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As June approaches, so does the month-long annual Pride celebration. While some companies create rainbow-themed social media marketing campaigns to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important for businesses to move beyond surface-level allyship and take real action toward creating a more inclusive workplace environment and society.
Below, 17 Forbes Agency Council members discuss concrete steps businesses can take to promote true allyship during Pride Month and beyond. From internal initiatives to support and show appreciation for LGBTQ+ teammates to external communications and volunteer efforts, there are many appropriate and effective ways for a company to demonstrate and follow through on its commitments to being a true LGBTQ+ ally.
1. Create A Welcoming Space For Everyone
Companies should focus on creating an equally welcoming space for everyone, regardless of their background. This means increasing diversity within their ranks through finding diverse talent pools and committing themselves to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives tailored to each organization or company. - Joey Hodges, Demonstrate
2. Hire LGBTQ+ Leaders
Be authentic, and avoid being performative. Stating your support holds no merit. Instead, take the initiative to hire members of the community across the board, but specifically within leadership positions. Bringing in talent with new perspectives and experience adds diversity to your company’s culture and overall business approach. - Jeremy Fain, Cognitiv
3. Partner With LGBTQ+ Organizations
Partnering with and supporting LGBTQ+ organizations demonstrates a commitment to the community both internally and externally while providing resources and support to those in need. By actively engaging with and supporting LGBTQ+ causes, businesses can show their commitment to allyship and create a positive impact. - Robert Nikic, Why Unified
4. Celebrate Your Clients’ Support Of The Community
Be authentic! Pride Month is a time to celebrate what our clients have been doing all year to support the LGBTQ+ community. Partnering with organizations that make a difference in the community and celebrating their success is an authentic and impactful way to celebrate Pride Month, as is intentionally supporting the needs of LGBTQ+ staff. - Katie Schibler Conn, KSA Marketing
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5. Show Your Support Continually
Businesses can authentically promote Pride in many ways—by supporting LGBTQ+ causes with their money and by creating campaigns with actual members of those communities—but this can’t be a one-time thing or jumping on a bandwagon. It needs to be something the company supports internally and externally, and annually. - Kirsten Ludwig, IN GOOD CO
6. Spotlight Internal And External LGBTQ+ Stakeholders
This varies by business, but if a company has LGBTQ+ employees, customers or members, this is a great opportunity to put a spotlight on them and their relationship with the company to show how inclusive and welcoming it is. This is how to be truly authentic in promoting allyship. Also, if there is a cause that’s important to your internal and external LGBTQ+ stakeholders, host a campaign or event that can bring all the faces of your communities together. - Sharon Patterson, Into The Blue Agency
7. Create A Long-Term Plan And Measurable Goals
Create a long-term plan that includes measurable goals for both internal and external initiatives. For example, the company can establish an LGBTQ+ employee resource group to provide a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ employees. Externally, the company can develop marketing campaigns that feature LGBTQ+ individuals and highlight the company’s support for the community. - Jessica Kopach, The JKO Agency
8. Give Back Through Product-Related Charity Initiatives
Create rainbow products that give back to the LGBTQ+ community through charity initiatives. Make a commitment to a dedicated organization, and ensure that your support for the rainbow flag is long-standing and never a one-and-done activation. Your brand should have inclusive practices for all LGBTQ+ employees and ensure they align with external messages. - Christine Faulhaber, Faulhaber Communications
9. Showcase The Diversity Of Your C-Suite
Walk the walk; don’t simply talk the talk. Donate to an organization that is supporting the community. Showcase the diversity of your C-suite. Make sure to have uncomfortable conversations, because it’s the only way tomorrow becomes more comfortable. Don’t just post a typical social media post that week or month. And most importantly, keep the diversity effort moving forward every day onward. - Monica Alvarez-Mitchell, Pulse Creative, LLC
10. Make Consistent Efforts Year-Round
Be authentic and consistent. Don’t jump on the bandwagon to simply check a box. Instead, consistently honor your values and commitments every day for 12 months. Consumers and employees are watching year-round and looking for organizations that do well by doing right. Modifying your logo on social media and presentations for 30 days lacks authenticity and sophistication, and it misses the mark. - Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations
11. Actually Spend Money On LGBTQ+ Initiatives
Don't participate in Pride Month unless you are actually spending money on LGBTQ+ initiatives. Sponsor a local event, raise funds or donate products, and then and only then should you use rainbow marketing to participate within and promote a business. - Kelly Samuel, Snack Toronto
12. Raise Funds And Awareness For An LGBTQ+ Nonprofit
Align your business with an LGBTQ+ nonprofit and help raise funds and awareness. Not only can this help externally, but it can also make the LGBTQ+ community within your company feel seen and heard. If you have team members who are part of this community and are open to telling their stories, feature them in your social media updates. Offering this platform is a small, but important, gesture of support. - Bernard May, National Positions
13. Let Employees Lead Your Efforts
We have an employee-led diversity group. Rather than forcing performative outputs, we lean into how the group would like to channel our allyship efforts. This allows people who represent the queer community within the organization to have the loudest voice on what we do to support it. Empower your employees to lead activism efforts while providing them with the resources needed to take action. - Jeanette Palmer, NAIL Communications
14. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Put your money (or time) where your mouth is. Instead of just paying your social team an hourly wage to make rainbow-themed graphics and post them, put together a donation and send it off! Or, you can find out if any local nonprofits need volunteer help and use that as a team-bonding experience. Allyship is about action, not promotion. - Tellef Lundevall, Accelerated Digital Media
15. Create An Internship
Provide internship and mentoring opportunities to qualified LGBTQ+ candidates, with a clear and stated purpose of bringing LGBTQ+ perspectives, creativity (and, of course, fabulousness!) into your workplace. Then, don’t be shy about promoting it. - Eric Gutierrez, Hey
16. Make Diversity And Inclusion Core Values
One authentic way businesses can promote allyship is by embedding diversity and inclusion into their core values year-round. As a queer-owned company, we prioritize inclusivity, make our vision clear on our website and choose clients who share our values. Consistent support creates a positive impact for the LGBTQ+ community both internally and externally. - Boris Labourguigne, LEFT
17. Ask What’s Missing And Lean Into Learning More
Honestly, if your business is not strongly LGBTQ+-forward and -focused throughout the year, do not promote your “allyship” in June. This is a good time to ask why that’s missing and lean into learning more. Find ways to create partnerships with local organizations, dig into diversity, equity and inclusion, and let them guide you toward better inclusivity so that you can create impactful opportunities together. - Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH
