“We are much stronger and more powerful than we understand. We are fifteen thousand pounds of muscle and bone forged from rage and trauma.”

Ames, trans male protagonist of the

2021 Women's Prize for Fiction winning novel Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters 

Introduction

For Pride Month this June, Deed is highlighting nonprofits that support and mobilize the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community around the world.

On June 28, 1969, police in New York City took advantage of archaic laws that required a person’s clothes to match the gender listed on their state-issued ID, conducting a raid the Stonewall Inn. The discriminatory enforcement had been going on for years; but this time, the community fought back. While the clash between the LGBTQIA+ community and police should never have happened, it effectively reframed the national conversation about queer rights. Out: hiding our true selves. In: Pride.

Today, Pride Month is observed in June all over the world as is both as both a celebration and a call to action. At a time when queer life remains stigmatized, drag performance is again being outlawed, hatred goes unchecked, and transgender rights are under attack, collective action has never been more important. Data from the nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union show that at least 474 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the start of 2023, twice as many as last year and a new all-time record.

Let’s remember that Pride Month is an opportunity to uplift the complexity and diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. This June, Deed invites our partners to support the love as well as the struggle of our LGBTQIA+ employees and communities.

What is Deed’s “Cause of the Month” initiative?

Deed launched our “Cause of the Month” initiative in response to the important moments we see happening in the world around us. With concise, specific 20+ page toolkits, we aim to inspire our partners and rally all employee volunteers, donors, and leaders to support causes they really care about. 

With “Cause of the Month,” we aim to bring greater context to periods of observance—from Pride Month to Women's History Month—such that anyone who reads our toolkit will have a clear plan of action for how to maintain their support today, tomorrow, for the rest of the month, and throughout the year. 

What will I get in every “Cause of the Month” toolkit? 

While every “Cause of the Month” toolkit has unique insights and engagement opportunities relevant to each particular cause, you can always expect us to cover certain areas.

For a better idea of what you’ll be getting, here’s what’s included in our Pride Month toolkit: 

• Volunteering and giving opportunities in the U.S. and around the world.
• In-depth look at specific cause areas, including: health & wellness, human rights, and economic justice.
• A calendar of awareness days in June.
• Employee and employee resource group (ERG) engagement ideas, as well as a walkthrough of how to craft a social impact campaign around Pride Month.
• Recommendations of worthwhile books, podcasts, and films on issues of importance to the LGBTQIA+ community.
  
  

Preview: “Cause of the Month: Pride Month”

Getting started engaging employees this Pride Month

While showing support for the LGBTQIA+ community in the workplace has become increasingly common in recent years, the regularity of corporate "pinkwashing"—where companies say more than they really do—reminds us that every corporate social responsibility (CSR) team should think about how to authentically support their people. In fact, world leaders in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are increasingly incorporating their employees' perspectives at every stage of social impact programming, from internal policy to broader community engagement. 

Picture this: If pulling donations, volunteering, and community-building into the same place makes a social impact platform easier to use, employees will naturally adopt it faster—especially if they're having fun, and can truly see themselves represented online. 

There's a reason why so many social impact leaders from Airbnb to lululemon are turning to all-in-one impact tech for support with their multifaceted DEIB efforts. 

Deed is a workplace giving and volunteering platform that puts people first, because user experience shouldn’t stand between you and doing good. We help CSR and DEIB teams foster genuine human connection by empowering employees to support causes they care about together in-person and online. Backed by PayPal and a solid infrastructure of trusted payment processors, our Fortune 500 partners support +2 million nonprofits with ease. And together, our community is doing more good deeds everyday at work, at home, in our neighborhoods, and all over the world.

For help rallying your employees around your LGBTQIA+ community this June, reach out now and receive the full “Cause of the Month: Pride Month” toolkit.