Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is a time set aside to honor and celebrate the contributions of women in America’s history, and we wanted to promote this message throughout the company. Our Women at SpotHero ERG was created with the ultimate goal of providing a place for women and allies within the organization to support each other, connect with each other, and provide resources and events to advance women in technology careers. Women’s History Month provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on where women are now and where we have been, and to celebrate accomplishments of women in our community.

First, we created a survey to collect quotes by women to increase visibility and presence on the Culture TVs we have around the Chicago office. Employees contributed quotes by strong, inspirational women like Audre Lord and Grace Lee Boggs, that played on rotation on the Culture TVs throughout the workday.

We also placed a box in the office to collect supplies for an in-kind donation drive to bring to a local nonprofit. The collected supplies will be donated to Sarah’s Circle, a Chicago nonprofit

dedicated to helping women facing homelessness or in need of shelter, and they have been working towards ending homelessness for women here in Chicago for over 40 years. We asked employees to donate items in high demand such as travel-sized toiletries and over-the-counter medications. These will benefit Sarah’s Circle’s Daytime Support Center (open to any woman in need), their 50-bed interim housing (shelter) program for women who are currently homeless, and their permanent supportive housing for women who have a disabling condition and have been chronically homeless.

Additionally, SpotHero’s March Diversity & Inclusion book club chose to read Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In. For those who wished to take part in other ways, we offered the option to watch a related video or read an article that we provided. This way we would be able to have a well-rounded discussion with all who wished to participate at any level!

SpotHero provides team lunches every Thursday, and Women at SpotHero chose a women-owned business to provide a meal to kick off the month. Saigon Sisters, a local Vietnamese restaurant owned by two sisters and their mother, provided a wonderful meal for all team members in the Chicago office. The lunch got rave reviews, and we were thrilled to support a local women-owned business.

Finally, on March 6th – for the third consecutive year – the SpotHero offices joined with the Chicago Ventures team to host an International Women’s Day breakfast for fellow portfolio companies. This year’s theme, #EachForEqual, encouraged everyone to actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements. Over 70 attendees showed up and participated in an interactive inclusion exercise. The team at ShiftGig was asked questions on a panel where they discussed building an inclusive environment at their company. We then capped the morning with a round of “Women of Inspiration” lightning talks, where volunteers shared women who inspired them – whether they were famous public figures, coworkers, or family members.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in Women’s History Month activities and events – we appreciate your support and look forward to next year!