Thanks to the support of over 150 donors GeekGirlCon has met our match goal – and then some! Between August 25 and November 9, GGC raised over $21,000 towards this campaign. Funds came in from individual donations, donor advised funds, workplace gifts, the silent auction, and the at-con raffle.
Our board president, Hadeel Jeanne, will now have to undergo both a cold plunge and a hot wings challenge. We’ll post videos of both on GGC social media later this winter!
“As the President of the Board and someone who has been involved with GeekGirlCon since 2014, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has helped us save GeekGirlCon. This was truly a community effort, made during a time when we need our communities most. Every person who took the time to donate, share our message, and attend our convention played their own role in making sure that we could make it through these uncertain times, and provide that vital space for Geeks of all stripes. We could not have done this without you and from the bottom of my heart: thank you so much!” said board president Hadeel Jeanne.
The board would like to extend a special thank you to the group of anonymous donors who came together for the $11,000 match challenge.
We’d also like to recognize the following sponsors and grant makers for their support of GGC this year:
4Culture
Arts Fund Accelerator Grant
Charlie’s Queer Books
Costco
Gamers Engaged
Gibbs-Ruby Law
JKB Made For Me
Premack, Roger, Downs
Puget Sound Estate Law
Seattle Foundation
Shrimp Cult Press
Women of Wizards
In total, we were able to raise over $90,000 from donations, grants, and sponsorships this year, which has put GGC on much firmer financial footing for 2026 and beyond. Through all this support, we’re able to announce that GGC will return to the Seattle Convention Center October 24-25, 2026.
As we get ready to welcome our community to the Seattle Convention Center once again, we have some special treats to announce!
From Tuesday November 4 to Saturday November 8, GGC is running an online silent auction to support our continued fundraising and give our community some awesome geeky prizes! Featuring tickets to some of our favorite geeky venues, custom art, geek swag, and more, we have over two dozen custom packages for geeks of all stripes. We’d like to shout-out our fundraising team for their hard work securing donations and to all the local businesses and community members who generously offered their support, including but not limited to:
Seattle Arts & Lectures
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts
Tutta Bella
MoPOP Museum
Seattle Storm
Rat City Roller Derby
FRS Clipper
And more!
For those joining us in person November 8-9, you’ll have another opportunity to treat yourself, as we’ll be running a raffle during the convention. Tickets will be $1, and winners will receive fabulous prizes including Final Fantasy Commander decks, mystery plushies, or even 4 day badges for PAX West ‘26!
Raffle tickets will be available to purchase at both the info booth on the 1st floor and auction table next to Registration. Or keep an eye out for our roving raffle ticket volunteers! Raffle prizes will be held until GeekGirlCon closes on November 9th at 6:00 pm. You do not have to be present to win.
The GGC board and staff have been wonderfully overwhelmed at the support we’ve received this year, and we hope y’all enjoy browsing through the silent auction and bidding on your favorite items as well as participating in our GGC raffle. Every dollar gets us closer to being able to operate in 2026 and beyond!
Week 6 is already upon us! Did you know that we’re also 4 WEEKS AWAY FROM CON??? We’re so excited to be celebrating 15 years with you all and hopeful about the future of GGC!
We teased it and you’re curious about it: our next milestone celebration will be a cold plunge done by our president, Hadeel! GGC takes place during the bbrrrrrr months and meeting our 5.5k milestone will help us get ready for the cold of November. Our latest numbers are showing that we currently have $4,045 towards our goal! This means we just need $1,455 in order to have Hadeel go for a very cold swim.
But wait, there’s more! When we hit our 11k match goal, Hadeel graciously shared that she would take part in a hotwings challenge. Our marketing team is so excited about this challenge that we’ll be getting a fancy YouTube video out of it and memories we can share for the future of GGC.
Please keep spreading the love so we can see our president take on our milestone celebrations! You can help boost GGC and our match campaign by:
Sharing this blog post on social media.
