On your mark. Get set. Crowdfund! World OutGames Miami will launch a global crowdfunding campaign October 20, 2014, in anticipation of the sports, human rights and cultural events.
Revenue from the crowdfunding campaign will go towards establishing the World OutGames Miami Outreach Fund, a program to provide financial assistance to participants from around the world who may otherwise not have the financial resources to attend the Games. Additional funds generated from the campaign will support World OutGames Miami’s global outreach program to ensure LGBTQI and allied participants from the four corners of the globe are invited to Miami as well as provide operations funding to prepare for the event which is less than 1,000 days away.
The 60-day crowdfunding campaign will be hosted by Indiegogo, the first and largest global crowdfunding site, where donations can be made at (http://twistedmalemag.com/world-outgames-miami-announces-325000-in-grants-donations/).
The goal of the crowdfunding campaign is $200,000, said Bruce Townsend, chair of the World OutGames host committee, the Miami Beach-Miami Sports & Cultural League. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the donor’s local laws.
Donation levels range from Bronze at $25 to Champion’s Circle at $25,000. Donor benefits grow at each successive level and include receiving insider information on Games developments, invitations to events, all-inclusive VIP experiences, and even a meet-and-greet with the A-list headline entertainers who will perform at the Opening Ceremonies. All donor benefits, by level, are listed on the Indiegogo site.
The World OutGames are built around three components – a human rights conference, cultural activities and sporting events. World OutGames Miami will feature an international array of speakers during the three-day Human Rights Conference that will focus on issues pertinent to the global LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) community in 2017. The cultural component will feature LGBTQI bands and choruses as well as multiple, themed dances, Opening and Closing Ceremonies and a Women’s Village. The sporting component will include more than 30 sports. Expected attendance for the World OutGames Miami will be 40,000.
The Miami Beach-Miami Sports & Cultural League is the non-profit host organization for World OutGames Miami 2017. World OutGames is licensed by GLISA International (the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association) and takes place every four years in a different global city, with 2017 marking the first time that the Games will be held in the United States. Previous hosts have been Montreal, Copenhagen and Antwerp. World OutGames is open to all who wish to participate. For more information on World OutGames Miami 2017, visit www.facebook.com/OutGamesMiami.
World OutGames Miami 2017 is made possible with the support of the Florida Sports Foundation, Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau, City of Miami Beach, and Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority.