Survival to Strength: How Sacramento's LGBT Community Center Built a Lifeline for Thousands

David Heitstuman: [00:00:00] Sacramento Pride is, a lot of people think of it as a party or a big celebration, and the festival certainly has that festive, celebratory environment. It's also a place where a lot of young people, and older folks as well, really see themselves for the first time. They see a same-sex couple pushing a stroller and think, "Oh, I could have a family one day."

They see a gay realtor that's, like, talking about homeownership for them. They see young people that are, that are like them and their peers in the community and like, "Oh, there are other peop- I am not alone in the world."

Jeff Holden: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion are simple: to highlight the incredible nonprofits that make our communities stronger. Each episode is a chance for these organizations to tell their story in their words, sharing not just [00:01:00] what they do, but why it matters to the people they serve, to their supporters, and to all of us who believe in the power of community.

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This episode is powered by SMUD, Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Shine Awards [00:02:00] program benefiting nonprofits for energy efficiency. Apply today. For nearly 50 years, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center has been a place of support, advocacy, and belonging for thousands of people across our region.

But behind the events, programs, and visibility is an organization providing critical services every day, from youth homelessness and mental health support to workforce development, healthcare navigation, and public policy advocacy. In this episode, I have a conversation with CEO David Heitstuman to talk about the remarkable transformation of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center during his 15-year journey with the organization.

We discuss the center's growth from a struggling nonprofit with just one employee and $6,000 in the bank to a now multi-million dollar organization serving thousands throughout the region. David also shares the vision behind the center's landmark capital campaign, the challenges [00:03:00] facing LGBTQ organizations in today's funding environment, and why creating a community where all LGBTQ people can thrive remains more important than ever.

It's a candid conversation about leadership, resilience, advocacy, and the power of building something that lasts for generations David Heitstuman, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

David Heitstuman: Thank you so much. It's such a pleasure to be here with you. 

Jeff Holden: Well, I'm excited because we've been working on this for a while, and just through scheduling and coordination, it's, it's taken a bit of time.

But I'm really excited to have you here because there's so much that actually has changed in that orientation when we first started the conversation a year ago, and we'll get into that in just a second. But primarily, let's begin with the organization itself. You're not a young organization. You've been around for almost 50 years, and you have a variety of programs that you offer through the community center, the LGBT community center, [00:04:00] and you've got headings like health, wellness, advocacy, community building.

Can you highlight some of the most utilized programs and what they're about? 

David Heitstuman: Sure. The... Our mission at the center is to create a region where all LGBTQ people thrive. We do that by supporting health and wellness, advocating for equity and justice, and working to uplift a diverse and culturally rich LGBTQ community.

A lot of the direct services that we provide are in that health and wellness bucket, and they range from everything from youth services that look like our, our emergency shelter, transitional living program, our drop-in center for young people who are experiencing homelessness or mental health crises. We offer free counseling and support groups and mental health respite programs.

Certainly community resource navigation, people that are just looking for all kinds of affirming community resources and providers in the, in the region. Our economic justice program is geared toward finding folks, matching LGBTQ-affirming employers and job seekers. Hmm. So it's sort of a workforce development program, sexual health services for, [00:05:00] for S- HIV and STI testing, partner services, PrEP navigation, all the things that keep folks healthy in a sort of gender and sexual health respect.

So there's just a variety of, uh, direct service programs, and then certainly our advocacy work centers on both public policy initiatives here at the local level and at the state and national level with partners. We also do a lot of cultural humility training, so we're trying to create safer, more affirming and supportive environments in every workplace, in every healthcare environment, every school and law enforcement agency to try and really ensure that even if someone's not within our doors at the center, that as they go about their lives every day, they can do so in a way that really puts them on, on a pathway to be able to thrive and not just survive.

Jeff Holden: That's a huge spectrum of service to the community. I mean, that's, that's a lot of work for one, especially when you get into the advocacy side of it versus the actual direct service side of it. And you've been there now 11 years plus four years prior. 

David Heitstuman: Yeah, just about. So [00:06:00] I've been- So 16 almost? ... um, in total with the organization...

So I had been with the organization in total of 15 years. 15, okay. I came to the organization as a volunteer and board member. I was the board president for about five years while I was still working in the capital, and then became the CEO, uh, just about 10 years ago. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. A lot's changed. A lot. Our, our city has changed.

Our governmental status has changed. Our federal status has changed. What are some of the things that you've seen maybe specifically to Sacramento that you can highlight as you recognize them coming through the community center? 

