Consultant(s) to create a communications strategy

Are you ready to help shape the future of communication for one of the leading voices advocating for LGBTI rights in Europe and Central Asia?

About ILGA-Europe

ILGA-Europe is the European and Central Asian Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association (ILGA). As a driving force for political, legal and social change, ILGA-Europe are a membership-based organisation bringing together over 750 organisations from 50+ European and Central Asian countries, making it an excellent platform for joint advocacy and movement development. As part of its mandate ILGA-Europe both advocates for human rights and equality for LGBTI people in Europe and Central Asia; and strengthens the LGBTI movement across the region through resourcing, strategising, and knowledge-building work.

About this consultancy

At the heart of ILGA-Europe’s work lies a commitment to strengthening the LGBTI movement across Europe and Central Asia by serving as a convener, resource, and catalyst for collective action and diversity. The new communications strategy must reflect this movement-building role, embedding it into how we communicate and engage with our diverse audiences. It will ensure that ILGA-Europe’s communications consistently amplify our own role and the voices, stories, strategies, and calls to action of the movement in its diversity, while also supporting the alignment and visibility of shared values, strategies, and goals across contexts.

Throughout our work, we focus on shaping narratives that welcome nuance over populism. However we are doing so in an increasingly polarised world, where we are all increasingly exposed to different viewpoints and sources of information, and it is becoming more difficult to determine which sources are reliable, which channels are more effective and which formats are the best for our audiences. Changes in the landscape of digital media have intensified the spread of misinformation, the erosion of trust in traditional institutions to provide accurate information, and the rise of far-right forces who increasingly instrumentalise LGBTI people and lives as a scapegoat for the ills of society, and seek to legislate accordingly. Within the communications landscape there are many competing voices who seek to own narratives, using populist messaging that does not align with the wider work and goals of the LGBTI movement, or properly take into account the specific complexities involved in national and international contexts.

It is within this changed and rapidly evolving landscape that ILGA-Europe (IE) are looking for a communications consultancy to create a three-year (2026-2029) holistic strategic communications plan. The strategy will be in line with the objectives outlined in IE’s mission statement and the current Strategic Framework (2024-2029), including to:

  • Ensure coverage of LGBTI issues by media outlets is inclusive and diverse, based on accurate information and contributes to constructive and respectful public conversations.
  • Ensure respectful, inclusive and supportive narratives and discourse by political actors and opinion leaders are amplified, while a wide range of actors in society stand up to prevent and challenge hateful speech.
  • Ensure allies and supporters are equipped to navigate the public discussions in a way that builds bridges rather than further polarises and divides.
  • Ensure European institutions continue to advance the recognition and protection of LGBTI human rights through their laws, policies and practices, and that political support for LGBTI human rights and equality is strong and growing at European level and among national governments.
  • Empower LGBTI organisations and groups, and their allies, to advocate for the effective enjoyment of human rights by everyone irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics, and to advocate for full LGBTI equality and inclusion in all aspects of society, paying particular attention to those who are marginalised and under-represented people within the LGBTI communities.

The audiences with whom ILGA-Europe needs to communicate in order to achieve its objectives are:

  • The LGBTI activist movement in Europe and Central Asia
  • IE members
  • Partners & Allies
  • Potential activists/ social justice aware/engaged people
  • Officials, politicians and policy makers in the EU, Council of Europe.
  • National officials, politicians and policy makers
  • Donors, supporters and sponsors
  • European, international and national (in Europe and Central Asia) media outlets and news agencies and LGBTI-led media

Within the current and evolving political and communications landscape, and our role as a convener and resource for the movement, the Strategic Communications Plan 2026-2029 will have the following core objectives:

  1. To support our mission by expanding the reach and impact of our work and information about our work to relevant audiences.
  2. To establish and embed our value with stakeholders.
  3. To impact the views of the “public opinion”, build and shift narratives as we see it necessary.

The goals of this strategy will be:

  • Increase visibility and recognition: Solidify our image and positionality as a key player in growing and elevating the LGBTI movement, while further strengthening our credibility as the leading European NGO working for the rights of LGBTI people. Clearly articulate and communicate ILGA-Europe’s role as a driving force behind the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia. Ensure that our communications reflect our commitment to and role in movement-building, coalition-building, and supporting subregional, national and grassroots efforts across Europe and Central Asia over years.
  • Strengthen perception as a thought leader: Position ILGA-Europe as a dynamic and innovative voice in the LGBTI movement by showcasing cutting-edge knowledge that we bring to the movement, analysis, and forward-thinking approaches to movement strategies and advocacy.
  • Shape movement informed narratives: Take an instrumental role in developing new, inclusive narratives alongside the movement, fostering a collective vision that drives deep-rooted change.
  • Increase understanding of intersectional discrimination: Elevate awareness around issues of discrimination not only based on sexual orientation and gender identity but also on other intersecting identities (e.g., race, disability, class, migration status), making it clear how these factors affect LGBTI communities and movement priorities.
  • Engage new and diverse audiences: Develop communication tools and strategies that make our work, especially movement-related initiatives, accessible and engaging to a broad range of audiences, including younger activists, community organisers, and underrepresented groups within the LGBTI community.
  • Amplify our voice in the media: Assert our perspective in traditional media outlets, grounded in the lived realities and systemic challenges faced by the LGBTI community, aiming to foster informed discourse and meaningful policy change.
  • Maximise social media effectiveness: Strategically leverage social media platforms (and emerging ones) to communicate our movement-building activities, connect with grassroots organisations, and create a sense of community among activists and supporters.
  • Promote movement alignment within human rights discourse: Increase the visibility and understanding of LGBTI issues as integral to broader human rights and democracy frameworks, positioning ILGA-Europe at the intersection of these movements. Support a narrative that links LGBTI equality with social justice, democratic freedoms, and civil rights movements. Highlight our movement-building efforts in narratives that connect LGBTI rights to wider human rights and democracy discourses.
  • Deepen partnerships and alliances: Strengthen relationships with other human rights and social justice organisations by emphasising solidarity, intersectionality, and mutual support. Use our communications to highlight collaborative efforts and joint movement strategies that uplift multiple marginalised communities.
  • Equip policymakers with compelling data and stories: Not only provide European and national legislators, decision-makers, and policymakers with data on discrimination but also humanise our communications with stories from the movement, emphasising the work and experience of LGBTI organisations across Europe and Central Asia and the movement-driven nature of our advocacy.

