Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families and Friends

What Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families and Friends does

Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, founded in 1977 to support LGBTQIA+ individuals connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with their families, friends, and church leaders. The organization runs a global community of 30,000+ members across 30+ chapters in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Europe/Africa/Asia/Oceania, delivering peer-led support through in-person gatherings, affinity groups (e.g., Fathers in Affirmation, mixed-orientation marriages, BIPOC/PGM), and digital communities on Facebook and WhatsApp. Its programming includes an annual International Conference, the Connections Virtual Summit, the Rooted & Rising global virtual conference, live-streamed devotionals, the Affirmation Messenger e-newsletter, the Affirmation Blog ("Our Voices"), and trauma-informed mental health and suicide-prevention resources. Multilingual programming in English, Spanish, and Portuguese is delivered with simultaneous interpretation at major events.

The organization operates on a freemium nonprofit model: core community membership and resources are free, while sustainability is funded through individual donations (one-time, monthly recurring, annual), a tiered sustaining membership program (Bronze $10/month through Platinum $500/month or $600/year), conference registrations and sponsorships, merchandise sales, and planned giving via stock gifts, DAF grants, and workplace payroll contributions. The technology stack consists of standard off-the-shelf platforms—website (affirmation.org), social media across seven networks, Zoom for virtual events, and YouTube for livestreaming—with no proprietary software or AI/ML components disclosed.

Affirmation is governed by a Board of Directors under President Frederick Bowers, supported by a distributed leadership model with area coordinators for U.S./Canada, Europe/Africa/Asia/Oceania, and Latin America regions, plus a volunteer base of chapter leaders, moderators, and translators. The 30+ chapter network, 49-year operational history, and approaching 50th anniversary in 2027 represent its principal accumulated assets. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families and Friends

Legal name

Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends

Website

https://affirmation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that supports LGBTQIA+ Latter-day Saints and their families through 30+ community chapters across four continents, virtual and in-person conferences, and multilingual peer-led programming in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Support Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Community support services
• Peer support groups
• Faith-based community
• Mental health resources
• Nonprofit community organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City, Utah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization relies heavily on individual donations from supporters. Donations can be one-time, monthly recurring, or annual. Donors can give to general funds or designated funds including the Latin America Area Fund, Venezuela Earthquake Relief Campaign, and the Affirmation Together 2026 Conference fund. Monthly sustaining members receive tiered recognition (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum levels).
2. Membership Dues: Sustaining membership program with monthly or annual contributions. Tiers include Bronze ($10/month), Silver ($40/month), Gold ($50/month or $120/year), and Platinum ($500/month or $600/year). Membership provides ongoing support for the organization's operations and community programs.
3. Conference and Event Revenue: International conferences and regional events generate revenue through registration fees and sponsor support. The organization hosts the annual International Conference, Connections Virtual Summit, and Latin American regional congresses.
4. Merchandise Sales: The organization sells merchandise including the 'Love is the Greatest of All' t-shirt. Donors can receive merchandise in exchange for their contributions.
5. Stock and Asset Gifts: Accepts gifts of stock and other assets as part of planned giving options. Also accepts donor-advised fund (DAF) grants and workplace giving through payroll contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Affirmation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free peer-led community support, educational resources, mental health and suicide prevention programming, and global events for LGBTQIA+ individuals connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as their families, friends, and church leaders. Its core deliverables are 30+ local chapters and affinity-based belonging groups, the annual International Conference, the quarterly Connections Virtual Summit, the Rooted & Rising virtual conference, multilingual resources in English/Spanish/Portuguese, and the Affirmation Messenger e-newsletter and Our Voices blog.