David Heitstuman: Sure. The, I mean, the s- the center and the community and the city have evolved a, a great deal since I moved here in 2001.

Yeah. When I came to the organization, it was already 25 years old, but it was sort of always on and hand-to-mouth, kind of just barely surviving existence. We had about $6,000 in the bank and just one full-time employee, and they were expected to do all of the things for all of community- Hmm ... which was just never, ever going to work.

No. And, [00:07:00] and it was really evident in the way that we were operating. But the, I think the biggest change that's happened over this time is like there's the both an increase in visibility for LGBTQ people in popular culture, in research information about the disparities that we experience, um, certainly more, uh, support from elected officials and from, from our state in terms of both legal protections and allocation of resources to address those disparities.

So there's both this, this sort of parallel track where there is increased visibility, there's increased, like, political attention and power and advocacy and resources that have been available, and then the cen- the center, it really l- leaning into making sure that, that, that our elected leaders and folks in positions of power know that we are the closest ones to the problems that need to be addressed- Mm-hmm

and are uniquely positioned to help solve them. And so developing those partnerships to fund the, the needs that have always been there. 

Jeff Holden: That was beautifully said. [00:08:00] Tell me in terms of the programs themselves- Is there any one program or it may be a couple that you see the greatest demand through the center from the community on?

David Heitstuman: In terms of the greatest demand for programs and services at the center, I would say there's a, there's a couple of different things. Mm-hmm. One, there are some of our community building programs like Sacramento Pride or Q Prom or Chosen Family Feast that are open to everyone and are really geared toward building social connectedness in a way that maybe people don't need social services, but are still looking for that place of social connectedness, and they impact the largest number of people, right?

Tens of thousands of people come to Sacramento Pride. But they're not necessarily the folks who are most in need or most on the margins necessarily, although there are, there is a significant number of them who are seeing themselves for the first time at those events. Hmm. And then access resources from there.

So, uh, the things that we, that we see people coming through our doors most often are young people who are just coming out or are struggling with their mental health, with their [00:09:00] identity, maybe housing insecurity because their parents kicked them out of the house, a variety of different things. So these, there's young people in, and the youth services that we provide are probably the, the, the oldest and the most popular.

Jeff Holden: That's, that's a lot. Uh, we're gonna get into that with personnel and how that all works in terms of the organization itself. But before we get there, one of the things that's really important, we see it in so many organizations today, we see it as an expectation on grants today, is collaboration. And being a 50-year-old organization, I would imagine that you've built a plethora of relationships throughout the community.

What does collaboration look like for you guys? 

David Heitstuman: Sure. Collaboration is key to the success of any nonprofit organization, I think, but particularly for an LGBTQ organization because our population is as diverse as the region is as a whole. Age, demographics, geography, even specific needs. We need and w- all the same things that, that the rest of the population do, and we as an organization can't [00:10:00] provide everything.

So we wanna work with other youth housing providers, mental health service providers, certainly other LGBTQ centers in terms of advocacy work and learning about best practices and evidence-based programming that we- Mm-hmm ... can implement at the center. So we work with local school districts and healthcare providers that look like FQHCs, like the Sacramento Native American Health Center just across the parking lot from us, or One Community Health, to the larger institutions like Sutter Health.

On the advocacy front, Equality California and Centerlink. Certainly lots of business and philoth- philanthropic partners like Sutter Health, uh, The California Endowment, Sierra Health Foundation. And then l- just lo- local LGBTQ groups that don't necessarily have staff or space of their own but are bringing people together for that, that, that sort of social connectedness.

There are dozens of those in the region. So we wanna be able to provide space for them to help support the, their backend kind of needs and foster that community and culture, uh, for the LGBTQ community that really uplifts everyone. 

Jeff Holden: Again, I'm [00:11:00] amazed at the scope of service and the scope of connectivity.

Knowing it's necessary, but doing it is, it's a whole 'nother step. And you, you mentioned when you came in, the organization was really teetering on the edge. It was thin, didn't have much service provision capability, personnel. When you got there, if I'm not mistaken, it was just under a million dollars.

Today it's over $7 million operating budget. 

David Heitstuman: That's right. When I first came to the organization as a volunteer on the board, we had about a $260,000 budget. We had just the $6,000 in the bank. The organization really was on life support and challenged to as to whether or not we were gonna even be open two months from then when I came onto the board.

