So, you want to donate to Parallel Play Chicago? That's wonderful news! Step right up and learn a lil' bit more about who we are and what we do.

Parallel Play is a grassroots community organization that seeks to center the joy and liberation of COVID-conscious LGBTQIA+, immunocompromised and disabled individuals, and BIPOC through mutual aid, supply drives, PPE distribution pop-ups, and collaborative arts partnerships. We do this by hosting in-person and virtual events (on our community Discord server) that foster connection and build networks of care within our community.

In April of 2024, Parallel Play's founder Anna De Ocampo Kain launched Dilly Dally, a mask-required, quarterly mixer for COVID-cautious queers (and allies). After 100+ tickets immediately sold, it became very apparent there was a huge demand for these safer spaces for the still-COVIDing community. An advisory group of volunteers and organizers came together, forming Parallel Play as a community-run non-profit organization in June 2024. We are operated by our core team of organizers and an 11-person board of directors, which is made up by majority BIPOC, queer, and disabled individuals who comprise our event, accessibility, and finance teams.

Each Dilly Dally mixer varies a bit, with activities ranging from karaoke and dance parties to variety shows and "speed friend-ing." We strive to create safe, sensory-friendly spaces and, since July 2024, have hosted our mixers in wheelchair-accessible venues. We use a multi-layered approach to COVID-precautions, such as: (1) requiring and distributing free, high-quality respirators; (2) using HEPA and/or Far UVC air purifiers; (3) having guests rapid test for COVID (provided by Parallel Play for free as of 2025); (4) opening windows and/or doors; (5) and, when possible, utilizing outdoor spaces. For neighbors who are not able to join us in-person, our Discord community offers a virtual third-space, and we typically livestream our events to Discord or Youtube whenever possible.

Parallel Play has sold-out almost every single mask-required event we have hosted (in venues that accommodate between 40 and 200 people) in this first year and a half since our formation, including crafting nights, a Halloween variety show, beachside open mic, a garden drag show, and more. Our virtual Dilly Dally events on Discord have included Jackbox games, Tarot readings, open mic presentations, social voice and text chats, and a sensory break room, accommodating up to 100 users at a time. We have hosted over 800 people across these events since April of 2024.

All of our events have sliding scale tickets, ranging between $0 and $30, as we never want ticket cost to be a barrier to attending a Dilly Dally. Typically, about half or more of the RSVP's are free tickets. Our events often include in-person, free-will contributions to the Dilly Dally Solidarity Fund, which is split between Parallel Play towards the cost of free/subsidized tickets, a co-host organization or the venue, and Palestinian Family Relief through Rebirth Garments, who is in direct contact with families in Gaza. In the weeks following our events, Parallel Play's volunteer finance team typically releases a transparency post or stories on Instagram with itemized expenses and Venmo receipts of the mutual aid to Palestinian Families. Our team is in the process of compiling a report to account for October 2024 - March 2025, which we anticipate will be available to view in early April.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial for the community to stay connected and to take care of each other. There’s a lot of amazing Parallel Play events on the horizon, both in person and online, and we look forward to bringing our community together for them!

Now, onto the reason you're here.

Prior to the formal formation of Parallel Play, our founder paid for the first two Dilly Dally’s out-of-pocket. They have been reimbursed for some of the expenses via ticket revenue, but this method is unsustainable. Given that we believe in fairly compensating the folks in our community who perform, host, and otherwise contribute to our events, we hope to crowdfund the starter expenses for our new year of programming. The need for these spaces has really resonated with people, and our community of COVID-conscious queers have made the Dilly Dally event series such a great success. We’re in the throes of planning a diverse offering of COVID-safer events again next year, and so we’re here fundraising once again. Look out for our full 2026 programming announcement, coming soon!

While many people have pointed out that we could find volunteers willing to perform, host, and photograph our events, relying on presumed volunteer labor means that our partners would inherently be those who can afford to offer their services for free. We wish to uplift fellow queer, disabled, and/or BIPOC artists by approaching them for their services with offers of compensation, and giving them the option to donate their time, should they choose to do so.

Parallel Play's Finances:

We’re all about transparency. First, we’ll break down our general upcoming expenses for 2025. Below is a breakdown of the expenses from our events from August to December 2024.

2025 Ongoing Expenses:

Squarespace annual charge for our website: $400
Membership to the Chicago Tool Library: $150
Paid Administrative Hours for our Disabled Community Members:
Cost for two admin positions - $960 / month

We have been paying one of our core volunteers who is a homebound disabled organizer for a portion of the time they are spending each week on Parallel Play business. This person manages our Discord server and leads the access & safety team. We have been paying them as an independent contractor for 10 hours per week at $16/hour

We have added an additional admin from our volunteer team who will be getting paid for 5 hours per week at $16/hour for a period of 10 weeks. This person will be working on formalizing and streamlining our organizational role structures, procedures, record keeping, and PPE/resource distribution

Note: Parallel Play’s funds are primarily used to compensate individuals for various services, such as administrative work, performing, hosting, photography, etc. The Parallel Play community is made primarily of disabled and trans queers, and people of color, so our priority is paying the folks doing this work a proper stipend for creating and facilitating our spaces. Your donations help our disabled organizers to sustainably do more of this work with fair compensation and allow us to inject vital income back into our community.

