Across the country, purse strings are tightening. Household budgets are being recalculated as gas prices continue to rise. 

As people try to lessen the strain of the shaky economy, charitable donations are often the first to slide down the list of priorities – and at great cost to the GLBT community.

As you can read in our top story “Economic Woes?” some local GLBT nonprofit groups are already feeling the brunt of our country’s recession. 

We talked to several of the larger GLBT groups – the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce; The Tennessee Equality Project; OutCentral; the Community Foundation’s Brooks Fund – and found that some were suffering quite a bit due to the economy and others continued to flourish. You’ll see some of those leaders quoted in the front page story. The Brooks Fund has had a great year raising funds – and so has the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce, which recently announced it was preparing to hire its first part-time employee.

A recent online poll conducted by O&AN showed that some 70 percent of our readers said their charitable giving was affected by the economy.

There are many nonprofit groups that exist to serve the GLBT community. They advocate for acceptance and recognition of Tennessee’s GLBT citizens. They fight for our equality and justice within the judicial system. They strive to break our community free from negative stereotypes. They educate about the importance of HIV education, testing and prevention. They help provide affordable HIV treatment.

These groups exist so that we can.

Just as we depend on these groups to help us move ahead toward equality and acceptance, they depend on us to help fund their efforts.
In tough economic times, we must realize that this is a precious, symbiotic relationship that the GLBT community cannot afford to be without.

We at O&AN encourage you to choose a nonprofit group to allot a portion of you budget toward. Even a small donation can help a group thrive. And perhaps at the same time, some of the groups suffering from the downturn may have to reevaluate their mission and strive to reach out to find ways they can better serve their donors.

We suspect that when you take a few minutes to recalculate your budget you’ll find there is plenty there for a good cause. And realize that donations of all sizes are appreciated and beneficial.

For the price of a dinner, a bottle of wine or a new DVD, you can help a nonprofit group continue to fight to make our world a better place for you.

Choose a group closest to your heart. Choose a group that needs the most help. Choose a group that has the most potential. However you decide to choose a group, you can help change the world.