And over my first five years with the organization on the board, we grew the organization in a number of different ways, redeveloping everything kind of from the ground up, fundraising, program development, organizational infrastructure, and really building, rebuilding community trust to a [00:12:00] point where we had nine employees and about a little less than a million dollar budget, like you mentioned.

Mm-hmm. When I came on as CEO, when the board asked me to step in full-time, and since then we have had a budget high of about $7.3 million last year. That's 56 employees we had at, at our height, and just a huge breadth of services and connectivity amongst those services that's critical to making LGBTQ people be able to not just survive, but be able to thrive.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. First of all, congratulations 'cause that's an amazing run, and you're doing it now with the premise of a couple of other things taking place, a capital campaign for a building that you, you own. And tell us a little bit about where that's at 'cause we all know the, the building. Matter of fact, give me, give me the location for the benefit of the listener as well.

David Heitstuman: Sure. We have our Lavender Heights location, which is our headquarters, where the capital campaign is for at 1015 20th Street. It's right at the intersection of 20th and J Streets in the heart of Midtown, in the heart of the Lavender Heights district. Could not [00:13:00] be a more visible spot for us to, to have found a permanent location.

Jeff Holden: And, and the only building with pillars in the front of it, so it's, it stands out. It looks like a judicial, you know, precipice of some sort. 

David Heitstuman: It is certainly a landmark there in, in Midtown. We also have our South Sacramento Marsha P. Johnson Center and our two housing facilities. So when I came to the organization, we had this little yellow house across from the Mercantile Saloon.

It shook when the, when the rail- when the train cars came by, and rain came in through the, the roof onto the conference room table. And we rented that facility, and it was never gonna be adequate to be accessible and safe and, and you'd have the space that we needed to operate programs. So when we were able to purchase this building with the help of some assistance from, from a then council member, Steve Hansen, and the city to, to get a loan for the project, and then launch a six-and-a-half-million-dollar capital campaign to pay off the mortgage and renovate the building, it was transformative for the organization.

We didn't have any credit. We didn't have any money. We were tiny at the time. But when I first came into the organization as its CEO, and we had about a million-dollar budget, I, [00:14:00] I worked really hard to just write down the big vision of what, what the center could be and its potential. And then I, I used to have this Post-it Note up that just basically says, like, you know, "Figure out what you want, write that shit down, and work on it every effing day."

Yeah. And, and that's sort of what I did to, to get there, and it, it comes in the format of strategic plans and lots of, like, initiatives and whatnot. But certainly the capital campaign was key to creating a permanent home for the LGBTQ community and not sort of this nomadic life throughout the neighborhood where if we can't pay our rent, we get kicked out, and the whole cycle sort of starts all over again.

So that permanent home was really, really key. But at the same time, building the infrastructure of the organization and professionalizing our operations, our program development, data management, all the things that help make your organization sustainable and be able to, to grow and expand capacity over time.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. And operating an organization that was struggling in its [00:15:00] orientation. So over the course of this 11 years, what a transformation, what an amazing transformation in not only scope of service, but the facility and the ability to house those, those offices and people. How many of the programs actually take place in the, in the center, in the building?

David Heitstuman: Most of our programs and services operate out of the headquarters. Some of them also operate out of our South Sacramento location, with the exception of housing. So we, our shelter and our transitional living program are at their own facilities. Mm-hmm. We don't, we don't- no one sleeps overnight at the center- 

Jeff Holden: Right

David Heitstuman: in Midtown. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. And then as we're on the conversation of funding, you got through that capital campaign. We s- uh, understand there's still a few more things to, uh, to go, but But you have a variety of things, including some events, which I have to admit some of the names that you've had come up with for, for events like Mamas Making Bacon are, are pretty memorable.

And I like the catchy tune and the, and the things that you do because you do it almost with a, uh, you know, a lighthearted attitude and, and we're gonna have [00:16:00] some fun with whatever this is. We've also just seen an incredible Pride event down in the Capitol Mall, two days of events and activities and sessions and connectivity, but educational opportunities as well for people to understand what sort of services are available to them, what sort of organizations are available to them.

Tell me a little bit about what that all means to the community. 

David Heitstuman: Sure. Sacramento Pride is, uh, a lot of people think of it as a party or a big celebration, and the festival certainly has that festive, celebratory environment. It's also a place where a lot of young people and older folks as well really see themselves for the first time.

They see a same-sex couple pushing a stroller and think, "Oh, I could have a family one day." They see a gay realtor that's, like, talking about homeownership for them. They see young people that are, that are like them and their peers in the community and think, "Oh, there are other peop- I am not alone in the world.

In fact, there are thousands of people all around me [00:17:00] who are, who are joyous about this experience and their lives," and really opens their minds. As you mentioned, it, it, it also a- gives them access to nonprofit social services, to businesses and organizations in the community that support the LGBTQ community.

There's certainly a really big element of support for LGBTQ culture and artists that are performing at Pride. It's an economic engine for the region, so if you think about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that go into producing these events, which we do as, as a community engagement event. It's not a fundraiser for the center.

This is really a community engagement event that impacts the lives of thousands and thousands of people. 

Jeff Holden: And this takes place every June, so it's something you can anticipate. It's been going on for 12, 15, 20 years. 

David Heitstuman: Yeah. I mean, Pride actually predates the center, so it's more than 50 years old. Oh my 

Jeff Holden: gosh.

Okay. 

David Heitstuman: And it started out in a small, small, like, park setting, and, uh, original Pride, Pride events were, were protests against police violence and [00:18:00] discrimination and harassment, and they were protests that continue to live on in the Pride march that, that's part of the weekend. And then, of course, the celebration that we have is the largest celebration of advocacy and inclusion in the region, the most diverse, I would, I would bet, in the region, that brings people together of all walks of life for the weekend.

Jeff Holden: I, I love the fact that it has become what it is, and it's such a statement for our community and for the LGBT community and, and an acceptance of everything that's going on. And Sa- again, s- you look at Sacramento's change over the course of all these years, the fact that you now have the ability to aggregate and share all this information for everybody in the community.

And it's not just relegated to, you know, LGBT. It's, it's anybody that wants to come, and, uh, it's an event. It's a festival. It's an activity. It's, it's entertainment. And I think that's what Sacramento has become in so many ways, whatever that event [00:19:00] or that activity is. We are coming together in ways that maybe we didn't before.

And as the community grows, we see that influence, and we continue to do so We didn't get to the exercise of where you are today with the building. Mm-hmm. We know that you got the building, but I, I wanna go back to that funding just a little bit 'cause we're gonna ask a question in a minute that you stated, and I, and I love it because you manifested this thing yourself.

You saw that. You had the sticker up on your, on your desk where you, y- you're looking at that all day long. Now you've got the building. Actually, now you're not even in the building because you're renovating it, and you're, you're close. Tell me a little bit about where that all is. 

David Heitstuman: Sure. I mean, one of the first things I did when I came to the organization in the beginning is I learned from other larger centers across the country, and one of the things I saw in all of those organizations is that they owned their own buildings, which is kind of like homeownership as an individual.

It's an investment into the long-term, like, sustainability of your life. Right. And so [00:20:00] that was always a goal for me, for the organization to have a permanent home, knowing some of our own history of, of, of nomad life in, in the region. So yeah, we launched a capital campaign. We did raise more than $6 million in the capital campaign.

We're able to pay off the building, and most of the renovations were included in the capital campaign. But over these last five years, cost escalations, tariffs, the political environment has just, has made it so that we are also losing program funding. Mm. And so where our budget was $7.5 million last year, it's only $6.2 million this year, and we-- the costs for the project itself are higher than they were five years ago when we planned this.

So we are, um, raising $1.5 million in a renovation and resiliency campaign to help pay off the remaining portion of the renovations and to ensure that we have more-- a better ability to be more resilient as these big funding changes are happening from the federal government and, and offset some of the operating expenses of the, of those programs from the building and whatnot.

Jeff Holden: And it's sustainability [00:21:00] too. It's, it's a smart move. It's a good thing to do. 

David Heitstuman: For sure. I, I, you know, I, I cannot wait to c-c-cut the ribbon, um- Oh, I'm sure you can't ... and to celebrate with community a permanent home that community owns, that can never be taken away, that has space for expansion on the, in the parking lot, and is gonna be accessible and beautiful and functional and really represent everything that the community deserves and has deserved but has never, ever had in, in the organization's almost 50-year history.

Jeff Holden: Well, I can imagine just the excitement in the community because i-it is so visible. You can see progress, and people can see activity, and they're seeing this on a daily basis, probably asking you all the time, "David, when? When? When?" 

David Heitstuman: Well, we're just in the demolition phase, and we're getting into the construction phase here soon.

So from the outside, you see a construction fence in the parking lot. You haven't quite seen many outside changes yet. But believe me, I am one to, like, wanna sneak in and see- ... just the demolition. Like, 'cause I'm very excited about it as [00:22:00] this was a 10-year vision that is finally coming into reality. 

