Skills Boost: Useful communications strategies for LGBTI groups: Take it to the next level

At this session, Simona Mursec from Ljubljana Pride (Slovenia) shared the experience of developing several separate communications strategies for different areas of work and updating them. 

We covered:

  • Does an organisation need more than one comms strategy, and what to do if the answer is yes? 
  • How did Ljubljana Pride approach this challenge, and what did they learn? 
  • Why update a comms strategy and how to do it in a smart way? 

You might want to check other comms resources by ILGA Europe: 

Do you struggle with some specific communications challenge, and do not know where to start? Reach out to us, we might be able to help! Contact svetlana@ilga-europe.org

Skills Boost: Get the most from digital ads

Digital consultant Jean O’Brien who specialises in nonprofits and activism covered:

  • Various channels for paid digital ads – what are their strengths and weaknesses and how to decide where to go.  
  • Focus on Meta ads (Facebook & Instagram): how they work, and how to get the best out of them.  
  • The best low-budget campaigns. What to do and where to start.   What are the zero budget options? 
  • What to do if your ads are constantly rejected (for example for being ‘political’).

You might want to check other comms resources by ILGA Europe: 

Do you struggle with some specific communications challenge, and do not know where to start? Reach out to us, we might be able to help! Contact svetlana@ilga-europe.org

Skills Boost: Useful communications strategies for LGBTI activists

We covered:

  • What is a communications strategy? (and how is it different from ‘strategic communications’?) What is the point of it?
  • What is the minimum that any communications strategy should cover, and what is the menu of options if one wants to be a bit more ambitious?
  • Hearing from two LGBTI organisations who have gone through a communications strategy process recently – and what they learned from their experience. Check the experience of the Newcomers project (Sweden) and Transakcija (Slovenia)! 

You might want to check other comms resources by ILGA Europe: 

Do you struggle with some specific communications challenge, and do not know where to start? Reach out to us, we might be able to help! Contact svetlana@ilga-europe.org

Skills Boost: How to avoid instrumentalisation and communicate without playing into polarisation?

All over Europe and Central Asia, LGBTI people are used by different political players to gain power. Our opponents create and feed harmful and dangerous narratives about us and our struggles. Is it possible to communicate with our target audiences without playing their rules and not feeding into their narratives?

To explore this topic, we invited three amazing activists to talk about their experiences. You can get the insights about the strategies used in Hungary, where Háttér Society used the so-called “anti-LGBT Referendum” to talk to their allies and in Spain, where La Intersession successfully campaigned for the rights of trans people and even prepared a guide: How we can change trans narratives collectively.

Speakers: 

  • Alberto Abellán, La intersección, Spain 
  • Javier Vaquero, La intersección, Spain 
  • Luca Dudits, Háttér Society, Hungary

Skills Boost: Media interview practice

Are you nervous about how to get your message across in TV interviews, or even whether you should accept the interview in the first place?

On September 5, 2023, we held a Skills Boost session specifically designed for LGBTI activists to prepare for and be more confident in their media appearances. This beginner-friendly session focuses on TV interviews (although most of the learning is suitable for other public spokesperson scenarios), with examples and testimonies from LGBTI activists. 

We covered: 

  • The strategy behind participating (or not) in TV interviews and preparing effective messaging.
  • Technical tips on different types of TV interviews (live, pre-recorded, studio, online, etc) and what you might need to do differently.
  • Dealing with difficult questions, and taking care of yourself/colleagues’ wellbeing.
  • Those who did the preparation assignment had chance to face a personalized practice interview in a follow-up session. 

You might want to check other comms resources by ILGA Europe: 

Do you struggle with some specific communications challenge, and do not know where to start? Reach out to us, we might be able to help! Contact svetlana@ilga-europe.org

Skills Boost: Data visualisation for LGBTI communication

In today’s visually-driven world, communicating with images is more important than ever. That’s why LGBTI activists are seeking ways to transform complex figures and dry data into visual representations that tell a captivating story.

To support them in their mission, in May 2023, we hosted a Skills Boost session focused on data visualisation. 

We covered: 

  • Where to get inspiration and how to find a story relevant to your work among the data? 
  • How ILGA-Europe approach data visualisation by example of  2023 Rainbow Map & Index. 
  • A step-by-step demonstration of how to create a graphic using the free design tool Canva.
  • Where to get templates? 

You might want to check other comms resources by ILGA Europe: 

Do you struggle with some specific communications challenge, and do not know where to start? Reach out to us, we might be able to help! Contact svetlana@ilga-europe.org

Skills boost: Effective fundraising campaigns in times of crisis

LGBTI organisations face a lack of resources, particularly funding that can be used for flexible needs. One of the ways to tackle this is to start (or to boost) your own fundraising campaign. At this Skills Boost session, ILGA-Europe’s Partnerships Manager, Anna Shepherd provided some tips and advice on where to start, and walked participants through good practices for effective fundraising campaigns targeted at individual donors. 

We covered: 

  • What are the first steps of individual donor fundraising? 
  • The power of the story you are telling. 
  • Clear and direct ask as the core.  
  • Testing messages. 

You might want to check other comms resources by ILGA Europe: 

Do you struggle with some specific communications challenge, and do not know where to start? Reach out to us, we might be able to help! Contact svetlana@ilga-europe.org

Our Latest Call for Project Applications: Video Explanations

What kinds of organisations can apply?

What do we mean when we say ‘racialised’?

What types of work can you apply for support for?

What happens when you are part of the programme?

Any more questions?

If you have any questions in the preparation of your project proposal please submit them via e-mail to grants@ilga-europe.org

We will answer all of your questions via e-mail and then publish answers on https://www.ilga-europe.org/news/no-one-left-behind/ on 27 February and on 23 March, in order to share the information among all applicants.

The closing deadline is 2 April 2023, Sunday, 23:59 CEST.

Watch: LGBTI rights in Europe & Central Asia in 2022

Watch the video!

In 2022, with the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world changed forever. Watch our seven-minute video to see how it all led to new developments for LGBTI communities across the year in the regions ILGA-Europe works with and for.

Be part of the change!

Donate whatever you can to ILGA-Europe now, so we can continue support the activism that’s so desperately needed at this time, to secure and fight against a the backlash on LGBTI rights in Europe and Central Asia!