Responsibilities of the consultant(s)

In a broad outline of the process, the consultants will undertake:

  • Defining the project scope and process: Host a session with internal stakeholders to define the scope of the work and the process by which it will be completed.
  • Movement-building analysis: Assess how well our current communications highlight our role in building and sustaining the LGBTI movement across Europe. Evaluate how our work with grassroots organisations, activists, and allies is communicated, and identify gaps in visibility or perception.
  • Analysis of narrative framing around movement leadership: Analyse the messaging we use to present ourselves as a thought leader and innovator in the LGBTI movement. How can we better frame our leadership role within a broader social movement context?
  • Evaluation of engagement through social media and digital platforms: Evaluate how effectively our social media and digital platforms connect us to movement actors, activists, politicians and supporters. Explore opportunities for creating a sense of solidarity and shared purpose within our online communities.
  • Evaluation of audience perceptions of ILGA-Europe’s role in movement-building: Examine how our target audiences—activists, grassroots organisations, policymakers, and the public—perceive our role in the LGBTI movement. Are we seen as a key movement driver? Where can we enhance this perception?
  • Media engagement strategy for movement amplification: Analyse our relationships with media outlets across sectors and identify opportunities to increase coverage of our movement-related work, such as coalition-building, grassroots support, and intersectional activism.
  • Analysis of team role divisions: Assess the effectiveness of the communications team and their work flows and cohesion with the other teams.

On the basis of this analysis, the consultants will:

Create a three-year strategic communications plan for IE which will include:

  • Movement-centred communications strategy: A clear plan that positions ILGA-Europe not only as a leading NGO but as a core movement-based organisation driving systemic change. This strategy will outline how we can better communicate our movement-building work to diverse audiences and across multiple platforms.
  • Development of current IE platforms: Identify how to further enhance the ILGA-Europe websites to build a regular audience (https://ilga-europe.org/, https://rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org/, and https://hub.ilga-europe.org/themes/)
  • Tactical use of new platforms for movement visibility: Identify emerging digital and social media platforms that can help us connect with activists, grassroots organisations, and broader audiences to build movement solidarity and visibility.
  • Engagement with grassroots and emerging voices: Develop approaches to engage and amplify the voices of grassroots activists, community leaders, and underrepresented LGBTI groups, making our communications more inclusive, representative, and empowering.
  • Humanising advocacy through stories of movement action: A clear plan for incorporating more personal stories of activism and movement-building into our communications. These narratives should reflect the struggles and successes of the LGBTI movement and communities across Europe and Central Asia and demonstrate ILGA-Europe’s role in empowering those efforts.
  • SMART goals for movement-building impact: Set out clear timing with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals related to increasing visibility, recognition, and perception of ILGA-Europe as a dynamic movement-building organisation.
  • Adaptable longer-term framework: Establish a replicable and adaptable framework for communications planning that can be updated and utilised for future strategic cycles, ensuring long-term consistency and effectiveness.

Timeline

Work on the strategy will begin on March 3, 2025 for delivery in September 2025.

Applications

  1. A written offer of no more than 5 pages, including:
  • Your vision for this consultancy
  • How your mission aligns with human rights and social justice causes
  • Experience and track record of similar work with organisations of a similar profile (please provide names of past clients + at least two reference contacts)
  • Experience of designing strategies in an international and politically sensitive environment, with multiple stakeholders
  • Describe approach to analysis, including methods for data collections and data analysis and interpretation
  • Examples of past work shaping strategies that are in line with the core goals of this call
  • Timeline and involvement of different parties
  • Detailed breakdown of costs including time/effort dedicated to each element of the proposal, and daily/hourly rates applied
  1. Budget offer

Estimated between 25,000 and 40,000 Euro. There will be a competitive procurement process that compares the offers based on several criteria mentioned above, as well as cost effectiveness.

Please note that due to ILGA-Europe’s Belgian VAT status, if a provider is not liable for VAT in the country of their operations, applies a reverse charge or is otherwise exempt, ILGA-Europe is required to pay VAT at the rate of 21% from the invoiced sum to the Belgian VAT office. In your offer please mention specifically your net rate and VAT rate you would be applying. 

Terms of payment (instalments) and time of payment will be discussed prior to signing the service contract.

Submit offers

Applications should be sent by January 25, 2025 (23:59 PM CET).

Send your application to: Brian Finnegan, Communications Director, ILGA-Europe

brian@ilga-europe.org

Terms of reference in PDFDownload

The visual art that is used on our communications about this call is created by DARNStudio for Fine Acts x OBI. We made changes to the original artwork.