Jeff Holden: What a great feeling that's got to be.

You know, I, I can only imagine. It's, it's, it's home ownership for you. I mean, we tend to spend more time at our workplace than we do in our own personal homes, and I'll bet that is the case for you as well. 

David Heitstuman: It absolutely is. You know, I used to walk by this building for about 10 years w- before I even came to the center, and thought, "If I ever won the lottery, this is the building that I would buy for the center."

And I won't go into the whole story of how we got there, but it was very serendipitous that we ended up being able to purchase this building in the heart of Lavender Heights that is incredibly visible as a landmark. And I, yeah, I'm just very excited for, for it to be open to community later this fall.

Jeff Holden: So on that comment is the very next question. If there were a situation where a donor, a philanthropic entity says, "Hey, we like what you guys are doing. We like what the organization represents in the [00:23:00] community. We'll give you a blank check if you give us the right answer." Mm-hmm. Y- you've already taken some steps to that, that vision of what it looks like, but now that you've got the building under your belt, what does the big vision look like if it was an unlimited budget?

David Heitstuman: It's a great question 'cause there's an unlimited amount of need, I would say, for a community amount of burst really, right? So from my perspective, what I would do and what I would propose i- are things that are gonna be lasting forever. A wise, like, colleague of mine named Lori Jean once told me that the highest and best use of every new dollar isn't necessarily for more program.

It might be for the infrastructure of the organization or building something that's permanent. So I would say, like, investing in the long-term sust- sustainability and the resilience of the organization and the services that we provide. Probably we're not gonna end youth homelessness or HIV infections anytime soon, right?

So being able to pay off [00:24:00] the, the renovation, build a giant tower on the parking lot of... that could co-locate our shelter, our transitional living program, build, like, permanent supportive housing units and affordable housing units all there on site co-located where those services could be much more interoperable would be, would be really, really great.

And it's the sort of thing that's transformational for, for the next 50 generations- Mm-hmm ... you know, not just for today, and is adaptable to whatever the community might need in the future. Being able to kind of like endow or create a, a strategic reserve fund that we would be able to access in times like these when there is political pressure and coercion and grant cancellations and stuff for nothing that we did or any failure on our part, just that the political winds of, of the, the country are in such a place that LGBTQ folks are being discarded.

James Beckwith: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Let's take a quick break to recognize the support we get from those making this program possible, and return to [00:25:00] continue with David and the LGBT Community Center shortly. 

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When nonprofit organizations thrive, our community does too. By supporting the Nonprofit Podcast Network, Five Star Bank is amplifying the voices and meaningful impact of our nonprofit community. We're Five Star Bank, a trusted nonprofit partner. How can we help you? 

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I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment. In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission-aligned investment, and how to [00:27:00] implement alternate investments.

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Jeff Holden: Tell me a little bit... We would normally go straight to greatest need. But in terms of the funding, you know, a million dollars, yeah, it's a lot of money, but it's, as a percentage from seven to six, not, not too bad. What are you finding in terms of grant applications and funding opportunities? What is your pivot to maintain?[00:29:00] 

David Heitstuman: Uh, that's a great question. So The imperative... So our previous strategic plan was really focused on, on growth- Mm-hmm ... and expanding services and building all of the things that community were needed. We diversified our funding streams across, like, government grants, corporate and foundation grants, some event fundraising, earned revenue, all these different things that seemed like it would be long-term sustainable and- Right

and stable. And it largely has been. However, we, we couldn't have predicted the intensity of the current environment where not only are federal cuts impacting us directly, but the coercion of the federal government- Hmm ... against corporations and foundations and healthcare institutions and local governments where we won't give you money for this unless you do that.

Right. And, or if you do this and, and, and serve trans people, then we will not give you- Slap your hand. We're not giving you funds ... any money for X, Y, and Z. Or if you, you know, if you don't help us with immigration, we're not giving you any money for public safety. [00:30:00] And the pre-compliance that I'm seeing with institutions and organizations, um, is really frustrating.

So we've moved from this place where we were very rapidly growing, had a lot of support from a bunch of different places, to an environment where grants are much more competitive. We may not even be eligible because we can't take LGBTQ or equity and inclusion out of our name and mission. Your, it's your essence, yes.

This is who we are, and so yeah, the grants that we are eligible for are much more competitive. Organizations are making different choices about what they fund. They are deciding out of fear not to fund LGBTQ things or be associated with LGBTQ things. Like this is Pride Month, and I bet you see a lot less corporate visibility of, uh, around Pride-related things.

