Use this link to share with your colleagues:
Maintaining a Gender-Inclusive Database: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/829720
When you collect information about your patrons, it's important to accommodate your transgender and nonbinary patrons--and these accommodations can make your cisgender patrons feel more comfortable as well! Take a few simple steps to ensure your database is gender-inclusive.
For more information on why gender-inclusive data is important, read this blog post by Senior Client Administrator Judith Shimer.
1. Don't collect gender data you don't need
If your organization currently asks or is thinking about asking patrons for their gender on web forms, make sure your staff are clear on why, and whether, this is necessary. Consider the following questions from the Human Rights Campaign:
- What is the business rationale for asking about gender on t
- hat particular form?
- How does asking for the data relate to your organization's overall diversity strategy?
- How will that data be used, protected and reported?
Sometimes gender data is used to inform choices that are actually separate from gender--for instance, what styles of t-shirt to order for an event (instead, ask your patrons whether they prefer fitted or non-fitted t-shirts!), what pronouns to use with patrons on the phone (instead, ask your patrons for their preferred pronouns!), or what salutation to use in mailings (we’ll get to salutations in a second). None of these require you to know a patron's gender identity, so if you determine that you do not actually need or use gender data, don't collect it!
2. If you do collect gender, provide more than two options
If your organization has a specific reason to collect gender data--for instance, digitizing actor resumes or making sure you’re showcasing the work of a diverse group of new playwrights--make sure your Gender field is not a picklist with only “Male” and “Female” values.
The most inclusive way to collect gender data is with a text field, so individuals don't have to select from choices that might not fit.
If you frequently need to summarize gender data, and your data set is large enough to be concerned about messy data (“female” vs. “Female” vs. “woman”, for instance), we recommend only using a picklist if you provide options for "Female", "Male", "Nonbinary", "Other", and "Prefer not to say", in conjunction with a write-in gender field for individuals who select "Other".
3. Let your patrons know why you are asking for their gender
Rather than asking for any demographic data without context, give your patrons some insight into why you would like this information. If the data is for research and marketing, you can stay simple: "We'd like to get to know you better!"
4. Provide space for patrons to specify their personal pronouns
Ensure a welcoming environment and build stronger relationships with your patrons by giving them space to (optionally, of course) help you know how to address them. Learn more and activate the Personal Pronouns feature in PatronManager here. Note that this feature is not intended for capturing reportable demographic data. If that is your goal, refer back to sections 1-3 above.
5. Keep salutations optional
Salutation is always optional on the Public Ticketing Site, and is optional by default on donation and signup forms--make sure it stays optional! Offering but not requiring a salutation accommodates both your patrons who feel special and respected when addressed with their salutation, and those who feel most respected without one. If a patron wants to be addressed with their salutation, they'll enter it; if they don't, they won't.
If you prefer to remove the Salutation field altogether, you can do that by checking the "Disable Salutations" field in PatronTicket Settings, and removing the field from your Donation Forms and Signup Forms.
6. Provide a gender-neutral salutation
"Mx." (pronounced "mix") is the most common gender-neutral salutation, widely used in the UK and gaining traction in other English-speaking countries. If you don't already offer "Mx." as a salutation, consider adding it! Click here for instructions on adding values to picklists in PatronManager.
7. Considerations for Formal Salutations and Address Names
Traditionally, Formal Salutations and Address Names include salutation--for example, Susan Johnson would have a Formal Salutation of "Ms. Johnson" and a Formal Address Name of "Ms. Susan Johnson."
If there are patrons in your database without salutations, it might be tempting to try to fill them in with something that seems appropriate--but adjusting the rules for Formal Salutations and Address Names is far more advisable than guessing.
When a patron hasn't selected a salutation, we recommend using first name for Informal Salutation, and first name + last name for all others--Formal Salutation, Informal Address Name, and Formal Address Name.
For Contact records, you can use automation to populate these fields differently depending on whether or not a salutation is present.
For example, if Susan Johnson entered "Ms." as her salutation when donating, her Formal Address Name will be "Ms. Johnson". If Micah Smith has never entered a salutation while purchasing tickets, donating, or signing up for emails, their Formal Address Name will be "Micah Smith."
For help with automation, visit the PatronManager Client Community and reach out in the Community Forum. Salesforce Help also provides comprehensive information and learning resources.
Automation assistance falls outside the scope of PatronManager Client Support.
