Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues (FLGI) wanted to hold a National Retreat on Racial Equity for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) for grantmakers from around the country.  Given the participants and topic, they knew they needed an external facilitator who not only could effectively get people to talk to each other, but also understood the foundation world and what racial equity in a LGBTQ context meant.  So FLGI sought out MAG.
 
"MAG understood that while we were all foundation people who funded LGBTQ issues, we didn't know each other well and didn't have a sense of being a part of the same group," says Ellen Gurzinsky, Program Director at FLGI.  "They understood the different personalities in the room and, through a comprehensive interview process before the retreat,  were able to come up with a lively and informative agenda .  Also, their understanding of structural racism and queer issues was great – and their ability to develop a framework for understanding structural racism with a queer lens was crucial.  Many facilitators don't go that far in terms of content."
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The primary goals of the retreat were to identify barriers, opportunities, and avenues for supporting LGBTQ people of color organizations, to build a stronger LGBTQ grantmaking sector and to create a spirit of bridge building, respect, creative inquiry, and thinking "big" and learning.  According to Gurzinsky, "People loved the facilitation, especially the balance between learning and talking with each other.  They found MAG's tool for assessing where foundations were on a continuum of racial equity work very helpful and provided practical concrete steps to increase their giving."  The participants also "loved the cultural sharing activity, where everyone brought an object representing their cultural/ethnic identity."
 
For Ellen, the two MAG consultants made the perfect team, bringing different strengths and experiences to the agenda and retreat.  While planning the agenda, "I found them to be responsive, available, and even willing to regularly talk at 7:30 am, because that was the best time."  Ellen found the amount of preparation put into the retreat, especially the research and its presentation, was evident in how knowledgeable they were.  At the retreat, "both consultants were flexible in customizing their approach by taking into account who was at the retreat."
 
As a result of the retreat, the grantmakers increased their understanding of racial equity in their work and in their organizations, made new commitments, and built relationships with each other.  The retreat set a positive tone and created an opening for FLGI to continue this important discussion.