Scrubbing things from websites and whatnot is really a big challenge, and it's, it's both impacts us directly that the services we're able to provide, and it makes it, makes community members feel, like, less welcome and safe in those places. And that sort of double [00:31:00] whammy has really inspired us as an organization to just double down on we're not going anywhere.

We are gonna be open and available and inclusive to community no matter what. And while our new strategic plan really was focused on internal organization resiliency, completing this pro- this capital project, and that was the right thing to do just organizationally in our organizational development when we passed it last fall, or I guess two years ago now.

Mm-hmm. But now the imperative is about the organization's survival and, and the survival of our core programs. So compliance and the operational efficiencies and all of those sort of system resiliencies that w- that we had planned to do 'cause they were the right thing to do, now they're critically necessary- Mm-hmm

in order to ensure our continued survival. 

Jeff Holden: That was a great answer because it really wasn't one that we had fully prepared and sent to you. But I think it's appropriate because we see this with so many organizations now in terms of the funding adjustments and the, you know, the pivot [00:32:00] necessary and what are we gonna do to maintain, sustain- survive.

And in some cases, we see an absorption of, of organizations. You're the large organization, and I would imagine that's probably gonna happen over the course of some time in the not too distant future where you have the ability to see others come in that bring revenue with them as well, but they integrate beautifully into programs that you probably have preexisting.

So I'm confident. I'm not worried about the LGBT Center. Yeah. Do you, you- Oh, 

David Heitstuman: I don't know about that. You pr- you probably should be a little. Th- nothing is guaranteed in this 

Jeff Holden: life. Yeah. Well, I'm actually, I'm glad that that is the next question. So, so let's go there. Let's-- It is what is the greatest need?

What do you see today as the greatest need? 

David Heitstuman: I think the-- A lot of folks in the community have seen this very rapid growth trajectory where we were getting a lot of funding, we were growing very rapidly, we bought this building, we did this capital campaign, and we were successful at all of that stuff.

SMUD: Mm-hmm. 

David Heitstuman: And that's awesome. But the reality of our situation today is that it's really hard that we're losing funding. We're unfortunately shrinking our staff and [00:33:00] our budget, and we need the support of individual donors and local businesses and local government because that's sort of the only place we can go.

If we can't get federal grants and large institutions are afraid to contribute to LG- LGBTQ organizations, then we're reliant on those people in our own community who continue to be supportive of what we're doing, but maybe have thought that we were doing what very well for the last few years and, um, are, are not quite-- ha- haven't quite realized the impact that it's having on our community and therefore the impact that it's gonna have on services we're able to provide.

I think that's the biggest challenge is just sort of reorienting folks understanding that just because we live in California, everything isn't rainbows and unicorns and cotton candy clouds, right? We are not protected in an impenetrable bubble here in California. The impacts of what's happening at the federal level are absolutely impacting people in our community and us as an organization.

Jeff Holden: And I appreciate you answering [00:34:00] it that way. I think it's important for people to understand there certainly is risk here and, and there is liability, and there is a funding need. So really, that greatest need is funding in general. It's, it's access to capital, access to, uh, to, to money that can help support, maintain, sustain the cause and the mission that's been going on for so long.

And j- just because we've seen this incredible trajectory of, you know, positivity and movement and growth and, you know, the, you know, the hockey stick curve, the building, you know, all of that, it's time for PAUSE to really recognize what's happening, and I think you stated that beautifully, so I'm glad you did.

Because, yeah, we don't wanna sugarcoat it. We don't wanna put a, you know, a really pretty bow on this thing when in reality, no, there are some challenges. And, and they do need to be addressed, and we need to really look into how is this going to happen going forward. 

David Heitstuman: For sure. I-- It's hard. It's harder than it's ever been in my 10 years as, in this, in this role, and I came into the role two months before Trump was [00:35:00] elected last time around.

Oh, geez. So I have some perspective on, on things- Mm-hmm ... which makes me really, really proud of the team that we have, uh, of professionals, talented individuals who show up every day to support our clients. And at the same time, they are experiencing the same kinds of fears and trepidation and experiences of discrimination or harassment and concerns that people that we serve are.

Because they also mostly identify as LGBTQ and, and have the same sort of experiences in life that we, that we want them to bring t- we want them to bring their whole authentic selves to work, but that means that they have to also reconcile what they, their own personal feelings with the needs that clients have every day.

