In the face of the fast-changing coronavirus situation, the health and wellbeing of our staff, supporters and partners are our priority.
We want to limit our exposure to the virus and do what we can to slow its spread and avoid overwhelming the health system, so that it can best serve the most vulnerable.
We recognise that some in our LGBTQI community may be at higher risk, including those living with suppressed immune systems and other health conditions.
At GiveOut, as we adapt our plans and ways of working, we are taking the following measures effective immediately:
- The staff team is now working from home full-time, to help reduce exposure to the virus on public transport and in the office.
- We will participate in all meetings via telephone or video conferencing facilities.
- We have cancelled all our events, while exploring virtual alternatives.
- We have postponed all our international travel, including by those partners who were scheduled to visit us.
We have chosen to respond as constructively as we can to this unprecedented situation. We want to continue to engage and support our community worldwide, and to do so safely.
We will use the opportunity to innovate, in particular as we consider how we work together as a team, engage our supporters and support grant partners without needing to meet in person. This is a conversation that has already started in the context of the climate crisis.
Our supporters can expect more requests for virtual meetings, invitations to virtual events, updates to our website and more regular communications online.
We will check in with our partners more regularly, mindful that the pandemic will create particular challenges in their work. We will do as much as we can to support them.
And we have shifted our plans around, to focus in the coming months on consolidation, building the infrastructure around our fundraising and grant-making to support LGBTQI activism worldwide.
We will be getting ready to spring back even stronger than before, once the situation starts to improve.
In the meantime, we wish our supporters and partners the best of health and strength in these unprecedented times.