Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Survey for Salesforce.org Partners

This blog was originally published by Amplify. Exponent Partners is a sponsor of Amplify.

It is no secret that we have a lot of work to do to close the pay, promotion, and title disparity gaps in tech. The Salesforce.org ecosystem appears to be no exception.

But can we actually prove this? Where is the data? Where are the stats about the demographics of those in executive positions in the Salesforce.org ecosystem? Bingo! They don’t exist.

A sense of urgency to collect demographic data hit almost simultaneously among several stakeholder groups, including Amplify, the Salesforce.org Community Sprint, and the Salesforce.org Partner Advisory Equality Subcommittee. An organic, and joint, effort began to generate baseline data around the Salesforce.org ecosystem, beginning with partner firms in the US as a pilot.

About the Survey

We are gathering this data through a simple Google form, and hope that everyone working in the AMER Salesforce.org Partner Ecosystem will complete the 5-minute survey.

The intent is to extend the survey globally to partner firms around the world, and, in Phase 2, customers and (hopefully) Salesforce.org employees. Like many great initiatives in our space, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion survey is a community driven initiative, currently driven by the Salesforce Open Source Community.

Please follow this link to complete the form.

But the data will only be successful if the community comes together and individuals take the time to fill it out.

To be clear, the survey is not just for underrepresented people. It is for everyone to fill out. By completing this survey, you help us:

• Gain a better understanding of the demographic makeup of the Salesforce.org partner ecosystem.
• Pilot a ground-breaking global survey, beneficial to all those who currently or potentially work in this sector.
• Drive strategic initiatives across many organizations.
• Shed light on the inequities in our space and serve as a catalyst for solutions.

The survey will be open through November 6, 2020. The Open Source Community plans to share aggregated and analyzed data in December 2020.

Please note that survey response data will be aggregated and analyzed across the full Salesforce.org partner ecosystem. The submission is anonymous; we are not tracking any personally identifiable data. No personal information will be captured, stored, or shared, as part of this survey. Please ensure you are not providing any personal information such as name, company or email address as you complete this survey.

Resources

Please  share the link with your Salesforce.org Partner friends, colleagues, and network. We’ve included sample Twitter and LinkedIn messages for you to cut and paste at the bottom of this post.

LinkedIn Announcement

Salesforce.org Partners! Please help drive the strategic DEI initiatives in the @SalesforceOrg space. Fill out this 5-minute survey Diversity, Equity & Inclusion survey. Join the movement to drive strategic DEI Initiatives in our vibrant community. Pls RT! bit.ly/sfdo-DEI-survey
@SFDOPartners @AmplifyNGO @SalesforceOrg

Tweet

Help drive the strategic DEI initiatives in the @SalesforceOrg space. Fill out this 5-minute survey Diversity, Equity & Inclusion survey. Join the movement to drive strategic DEI Initiatives in our vibrant community. Pls RT! bit.ly/sfdo-DEI-survey
@SFDOPartners @AmplifyNGO @SalesforceOrg

Perceived DEI Challenges in the Salesforce.org Ecosystem and Proposed Solutions

Amplify recently presented a framework at the Salesforce.org Partner Summit in a session titled Amplify Action! to close the Pay, Promotion and Title Disparity Gap.

The framework out lines challenges and proposed solutions detailed below.

Challenges

• Lack of intersectional framework for DEI efforts
• Lack of minority (URM) owned/led businesses
• Lack of BIPOC and other underrepresented people in leadership; “Glass wall” to entry for BIPOC and other URM
• Barriers to inclusion & advancement for BIPOC & other URM
• Well intentioned allies not knowing how to make a difference
• Lack of sustained and institutional funding for DEI efforts
• Lack of coordination and prolonged strategic focus of DEI efforts will result in limited progress

Solutions

• Conscience commitment to intersectional DEI efforts
• Financial Investment, tools/training, mentoring
• Equity efforts around hiring and advancement or companies/ orgs/hiring managers and for URMs. Affinity groups for URM. Education and coaching for partners and others in the ecosystem.
• Disrupt “culture fit” mentality. Mentoring and training for URM.
• Sustained coordinated training and cohorts.
• Start with data collection and gap analysis. Develop a framework for cooperation and coordinated strategic planning.
• Well defined and sustained coordination efforts across organizations to achieve real change in the ecosystem.

Watch this 25 minute presentatione to learn more details about the framework.

Feature Photo Credit: The Engagement Party at Dreamforce 2019 – Photo courtesy of Rebecca Wilkowski Photography.