For Immediate Release
Jan. 3, 2007                                                              

WHITMAN-WALKER CLINIC INVITES WASHINGTON-AREA LGBT ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN IN PLANNING, PRODUCING CAPITAL PRIDE 2007

Local, Regional and National Groups Encouraged To Contribute Time, Talent, Funds To Support City’s Largest Festival

WASHINGTON - Whitman-Walker Clinic is inviting all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender non-profit organizations based in the Washington area to become directly involved in planning, producing and funding Capital Pride 2007.

“Capital Pride is our annual celebration of life, friendship, love and support within the Washington-area LGBT community” said Donald Blanchon, Whitman-Walker Clinic’s chief executive officer. “Capital Pride 2007 offers us a wonderful opportunity to bring together the best of what all of the LGBT organizations can offer in terms of time, talent and funds. We invite these local, regional and national organizations to partner with us in 2007 and thereby honor the true spirit of community that is Capital Pride.”         

Whitman-Walker Clinic has already committed $100,000 for Capital Pride 2007, including half the salaries of two staffers – the director of Capital Pride and a logistics coordinator.

“The remainder of the funds needed to present a top-notch pride need to come from community organizations, businesses and individual donors,” said ReGina Newkirk, the Clinic’s director of development.

Whitman-Walker Clinic, which has produced Capital Pride since 1997, has invited all area LGBT non-profit organizations to a meeting Jan. 9 to learn more about the plan.

“Whether you represent an organization of three people or a national group with hundreds of thousands of members, you are invited to become part of the Pride Planning Committee,” Newkirk said. “Any organization that contributes at least $1,000 will become a Community Partner and will receive benefits including entry in the Capital Pride parade, a booth at the Capital Pride street festival and promotion in all the marketing materials and ads. Community Partners will also be eligible to be repaid through corporate contributions to Capital Pride. Whitman-Walker Clinic will serve as the fiscal agent for pride but will no longer be sole presenter.”

Under the plan to be unveiled Jan. 9, the Pride Planning Committee would assist Whitman-Walker Clinic in more actively pursuing corporate sponsorship dollars for Capital Pride, which is the fourth-largest LGBT pride in the country. The committee would also examine additional revenue sources, such as merchandise, higher ticket prices, charging admission to the festival and creating a passport that would allow access to all events. Corporate sponsorship funds would be used to reimburse Community Partners according to whatever percentage of the total pride budget each contributed.

Community Partners would also have the opportunity to recoup a percentage of funds from the revenue earned during the actual event. And once all Community Partners have been repaid their initial investment, 50 percent of any extra event revenue will be invested in a 2008 Capital Pride fund to help finance the next year’s event, according to Newkirk.

“We think this is an exciting new way to produce Capital Pride and make it a diverse, inclusive and fun event for the entire LGBT community,” Newkirk said.

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