Organizational Capacity
Capital City Pride is a subsidiary of the Rainbow Community Center, a federally designated non-profit organization based in the greater Olympia area. Since 1991, our mission is to host the annual June Pride Day Festival that draws nearly 15,000 people from the region for the Pride Parade and the Pride Festival in Sylvester Park. Capital City Pride is registered as a Washington State non-profit corporation and holds a combined State and City of Olympia business license. Capital City Pride is a proud member of Interpride, the international association of Pride Organizers across the globe.
Non-Discrimination
Capital City Pride is committed to promoting diversity through it’s operations to ensure full community representation in all activities. Capital City Pride does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, real or perceived sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, age, familial or marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status.
Community Impact
According to Interpride, the international association of Pride Festival organizers across the globe, Pride Festivals reach an estimated six million GLBT and allied people, more than any other GLBT non-profit organizational activity.
Locally, the annual Capital City Pride Festival and Parade is the singular event that touches the most GLBT and allied people throughout the greater Thurston County region. On an organizational level, this impact is key for dozens of GLBT and allied non-profit groups for whom Pride is the single most prominent outreach event in their calendar. On a personal level, the impact of Pride is one of the most significant GLBT-positive events in the year, for some in their lifetime.
Organizational Culture
Capital City Pride is a team-managed community event committee that relies primarily on volunteers with a few paid short-term contracts and other contracted services. All major decisions are made by majority rule by the general committee or by majority rule in the executive committee and reported out to the general committee. All efforts will be made to achieve consensus. Officers of the Capital City Pride will be elected by majority rule each fall to serve through the 12 month period concluding in the following year. Volunteers will be solicited through the website, events and word of mouth. Candidates wishing to serve in a management capacity can either be nominated by existing committee members or may self-nominate themselves. Capital City Pride strives to be inclusive of the full breadth of community involvement – please join us!
Pride committee meetings will be held the third Wednesday of each month at 6 pm in the lobby of the Olympian Hotel, located at 116 Legion Way East. Agendas will be posted on this website.