Mm-hmm. So yeah, I just wanna say, like, I'm really proud of our team that continues to show up every day for community members and our elected infrastructure in California. We're very fortunate to have folks who, who have our back and are, are, are suing the Trump administration, are, are doing things to help protect LGBTQ folks in the, in the [00:36:00] region, so that's also really important.

I mean, we need people, yes, to help us with funding and donations. We also n- need folks to show up, to be, continue to be there in solidarity with us at events, at legislative hearings, a- as volunteers. Mm-hmm. Just to show up and, and, and demonstrate in real time in your physical presence with your time and your resources that you do support the community, whether you are an LGBTQ person or not.

Not just like things on social media or share something on your Instagram feed. The-- That's great. We-- Visibility is still matters and is really important, but showing up and investing things of yourself are also, uh, critically important to, to actually moving the needle. 

Jeff Holden: And, you know, we see that statement every June with the Pride event, the, you know, the significance of the community.

It is a significant community in every community of any city in any size to where- They have the capability to put on some sort of an [00:37:00] event, and it makes a statement. Let's take a minute now to change. We're gonna p- learn a little bit about David, and you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, especially today, as we've just heard, and things have changed.

There's... You've got the building, you've got the community, you've got the programs. It's hard to escape from that, but the reality is we're all human, and this is where we go a little bit beyond the mission and fire some questions at you for, for people to learn a little bit about you. You know, what, what, what's David like, David the person?

Clearly, you are passionate about the organization and the community and the environment in which you live, and, and I love that. But let's talk about the personal side of it. So favorite color? 

David Heitstuman: Blue. 

Jeff Holden: You're wearing a pink jacket- 

David Heitstuman: I know, I know ... with, with pink tennis shoes- And believe me, this is like- ... and I love it.

I love it ... the best $60 I ever spent. This, uh... Yeah, but navy blue is my, probably my favorite color. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. You're going on a [00:38:00] long drive. Is it a podcast, is it silence, or is it music? 

David Heitstuman: It's typically Capital Public Radio, to be honest, but it could be music. D- particularly like dance music. 

Jeff Holden: Awesome. First car? 

David Heitstuman: 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang.

Jeff Holden: The last guest we had, sitting in that chair, was a Mustang. 

David Heitstuman: Oh, yeah? 

Jeff Holden: It's, it's, it's funny that two people would have the same- ... the, the same vehicle. Yeah. How about, uh, favorite place to vacation? 

David Heitstuman: Favorite place to vacation. It's gotta be sunny and warm. I do not like the cold so much, so Puerto Vallarta is probably my favorite.

Jeff Holden: Awesome. What does exercise mean to you? And you look like you're in great shape, so I'm m- I'm curious. 

David Heitstuman: Great question. Um, exercise, so I, I work- I try to work out three or four or five times a week. It, it really varies. These jobs are very stressful and time-consuming, and so the consistency of your ability to have the time is hard.

But I've really tried to invest much, much more in my own health and wellness over the last couple of years, and so, yeah, I go l- weightlifting, a little bit of [00:39:00] cardio. 

Jeff Holden: Good for you. A- and I do wanna sidebar on that. It is, it's so critical for us to take care of ourselves first because it's mental wellbeing, and if you're not healthy, you can't think straight, and you recognize that.

What would people be surprised to learn about you that they maybe don't know? 

David Heitstuman: I am from a small farming town in Washington where cows outnumber the people like 100,000 to one. I, I think that, that I'm, I'm an urban dweller now. I'm a Californian now. I live downtown, and I absolutely love it. So I doubt that people would really imagine that I grew up in a small farming town in Washington.

Jeff Holden: Never in a million years. Never in a million years. Guilty pleasure. 

David Heitstuman: Guilty pleasure, television. It's one of the things, few things that turns my brain off from work, and I can just sort of let go and, and let my mind wander. 

Jeff Holden: And then if you weren't doing this work, what might you be doing? 

David Heitstuman: I don't actually know.

This wasn't on my career path or my bingo card in [00:40:00] any way. I had a 15-year career in politics in the Capitol and presidential campaigns and other sort of policy-related activities and communications. This happened because I was asked to come in full-time, and since I've done it, I haven't really thought about doing anything else.

I acknowledge that I'm not gonna be here forever and that I should probably invest some time in thinking about it. Um, but I don't, I don't know. I mean, my dream... I, I joke that my dream job is like trust fund baby, so I can like do what I want- ... without having to worry about money and be able to invest in organizations and invest my time where, where I want.

