eQuality Scholarship Collaborative
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How You Can Help

There are a number of ways you can help us honor these courageous young leaders for their service to the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender community:

  • Join the Collaborative
    Have your company, employee resource group, or nonprofit become a member of the Collaborative, or join as an individual. Companies and employee resource groups contribute at least $250 and have at least one representative serve on the Scholarship Committee. Organizational members are identified in all Collaborative materials.
  • Sponsor a Scholarship
    If you or your group, organization, or company donates $5500, we will award a scholarship in your name. You may specify additional eligibility requirements, such as geographical area or field of study.
  • Be a Star Supporter of the Awards Dinner
    Star Supporters contribute at least $250 to the Collaborative, are acknowledged in the dinner invitation or program and on this web site, and receive tickets for the dinner.
    Platinum Star - $6000, named scholarship, 10 tickets
    Gold Star - $3000, 10 tickets
    Silver Star - $1000, 4 tickets
    Bronze Star - $250, 2 tickets
  • Donate Raffle Items
    A raffle is held as part of the awards dinner. Donors of items and services are acknowledged in the program and on this web site.
  • Attend the Awards Dinner
    It’s always an inspiring evening hearing about the accomplishments of these outstanding students. Follow the link above for the latest information on the dinner.
  • Contribute
    Since the Collaborative is a volunteer-run organization, your contribution directly supports the scholarships. Because of the additional fee we are charged for credit card donations, we prefer donations by check, which should be made payable to GSA Network and mailed to P.O. Box 191311, San Francisco, CA 94119-1311. If you prefer to donate online, you can do so at www.gsanetwork.org/equalityscholarship
"I wanted to thank each and every one of you who is part of this committee and believed in me...I have always wondered if there was help out there...because where I come from, it's not well accepted...Now people from my community that are...GLBTQ...will see that there is help out there and people that care."

Jesus Juarez
2010 eQuality Scholar

Why should my employee resource group or company participate?

Here are just a few good reasons:

  1. Membership Engagement. The Collaborative offers a meaningful way for your ERG members to be involved in your ERG through community activity. The sense of satisfaction in helping to recognize eQuality scholars has kept members engaged for over 20 years.
  2. Community Service. The Collaborative offers your ERG or company an opportunity to participate in a project that directly benefits the community, supporting students who will be future leaders in both the LGBT and community at large.
  3. Corporate Identity. Even in challenging economic times, employees continue to emphasize the importance they place on the social image of the companies they work for. The Collaborative offers your ERG or company an opportunity to participate in a meaningful community activity in a noncontroversial yet high-profile manner. Education is an excellent vehicle to elevate the image of companies within the LGBT and local community that can be broadly supported. The Collaborative extends participating companies' brands to younger individuals and their communities, which benefits both marketing and recruiting.
  4. Networking. Membership in the Collaborative provides an excellent opportunity for your ERG members to interact with employees of the other Collaborative members, both corporate and nonprofit.
  5. Flexibility. The Collaborative offers your ERG or company many different ways to participate. If you have interested ERG members but not a lot of funding, membership in the Collaborative is a very affordable $250/year. If your organization would like to sponsor a scholarship but can't provide volunteers, you can sponsor and name a scholarship for each $5000 contribution. If your organization can't sponsor a scholarship but can purchase tickets to a fundraising event, there are multiple levels of Star Supporters for our Awards Dinner.
  6. Lasting Relationships. The Collaborative is focused on fostering ongoing relationships with member companies, with an interest in aligning our activities with organizational goals. This focus has kept member companies part of the Collaborative for decades.

Why is the Collaborative so efficient?

As a volunteer-led organization, the Collaborative's administrative costs are low, as shown in the pie charts below. By bringing together multiple organizations, the Collaborative is able to provide more scholarships than the individual organizations could while requiring less effort from any one organization.

Pie chart of revenues Pie chart of expenses

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at . Thanks for your support!

Updated: 23Sep2011