Dear PFLAG Supporter,

As we get closer to summer and things are heating up, we’re doing a bit of Spring cleaning and ongoing updates to this newsletter. In upcoming editions of Leadership Learnings you’ll notice a couple of new sections. 

• New Today: Advocacy Corner where you can learn more about ongoing advocacy efforts and resources; while it won’t be in every edition, it’s a great place to read up on our most recent advocacy efforts. 
• COMING SOON: New and Updated resources. The team works constantly to update and create new resources, documents, and training materials for chapters. We’d like to make it easier for you to access these updated resources by highlighting them here. 

In this edition of Leadership Learnings you’ll find:

• Advocacy Corner
• NO June Urban Think Tank
• Have YOU placed your Pride Pack order yet? 
• Resilience Round Up: Intentional Communication

Advocacy Corner

The advocacy team has grown, adding Campaigns Manager Josie Mitz (she/her) to the PFLAG family. Josie comes to us from the world of electoral politics, working for the Arizona Democratic Party, Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona, and most recently helping elect Congresswoman Sarah McBride of Delaware. Her role will focus on creating robust advocacy campaigns, implementing a grassroots organizing approach to our advocacy, and providing training to help support the advocacy work of chapters nationwide. Outside of work, Josie enjoys taking walks with her dog, going to Phoenix Mercury games with her partner, and trying all of the best restaurants in Arizona. Please feel free to welcome her by emailing jmitz@pflag.org.

Now is the time for PFLAG members and supporters to get empowered and advocate for LGBTQ+ issues at the local, state, and federal levels. To make sure PFLAGers have all the tools they need to be effective advocates, PFLAG National has re-launched our video series, “Advocacy in 10 Minutes or Less”! Whether you’re advocating for the first time or bringing years of experience to the work, these short videos will help you become a stronger activist and advocate in your community. So far, we have created seven videos on a variety of advocacy topics. Whether you want more information about the legislative process, or how to schedule and successfully execute an in-person meeting with your elected officials, PFLAG’s advocacy team has got you covered. Don’t see a video presentation on a topic you’re interested in? Stay tuned: We’ll have additional video presentations added soon. You can also reach out to advocacy@pflag.org to suggest topics for us to consider. 

PFLAG National has also created short clips based on our “Advocacy in 10 Minutes or Less” videos for social media. We’ve seen great engagement with our clips about calling your legislator, writing your legislator, and more. If you do one thing today to boost PFLAG’s advocacy efforts, please follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky – and keep an eye out for new posts so you can share them to your networks!

NO June Urban Think Tank

We know how busy things get for chapter leaders in June, especially in urban areas where you may have tabling events every weekend! In order to best support your capacity, there will be no Urban Think Tank in June. Keep an eye out for the announcement for the August Urban Think Tank meeting.

June’s almost here: Have you placed your Pride Pack order yet?

Don't forget about the new PFLAG Chapter Leader-Only Swag Shop at chapterswag.pflag.org, where you can order your favorite event items in bulk at a much larger discount than our public-facing shop.

Plus we’re giving every chapter $200 to spend on the items of your choice PLUS 50% off anything else you spend over the $200, on all orders placed between now and June 30th. Please note: You must use the code on your order to receive the $200 off. If you forget, we can refund the order and reapply the $200, but your refund will have a deduction of 2.7% of the order plus .30, to cover the refund fee. Once you use that code it will NOT be usable again, and we are NOT tracking whatever is not spent, so you’ll want to spend it all!

Here’s how it works: 

1. For the $200 credit: You’ll use your unique PFLAG Chapter ID as your code at checkout. This ID number is commonly used when completing your PFLAG Annual Report and can be found in the Member Portal on your chapter’s “Details” page. Not sure where to find that? We’ve made a visual walkthrough for you or you can contact your Chapter Engagement staffer for support. 
   1. Once you locate your code, connect with your fellow chapter board members, visit the shop, make your decisions about what items you’d like, then place your order using your PFLAG Chapter ID to get that $200 off.
2. For the 50% off: Use the code Pride2025. This code can be used on any additional orders between now and June 30th. This code CANNOT be applied to the initial order using your $200 credit. 
3. You can only use ONE code per order. Not ready to spend your full $200 yet? Consider getting yourself started with a few bulk items at 50% off, then come back to make your big order with that $200 credit.
4. When you place ANY order, tell us in the section called “Leave a Note With Your Order” your chapter name and when your soonest event is; our team will do its best to prioritize events that are earlier (for example, our Florida chapters who celebrate Pride in March!).

Both codes expire on June 30, 2025, so if you have Pride events later in the year please order ahead of time to take advantage of these discounts. Shipping times might be slightly longer given the anticipated volume of orders, so please plan in advance as it may take anywhere from 7-20 days from placing your order to delivery date. 

This chapter leader-only swag shop will be open all year round, and items there will continue to be offered in bulk and at a lower price than in our regular store. While the 50% off code will expire on June 30th, your “chapterleader” code giving you 15% off will work year round. Please note, however, that you can only use ONE code per order. Again: This shop is ONLY for PFLAG chapter leaders.

If you are experiencing issues with your code, the shop, or need assistance with your order, please contact the team at branding@pflag.org; someone will follow up with you within 48 hours.

Resilience Roundup

We know that times are stressful– not only are you gearing up for Pride and working to support communities in dire need of PFLAG right now, but you are doing so under an increasingly hostile administration and environment. It is important now more than ever to operate in a spirit of kindness and community care, making sure to extend your grace to not just your chapter members and community partners, but also to your fellow board members. Consider refreshing your memory on intentionality in communication and thinking before you speak so you are best prepared to work in conjunction with your fellow dedicated chapter leaders.

Stay safe,

Ruadhan Ward (They / Them)

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