where their money goes. They are not drawn to corporate-feeling nonprofits backed by Fortune 500 funders. They want to support movements that feel grassroots, transparent, and accountable to the people they claim to serve. They want their joy and their liberation to be intertwined, not siloed. They ultimately want to see their friends and community suffer less as a tangible result of fundraising.
The orgs doing this well understand something essential about younger donors and supporters. Social power is not just fostered at black tie events or clouty dinner parties. Engagement is not driven only by urgency or fear. A resistance often grows out of belonging. Out of culture. Out of the collective wish to better each other's lives. Sometimes the most effective organizing tool is creating a space where marginalized people can just vibe together.
I keep thinking about what it means for fundraising and community building when queer movements lean into our historical culture as a tool for collective action. And honestly, I think we are only just scratching the surface.