As we buckle down in this second wave of the pandemic, things are, once again, hard all around. Most of our LGBTQ2S performers, artists, writers, crafters and tip/cash-based workers are heading into the holiday season with their incomes decimated and no hope for a change any time soon. Glad Day is also struggling under these new restrictions. So, from now until December 20th, we are running a special fundraising campaign.
THE GLAD DAY LIT HOLIDAY HELP FUNDRAISER
🌈Our goal is to raise $20,000!🌈
For this fundraiser, 50% of the funds will go LGBTQ2S people in need and 50% of the funds will go to Glad Day Bookshop to help cover some core costs until March 1, 2021.
Our summer patio and improved indoor bookstore was enough for us to tread water from June to September 2020. Now, with another dramatic cut to our revenue and reductions to the wage subsidy program, we are looking at significant shortfalls immediately and lasting until the spring.
WHO WILL BE HELPED? HOW MUCH WILL THEY GET?
☆ Like our previous fundraiser that sent emergency funds to people over 1,200 times, the money raised will go to LGBTQ2S performers, artists, writers, crafters and tip/cash-based worker (servers, house cleaners, sex workers, dancers, etc). A new application for people who are in need of funds is here: https://forms.gle/yGqbyS6JnyQGHmRw8
☆ We will send $200 to people who have children and $100 to people without children. This is not a lot of money, but this way we can bring some joy and relief to about 70 people who are facing a hard holiday season.
☆ Glad Day will also give every person who receives funds a $25 Glad Day gift card that can be used for food, drinks, crafts or books.
WHAT WILL THE MONEY FOR GLAD DAY BOOKSHOP BE USED FOR?
Luckily, Glad Day still has some revenue from online and curbside book sales, food delivery and pick-up. But, before COVID, we would make more in four hours at Drag Brunch than we are currently making in a week. The $10,000 for Glad Day Bookshop will be used to help us cover these three fixed costs for December, January and February:
☆ $800 - will go towards our rent (our rent is typically almost $18,000 a month)
☆ $800 - will go towards our insurance (this is less than 50% of our insurance cost)
☆ $1,700 - will go towards our staff (we have 14 employees)
That’s $3300 a month, for three months.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MORE THAN $20,000 IS RAISED?
If more than $20,000 is raised, the extra funds get split the way that all donations are now split:
☆ 30% - Paid work for LGBTQ2S artists and performers
☆ 10% - Swift grants to LGBTQ2S artists, performers and tip-based workers for food, medicine and housing
☆ 50% - Operating Glad Day Lit, which is mostly admin work to host events, fundraise and get artists paid
☆ 10% - Goes towards keeping Glad Day open while we are partially shut down
Information about this ongoing fundraising and support can be found at https://www.gladdaylit.ca/.