But if I wasn't doing this, I, I really don't know. I'm, I'm glad that you asked about the personal things though because I am a person, and these jobs are all-consuming. They're often very lonely as the CEO of an organization. You don't really have peers within your organization or sometimes even within your community- Mm-hmm

that can easily relate to you. Working in an LGBT organization is very different than other nonprofits. [00:41:00] So what, what else would I do? I don't know. That's something I really need to spend time thinking about. But right now, I'm just super proud of the work that I've been doing, and I've invested a lot of myself in it, and I absolutely love it.

A- 

Jeff Holden: and it shows. It, it clearly shows. For people who aren't watching, I'm, I'm sitting across from somebody who is effusive in their, their expression, and you can just see the, the pleasure you derive from what you do. And that's not everybody, and I think you can hear it too. It's, it's not everybody we get to see that has that same sense of extreme commitment, and it makes a difference.

It, it truly makes a difference. 

David Heitstuman: Well, thank you very much. I am passionate about it. The best thing about this job is not only do we help the people who are walking through our day-- uh, the door every day in desperation, today we can help them, but we're also working to change the systems and be an advocate to, to change the world that's created these problems in the first place.

Yeah. And that I love about the job and having a [00:42:00] really direct role in setting the vision and being able to actually interact with clients and staff members in a really diverse community is just... brings me a lot of joy. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and that's where that previous existence that you had, you know, at the capital and the political side of things really is beneficial to the advocacy of the organization as well.

You get it. And, you know, not everybody can balance both sides of that because they really haven't played in both sides, and you have. And 

David Heitstuman: that's- For sure. Our community, I mean, being an LGBTQ person in an LGBTQ organization is inherently political. The, the... There's probably few populations or organizations that, that have that level of engagement on, on, like, necessary policy things 'cause they're not just, like, policies that affect, like, I don't know, how fast you can go on the road or whatever.

It impacts in- Right ... people's individual lives and the investment of people who are our volunteers, and our staff members, and our board members, and donors, and the clients that we serve all sort of l- are within this very diverse pink LGBTQ [00:43:00] ecosystem. And therefore, there's a personal investment and personal interest in it that is both personal, professional, political, social, and it's inextricable from who we are.

Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: And I think extremely appreciated, you know, by the organization, by the community for, for what you've done to date, and have so much more in front of you to do yet. What's the best way for somebody who's interested in supporting the organization to either learn more, to contribute, to get involved?

David Heitstuman: Sure. The best way to really understand the scope of what we're doing and its impact is to come for a tour. You can come right now for the, to the temporary location, but certainly when we reopen the, the center in Midtown, is to come for a tour. People's minds are really blown when w- they go on a tour and see and hear about the scope of what we're doing now.

They have this idea about the little yellow clubhouse, and that's just not who we are anymore. Then I would say, like, going to our website, sacramentopride.org for Pride or saccenter.org for the center. Mm-hmm. Our social media feeds are [00:44:00] @sacLGBTcenter. Coming to events, like I mentioned earlier, whether it's Pride or Chosen Family Feast or getting involved with Q Prom are all super important.

But I also think in- investing in the organization as a volunteer, offering professional services, becoming a donor, and see how that feels and, and the, what that experience is like, and see if you learn something and if you wanna get even more involved from there. 

Jeff Holden: And we will put those, those handles in the show notes so it's easy for people.

They don't have to remember all those, those either acronyms or website URLs. We'll, we'll make it simple for them. David, what you and your team are doing, the commitment you've got to our LGBTQ community is, is is so prevalent and, and support for those in need of the many services you're providing, it speaks volumes for not only the organization's presence, but you personally because you are a part of it.

You are the front person for the organization, and it's well-recognized. [00:45:00] So congratulations to what you guys have done, what you've accomplished to where you are at this point in time. And when the dust settles, I, I do wanna come for a tour because I, I never have been either. Uh, which as we record this today in June of 2026, we expect that maybe by the end of the year you might have that ribbon cutting, you know.

David Heitstuman: Absolutely. We should be back- Open house ... in the building this fall. Uh-huh. 

Jeff Holden: Well, thank you for all you and your team do. 

David Heitstuman: Thank you very much. 

Jeff Holden: Now let's make something better. 

David Heitstuman: Wonderful. 

Jeff Holden: This episode has been powered by SMUD, Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Shine Awards program benefiting nonprofits for energy efficiency.

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