Change

Ten areas of organizational policy and practice that can help increase LGBTQ access.    

Built Environment

From an organization's geographic location to its facility layout, the built environment can convey a sense of belonging or exclusion.

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Human Resources

Human resource policies and practices shape the relationship between an organization and its workers. Organizations can institute policies and practices to recruit and retain qualified LGBTQ employees.

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Professional Development

Educational programs set organizational standards and expectations of practice. Professional development plans should include opportunities to build skills and knowledge in working with LGBTQ communities.

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Volunteer Programs

Volunteer engagement can strengthen an organization’s capacity and commitment to LGBTQ access within the broader communities it serves.

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Workplace Culture

Management strategies, communication styles, staff diversity, and regional social norms inform workplace culture and can influence job satisfaction, staff retention, and quality of services.

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Intake & Referrals

Intake and eligibility guidelines frequently shape the first point of contact for many people seeking service. Intake and referral strategies and protocols can communicate levels of familiarity with and commitment to meeting the needs of LGBTQ communities.

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Services & Programs

Working with LGBTQ communities can help organizations identify barriers, gaps, and unintended impacts of existing services. Community-based needs assessments, training and technical assistance, collaborations with LGBTQ groups, and other tools can help organizations make changes to existing service models and launch new services and programs to better address unmet needs.

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Outreach & Partnerships

Cultivating genuine relationships and partnerships with diverse LGBTQ communities takes time, resources, and an ongoing commitment to addressing barriers in services.

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Development & Communications

Fund development strategies and public relations tools convey the organization’s values and priorities to its stakeholders and the broader public. Organizations can take leadership to communicate a commitment to LGBTQ access to funders and contextualize the concerns of LGBTQ communities within the organization’s broader purpose and current priorities.

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Mission & Values

An organization’s leadership can embrace and align its commitment to LGBTQ access within its broader vision, mission, and values. Organizations with a social justice orientation centering access for the most marginalized survivors of violence and abuse may be better equipped to meet the complex and interrelated needs of LGBTQ and other underserved groups.

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