Product overview

Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends operates as a global nonprofit community organization rather than a traditional software product company. The organization provides a suite of free community-focused services including peer-led support groups organized through local chapters and affinity groups, virtual and in-person events (International Conference, Connections Virtual Summit, Live Streams, Rooted & Rising conferences), digital communication via the Affirmation Messenger e-newsletter and blog, mental health and suicide prevention resources, and structured membership and donation programs. All services are provided free of charge to community members, with sustainability supported through a sustaining member program and donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affirmation Messenger E-Newsletter Affirmation's primary digital communication channel delivering community updates, chapter information, upcoming events, and engagement opportunities to subscribers worldwide.
• Local Chapters & Belonging Groups In-person and virtual peer-led support communities organized geographically across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Europe/Africa/Asia/Oceania, and through affinity-based groups for specific identities and experiences.
• International Conference Annual flagship in-person event bringing together LGBTQIA+ Latter-day Saints, families, and allies from around the world for connection, workshops, worship-adjacent spaces, and storytelling, with interpretation in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
• Rooted & Rising Virtual Conference Global virtual conference featuring keynote addresses, spotlight stories, interactive story circles, and gratitude rituals, replacing the annual in-person conference format with online accessibility and simultaneous interpretation.
• Connections Virtual Summit Quarterly virtual event designed to maintain connections with LGBTQIA+ Latter-day Saint community members worldwide who cannot attend in-person activities, first held April 23, 2022.
• Live Stream Events Real-time virtual gatherings and broadcasts of devotionals, panel discussions, and community events via Facebook Live and YouTube for remote participation.
• Affirmation Blog / Our Voices Digital publication platform featuring member stories, news, personal narratives, and educational content covering topics of faith journeys, mental health, coming out, mixed-orientation marriage, and intersectional experiences.
• Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Resources Trauma-informed mental health support resources including suicide prevention training for volunteer leaders, crisis intervention guidelines, and connections to culturally competent mental health professionals.
• Membership Program Structured sustaining membership with tiered monthly or annual donations (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) supporting the organization's operations and community programs.
• Donation Platform Online giving system supporting general operations, the annual conference, Latin America area activities, and specific campaigns such as the Venezuela earthquake relief fund, with options for one-time, monthly, and annual giving.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ community members supported annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project focuses on LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention, and is an active Affirmation partner. It overlaps with Affirmation's mental health and suicide prevention programming while serving a broader (non-faith-specific) LGBTQ+ audience at much larger scale.
• Family Acceptance Project: The Family Acceptance Project researches and supports family-based acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth across faith and cultural contexts, including Latter-day Saint families. Its family-allyship focus directly overlaps with Affirmation's Families & Friends segment.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Campaign: HRC is the largest U.S. LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization, operating at a much broader scale than Affirmation. It represents a broad incumbent that competes for the same donor dollars and policy attention, while Affirmation operates as a focused faith-tradition specialist.

Direct peers

• Reformation Project: Reformation Project advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion within conservative Christian traditions, including Mormonism. Its mission overlaps directly with Affirmation's faith-reconciliation work, making it a closely comparable advocacy-oriented peer.
• Reconciling Ministries Network: Reconciling Ministries Network organizes LGBTQ+ affirming United Methodist communities and congregations, using a chapter/affinity model that parallels Affirmation's local chapter structure. Both organizations sit at the intersection of a specific faith tradition and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
• Q Christian Fellowship: Q Christian Fellowship is an LGBTQ+ affirming Christian community serving evangelical, Pentecostal, and other Protestant traditions. It mirrors Affirmation's community-led chapter model and resource focus, serving a structurally similar intersection of faith tradition and LGBTQ+ identity.
• Integrity USA: Integrity USA is the leading LGBTQ+ affirming organization within the Episcopal Church, serving a structurally analogous role to Affirmation within the LDS tradition. Both are faith-specific LGBTQ+ advocacy and community organizations with decades of operating history and chapter-based models.
• Mama Dragons: Mama Dragons is a support community for mothers of LGBTQ+ children, with a strong LDS/mormon context — directly comparable to Affirmation's Families & Friends segment. Affirmation lists Mama Dragons as a partner, and the two organizations frequently refer members to one another across the LDS-LGBTQ+ intersection.
• More Light Presbyterians: More Light Presbyterians advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Presbyterian Church (USA), operating a comparable faith-tradition-specific LGBTQ+ advocacy and community model. Its chapter-based organizing and member-driven model parallels Affirmation's structure.
• North Star: North Star serves LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints and their families, operating as a directly comparable faith-affirming peer that Affirmation explicitly partners with. Both organizations address the same niche population at the intersection of LDS faith and LGBTQ+ identity, providing resources, community, and advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/affirmationLDS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeiX-456hwPhAogWuHnkyfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AffirmationLGBTMormonsFamiliesFriends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/affirmation-lgbtq-mormons
• Instagraminstagram.com/affirmation.lds
• Pinterestpinterest.com/AffirmationLDS
• TikToktiktok.com/@affirmation.lds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families and Friends