Get Involved!

Dear Desi Rainbow Friends and Family,

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Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies will celebrate our second anniversary as a nonprofit organization in 2023! I want to thank you for your support as a friend to Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies, and invite you to join our Funders Circle. Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies is a fledgling organization, with a unique and deeply important mission to build a community where people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity are valued, affirmed and celebrated by all. In just four years, the grassroots organization has grown from a one-woman show to a 40 member team of volunteers doing everything from running support groups to organizing events and advocating for change. We have hosted events focused on family acceptance, faith community, affirming children, and allyship. Attendance at our events have gone from under 200 to over 1000 in just the last year alone. 

 

We have proved that a small group of dedicated people can change lives and transform the experience of South Asian American children and their families. 

 

We have big and ambitious dreams - 

• Expand our support network through training and sustaining a team of multilingual parents and allies

• Transform community/religious spaces by educating community members on allyship and the need for inclusion

• Teach families how to support their children so the next generation is protected from all the risks that LGBTQIA+ children face

• Build chosen family for LGBTQ people through multigenerational connections with parents and allies

• Provide mentors and possibility models for young LGBTQIA+ people

• Provide LGBTQIA+ inclusive curriculum for South Asian religious, community, arts, language schools

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All of this is possible only with the funding to hire staff and compensate them for their valuable work. We can follow the development model of pursuing grants and big fundraising campaigns, but we would much rather invest the bulk of our energies into building on our innovative ideas and doing the grassroots work of community organizing and education. 

 

We are looking for donors who can make the commitment to donate or raise $3000 a year for a period of 3 years. 30 donors that together raise $90,000 per year will pay for 1.5 staff members’ salaries and benefits, stipends for trainers and volunteers, and give our Executive Director and Board the time to build a strong organization that can last for as long as the community needs us.

 

Here are some possible ways to raise the $3000 per year:

• Make a $3000 personal donation 

• Make a $750 personal donation in the summer and winter of each year, plus recruit 15 friends and family members to give $100 each

• Make a $50/month personal donation, plus recruit 5 people in your network to give $25/month and 12 people in your network to give one-time $75 donations

 

Can you join the Desi Rainbow Funders Circle?

Here’s a form for you to indicate your interest : https://tinyurl.com/DRPAFund.

 

Please do reach out to me at aruna@desirainbow.org if you have questions or would like to discuss this further. You can also review the work we do at www.desirainbow.org.

 

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                       Warm regards,

                       Aruna Rao

                       Executive Director

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                       Desi Rainbow Parents and Allies