Like, comment, and share GGC social media posts about the match campaign.
See if your company will match your donation to GGC!
If you’re interested in helping us reach our match goal, you can donate here between now and November 9th!
Thank you so much for continuing to support us into week five of our match campaign! Since we have crossed the $2,500 threshold, our president, Hadeel, had her little geek help us celebrate by pieing her in the face.
What is next on the docket when we cross the $5,500 threshold? Stay tuned!
Any and all support that you all provide has been getting us ever closer to our goal and to the convention returning next year! Though not directly tied to the match campaign, we wanted to highlight the 31 attendees who have graciously supported us through our supporter, innovator, and visionary tiers during pass sales! Thank you so much for your support and belief in us and our mission.
As always, there are other ways to help us meet our goals! You can help boost GGC and our match campaign by:
Sharing this blog post on social media.
Like, comment, and share GGC social media posts about the match campaign.
See if your company will match your donation to GGC!
If you’re interested in helping us reach our match goal, you can donate here between now and November 9th!
One of our biggest fundraising events of the year is upon us! Today, August 25th, we are launching our official match campaign. A few very generous donors have offered to match any donations we receive up to $11,000!
As you all may be aware, GeekGirlCon is among the many non-profits facing financial struggles right now. With our current deficit, we are unfortunately looking at the possibility that GGC might not return in 2026. To address this, we’ve been focusing our efforts on trying to make our convention the best it can be while implementing changes in order to make the convention sustainable to run this year and in years to come. Additionally, we’ve had our grants manager and many other staff pitching in trying to secure funding. If you’re interested in learning more about our financial situation, you can read more about it here.
In case you haven’t heard of a match campaign before, this is how it works:
For every dollar raised to help the convention, a donor will match that dollar up to our maximum match amount of $11,000. That’s a lot of dollars! With this campaign alone, we will be close to our individual funding goal of $25,000 that we set for 2025.
So what is going to happen with our match campaign?
The match campaign is going to run from August 25th until the end of GGC2025, on November 9th. Each week, we will be providing updates about how the match is progressing and how the money raised can be used to help fund a part of GGC that you know and love. Additionally, throughout the campaign, we’re going to have our president, Hadeel, completing fun challenges with each milestone reached.
If you would like to help us reach our match goal and get us closer to our individual funding goal, you can donate here between now and November 9th.
However, there are other ways to help! You can help boost GGC and our match campaign by:
Sharing this blog post on social media.
Like, comment, and share GGC social media posts about the match campaign.
Secret bonus idea: See if your company will match your donation to GGC!
We need your help to see that GeekGirlCon continues into 2026 and beyond. As we said back in May, with your support, we can keep the GeekGirlCon community strong and ensure it continues into the future. Thank you all for the support you’ve provided us in the past and into the future. GeekGirlCon is what it is because of you.
Things are difficult right now. With rising costs and calls for defunding organizations that support DEI efforts, GeekGirlCon has found itself in the same position as so many other amazing nonprofits.
GeekGirlCon made a return to in-person events in 2022 with the excitement of providing our community a physical space to gather in once again. However, the financial strain that comes with running a convention has made it increasingly difficult for us to break even. Since 2020, GeekGirlCon has been running the con at a financial deficit and we have come to a difficult point where we need to acknowledge that GeekGirlCon might not be able to make a return in 2026.
Finance Update
The team here at GeekGirlCon has been hard at work to address our current financial situation.
What we’re doing:
Adding a dedicated sponsorship and grants manager to the GGC team who is committed to increasing our corporate sponsorship and grant revenue by $50,000 in 2025
Recruiting more passionate volunteer staff and Board members to continue to run the show
Reducing the con footprint to save on venue costs
Planning fundraising events that we’ll share with the community soon
Negotiating rates as we work with the wonderful vendors and contractors
Continuing our CD investment strategy with remaining cash reserves
Reducing monthly operating costs
Running as lean as humanly possible while still maintaining everything we love about GeekGirlCon
Since returning to in-person conventions, we’ve continuously looked for ways to reduce spending as pricing, especially of goods and services, have continued to rise. In 2025 even with the reduction efforts, estimated higher labor costs may render any savings in that area null.
