Pro Bono Volunteers Help Girls Who Code Set Up Salesforce to Manage their National Programs

Girls Who Code (GWC) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology and computer science. Their mission is to inspire more girls to become computer scientists and engineers. They do this through two types of programs:

• Clubs where girls grades 6 through 12 learn computer science skills from volunteer teachers. Each club provides 40 hours of education in areas ranging from coding basics to mobile app development. The clubs, which are currently run in 25 states, also provide local community support, so that girls can stay engaged after the program ends.
• Summer Immersion Program, a 7-week course in computer science for high school students that also provides exposure to female computer scientists and career opportunities.

Like Girls Who Code, Salesforce is committed to supporting women and girls in technology ― a mission that resonates with Salesforce employees. From volunteering at clubs to helping GWC with the technology that runs their organization, Salesforce employee volunteers have committed more than 1,300 hours to GWC.

One of these volunteer projects was a pro bono implementation of Salesforce for GWC. A team of three Salesforce employees worked with stakeholders to define the overall vision for the platform, outline short- and long-term objectives, identify implementation options, and prioritize objectives based on the organization’s goals. The goal of the project was to use Salesforce to create a unified set of tools for connecting and engaging students, parents, instructors, and Club leaders.

The Salesforce employee pro bono team used their Volunteer Time Off to finish the project in under six weeks.

One of the major challenges the organization faced was coordinating the Girls Who Code Clubs, which are hosted in corporate conference rooms, educational centers, or public buildings, and run by volunteer Club leaders. Previously, the process of planning, organizing, scheduling, and executing the Clubs involved a number of manual and cumbersome tools.

Now, GWC uses Salesforce to manage the Clubs end-to-end on a single platform. The implementation includes an online channel for Club leaders to provide information for review and approval by GWC staff. Upon approval, Salesforce automatically sends confirmation and instructions for launching the Club to the leader. Students can now enroll in Clubs using a Salesforce-hosted web form that captures vital information including parental consent, and is securely delivered to GWC staff for review and enrollment. Course curriculums for students are maintained in an external learning management system (LMS). Upon enrollment, Salesforce establishes a secure connection with the LMS, creates a student record, and assigns the student to a course.

STEM education, particularly for underrepresented groups and girls, is a main focus area for Salesforce.org, and employees have enthusiastically embraced this mission through their volunteer work.

Learn more about our Pro Bono Program and the technology used in this implementation.