Organisation championing LGBTQ+ voices among charity professionals gains charitable status
- Third Sector
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Proud Changemakers aims to help LGBTQIA+ civil society professionals connect with and support each other
An organisation that champions LGBTQIA+ voices from across civil society has gained charitable status.
Proud Changemakers, which was launched in June 2023 by a group of LGBTQIA+ professionals from civil society, has been registered by the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
The CIO was set up by volunteers to help LGBTQIA+ charity professionals connect and support each other.
Its work includes a podcast that highlights LGBTQIA+ voices, campaigning for societal change and challenging discrimination.
Proud Changemakers said that in the past two years, the organisation had “gone from strength to strength”, having last year mobilised its volunteer base to create a senior leadership team and develop a strategic plan.
The CIO, which recorded an income of £2,100 last year, remains volunteer-led, with five people in its senior leadership team alongside five other volunteers.
The organisation also appointed a cohort of four trustees in November, including its new chair, Heather Paterson.
Paterson has more than 20 years of experience working with LGBTQIA+ communities and is currently the head of partnerships and development for the membership charity Consortium, which supports LGBT+ organisations.
Proud Changemakers said the milestone of registered charity status “marks a significant step in the organisation’s journey and provides it with the foundation necessary to expand its work, positive impact and build on its commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, visibility and empowerment”.
Luca Straker, chief executive and co-founder of Proud Changemakers, said: “Registering as a CIO gives us the structure and recognition we need to grow sustainably, secure funding and continue supporting creative, educational and archival projects that celebrate LGBTQIA+ lives past and present.”
Straker said that since the majority of charities are small or medium-sized, they might not have the resources of a larger charity to run an LGBTQIA+ staff network or put on Pride events.
“So we can often feel isolated and restricted by heteronormative working environments. This ultimately can prevent people from fulfilling their potential and flourishing at work.
“Our aim is to offer a space for people like that to connect, learn and celebrate one another – while also putting the diverse stories of LGBTQIA+ people into mainstream conversations so we can all broaden our knowledge and understanding.”
The CIO said its registration comes at a “significant time” for the LGBTQIA+ community and for the charity sector itself, due to growing negativity in mainstream media and society as well as reduced funding available for organisations.
Straker, who is also campaigns manager for the road safety charity Brake, said: “We hope that the news of our formal registration offers reassurance to the LGBTQIA+ community that work to amplify our voices and increase our visibility is still happening.
“Our LGBTQIA+ communities are historically resilient, creative, empathetic and driven. Despite the challenges we continue to face, we will prioritise our mission and drive positive change – exactly as the changemakers that came before us did.”
Proud Changemakers will soon invite individuals to become members of the organisation, with membership being open to anyone who shares its vision, values and code of conduct, including being trans, intersex and asexual inclusive.
The CIO will also begin offering webinars and events about making charities or community groups more inclusive to LGBTQIA+ people.
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