What we’re not doing:
Moving venues: We love having the convention in downtown Seattle because it allows for greater accessibility by public transportation and has plenty of amenities within walking distance for con attendees and staff. In the past year, we have considered different venue options both inside and outside of Seattle but any change would have required us to greatly reduce our space in exchange for minimal savings and a less accessible location. Ultimately we decided to stay with our current location. However, keeping it downtown does come with a high sunk cost. Every year, venue costs alone account for about 60% of our budget.
Raising pass prices: GeekGirlCon has raised the price of passes in the past, with our most recent pass hike occurring in 2024. We take decisions on our pass prices very seriously – and take a lot of pride in being one of the most affordable 2-day cons in Seattle. We strive to ensure anyone who wants to go to GeekGirlCon can afford to do so through lower-than-market pricing and our scholarship program. Because community is more important than ever, we chose not to raise the price of our passes.
Impact to GeekGirlCon 2025
GeekGirlCon 2025, in all its glory, will still be happening this year. Panels, workshops, games, science, cosplay… everything you expect to see at GGC will be returning to the Seattle Convention Center in November! This year we’re celebrating 15 years of providing you a community focused convention that celebrates geeks of all kinds and we’re so happy that we will get to celebrate with all of you.
GeekGirlCon is more than just a convention — it’s a home for geeks who’ve been pushed to the margins. It’s a place to feel seen, to celebrate what we love, and to find each other. That space matters — now more than ever and we need your help.
Together we can keep GeekGirlCon going
In the upcoming months, we’re going to be putting a lot of work into raising money so we can continue to put on our amazing show. In addition to the $50,000 in corporate sponsorship and grants, we’re also aiming to raise $25,000 in individual giving, plus sell an additional 400 passes to our 2025 convention.
Here are some ways that you can help us achieve these pivotal goals:
Ways to give:
Buy Passes: Pass sales, like all money raised, go directly to the con! Buy passes for yourself, your friends, your scouting troop, and share the experience with loved ones.
Donating: We’re planning on launching multiple donation campaigns over the next year, including the upcoming GiveBIG campaign in Washington and a matching fundraiser that will count down towards GGC 2025.
Sponsorship: Did you know that you can sponsor individual areas of GeekGirlCon – from specific events, rooms & stages, to entire programming zones!
Attend other GGC events: Did you know we have other events outside of the convention? We host a monthly book club at Outsider Comics (masks are mandated) and a Creative Community Drop-In at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse.
Spread the word: Tell folks you know about us! We learn every year that people are learning about GeekGirlCon for the first time.
Write us a review: Yep, conventions need reviews too. If you’ve attended GeekGirlCon before, let people know what you think!
If GeekGirlCon has meant something to you, or if you believe in the importance of creating inclusive, welcoming spaces for all kinds of geeks — we’re asking for your help. Every dollar — whether from donations, passes, or merch — goes directly to running the con. We’re 100% volunteer-run, and every bit of support helps keep the lights on.
Together, we can keep the GeekGirlCon community strong and ensure it continues into the future. Thank you all for the support you’ve provided us in the past and into the future. GeekGirlCon is what it is because of you.
GeekGirlCONLINE is less than a month away, and although the con will be a bit different this year with totally virtual panels, workshops, and livestreams all October long, the one thing that isn’t changing is our reliance on volunteers & donations to fulfill our mission to support, empower, and celebrate women, girls & other marginalized fans in all areas of geekdom.
As you get hyped for what will, presumably, be the best virtual con of all time, please consider supporting the GGC mission with a one-time or monthly donation. Your gift will not only help us make GeekGirlCONLINE a success, it will also fuel GGC 2021—our 10th anniversary con (and, presumably, the best in-person con of all time).