2025 Calendar / Anticipated Event Expenses:

(subsidized by Eventbrite ticket revenue where applicable)

Here is a list of our 2025 Mask-Required & Virtual Events so far & how much $ was needed for each:

Saturday 3/16 - Virtual Mix & Mingle Dilly Dally on the Parallel Play Discord Server
- Cost: ~$500 total for performers, activity facilitators, DJ, hosts, and planner stipends $50 - $100 each
Sunday 3/23 - Mutualism x Dilly Dally mask-required Dance Party (SOLD OUT - join waitlist)
- Cost: ~$400 total (after ticket revenue) for DJs, photographer, and safety coordinator stipends
Saturday 3/29, 4-7 pm @ Center on Halsted - Rapid Test & Respirator Distribution Karaoke Pop-up (with free masked chosen family portraits)
- Cost: $150 total for safety coordinator & photographer stipends
Saturday afternoon 4/12 @ Center on Halsted - Clothing Swap for ALL genders & sizes, co-host: Fat Friends of Chicago
- Cost: $300 total for DJ, safety coordinator & photographer stipends
JULY - Virtual Dilly Dally, celebrating Disability Pride Month
- Cost: ~$600 total for performers, activity facilitators, DJ, hosts, and planner stipends $50 - $100 each
Sunday 8/10 - Dilly Dally n' Drag Show
- Approximate cost: ~$2,900, total budget ~$2,100 paid from ticket sales - (Parallel Play did take a loss on this event)
Details coming soon! SEPTEMBER - Outdoor Music Festival featuring COVID-cautious Artists - co-host: Save The Night Chicago
- Cost: 250+ person event, total budget ~$3,000 (primarily paid from ticket sales)
Save the date! Saturday November 1st - Halloween Dilly Dally 2.0 @ Haymarket House
- Cost: 150+ person event, total budget ~$2,500 (primarily paid from ticket sales)

Historical Event Expenses (August - December 2024)

Virtual New Year Dilly Dally (12/28)
Attendance: 50 people ($10.00 per attendee)

Compensation for hosts: $200 ($100/each)
Compensation for performers: $300 ($50/each)
Total: $500

Queer Crafty Halloween Dilly Dally (10/26)
Attendance: 200 people (~$14.18 per attendee, $0-$30 sliding scale tickets)

Compensation for performers (hosts, variety performers): $675 (hosts x3 - $125/each, featured performer - $150, performers x4 - $75/each)
Compensation for event planners & accessibility coordinators: $300 ($75/each)
Compensation for community meal personnel: $100
Compensation for photographer: $325
Materials for stage art project: $256
Food & beverage expenses: $287.59
First-aid supplies & PPE: $40
Event insurance: $120
Event supplies (stage light): $80
Venue cleanup fee: $150
Volunteer lanyards: $28.65
Total: $2,362.24

Virtual Discord Dilly Dally (9/27)
Attendance: 50 people ($0 per attendee)

Compensation for hosts: $100 ($50/each)
Compensation for activity planners: $300 ($150/each)
Total: $400

Beach Babe Dilly Dally - Lakeside Variety Show (9/12)
Attendance: 80 people ($17.63 per attendee)

Compensation for host: $120
Compensation for featured poet: $150
Compensation for featured musician: $300
Compensation for featured dance instructor: $50
Compensation for photographer: $200
Park District permit fee: $200
Event insurance: $261
Water, snacks: $77.22
Supplies & PPE: $62.11
Total: $1,420.30

Dragalicious Dilly Dally - Outdoor Drag Show & Community Dinner (8/31)
Attendance: 80 people ($30.21 per attendee)

Compensation for host & MC: $100
Compensation for drag performers $700 ($100/each)
Compensation for photographer: $250
El Paseo venue rental: $200
ADA accessible Porta Potty: $312
Event insurance: $119.91
Dinner & beverages: $445
Materials for stage art project: $45
Supplies & PPE: $241.81
Total: $2,413.73

We hope you'll consider contributing funds (or better yet - setting up a recurring gift!) to Parallel Play, as few spaces like ours exist. We thank you for your generosity and look forward to seeing you at one (or all) of our upcoming events!

PS: Stay up to date by joining our mailing list and following Parallel Play on Instagram!

Parallel Play Chicago is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. All donations are fully tax deductible.

2025 Donation Dally Rally

Parallel Play Chicago ⋅ COVID-Safer Events Fundraising Campaign 2025