A kitten sits at a tiny desk typing on a tiny computer. Below are the words “Donate Now.” Source: Giphy
We know this year has been difficult for many, and we want you to know that we appreciate your love and support regardless of whether or not you’re able to donate. GeekGirlCon exists because of this community, and we can’t wait for you to see what we have in store next month!
A young child stands next to the GeekGirlCon Main Stage watching a music performance. Image courtesy of GGC
Hi everyone! We are quickly coming upon one of GeekGirlCon’s biggest fundraisers of the year: GiveBIG, hosted by 501 Commons on May 5-6. We are so excited to be able to offer a con that promotes underrepresented communities in science, art, comics, and so much more, but we are only able to do so with the generous donations and support of our community.
So why should you support GeekGirlCon? GGC is an organization made up of a community of passionate people who come together to promote the belief that everyone deserves a safe space to express themselves. The 100% volunteer staff of GGC works year-round to bring the best possible programming, vendors, and activities to GGC for people of all genders, ethnicities, and sexualities to enjoy and to help spread the spirit of our labor of love throughout our community. If that sounds like a cool thing that you want to support, then you should GiveBIG! If you want to learn more, check out our Mission Statement.
Our mission is only possibly with your support, and every contribution counts (and is also tax deductible). You can even schedule your donation early if you just don’t want to wait. Be sure to check back in with us on May 5-6 to see how we are doing!
And from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your continued support of GeekGrilCon. It truly means the world to us!
A blue heart with the logo for GiveBIG, and a yellow banner that says “10 Years of Giving.” GiveBIG is powered by 501 Commons and will take place on May 5-6.
It’s time to grab your squad and brush up on your trivia skills to win fabulous prizes! Join us this Saturday at Mox Boarding House in Bellevue for some ultra-fun trivia that has the added bonus of supporting GeekGirlCon! It’s not too late to get a sweet deal on advanced tickets.
Description: Buffy sarcastically apologizes for a pop culture reference. Image courtesy of Gihpy
Here are the important details:
Where: Mox Boarding House in Bellevue
When: This Saturday, August 24th from 2-4 pm
Tickets: $7 per person for trivia if you order in advance or $10 at the door; kids under 12 play for free
Prizes: First place: VIP passes to GeekGirlCon 2019, Second place: weekend passes to GeekGirlCon 2019, Third place: Super awesome mystery prize!
There can be up to six players to a team. No worries if you are a solo player; we can help you find a team to play with or you can be a team of one. Kids are welcome to come and play, and we will have special activities for kids who don’t want to participate in trivia.
Come show off your mad pop culture knowledge and trivia skills! We can’t wait to see you there.
Description: A masked character informs us that the correct answer was “Beef” Image courtesy of Giphy
For those who haven’t experienced it, the DIY Science Zone is a place were geeks of all ages can get hands-on and do experiments one-on-one or in small groups under the guidance of top scientists. Your donations will help us stock enough supplies and bring in enough field experts to ensure that everyone who wants to participate is able to join in the geeky fun.
We want to make this year our greatest yet, and we need your help. So, strap on your safety goggles, pull up your neoprene gloves, and let’s make some science happen!
Bill Nye, wearing safety goggles, throws his hands out dramatically while a light flashes off-screen and a caption appears that reads “Science!!!” Source: Giphy.
Our board president, Hadeel Jeanne, will now have to undergo both a cold plunge and a hot wings challenge. We’ll post videos of both on GGC social media later this winter!
From Tuesday November 4 to Saturday November 8, GGC is running an 
We teased it and you’re curious about it: our next milestone celebration will be a cold plunge done by our president, Hadeel! GGC takes place during the bbrrrrrr months and meeting our 5.5k milestone will help us get ready for the cold of November. Our latest numbers are showing that we currently have $4,045 towards our goal! This means we just need $1,455 in order to have Hadeel go for a very cold swim. 
In case you haven’t heard of a match campaign before, this is how it works:
