Back in 2012, five employees at a sales software startup became frustrated with how difficult it was for companies to get unbiased information about software before buying it. So they left their jobs and started G2 — a website where people review software products, and companies can use that information to make smarter choices.
But they didn’t stop there: Every time a user submits a review, G2 now donates $10 to charity.
G2 Global Community & Culture Specialist Kirstin Powdrill sat down with Rachel to discuss the company’s impact and inclusion work.
Kirstin wears two hats in her role. She oversees both G2 Gives, the company’s donation program, and G2 Together, the company’s diversity and inclusion group.
“My job is to really just make sure people feel seen, and their voices are heard, and they feel they feel empowered at work and celebrated.”
When Kirstin first started at the company, G2 Together was a small group of employees writing blog posts. Now, the group hosts in-depth conversations and works to create a company culture that celebrates people and their differences.
This past November, Kirstin hosted an inclusion and diversity town hall. The event celebrated the women who would be coming into power after the election, and it gave employees the opportunity to speak about the celebrations of diversity that meant the most to them over the past year.
In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, G2 gave employees the opportunity to share their individual stories and discuss what was happening in the world. Kirstin herself took part in a live chat where she talked about her life, her background, and being a Black woman in the workplace.
“The biggest part I love about my role is when we all come together — whether it be in a Zoom event or we’re in a Slack channel — and we’re really focusing on how we’ve built a community at G2 to be able to support one another, to feel closer to each other during a pandemic, to feel comfortable with being ourselves.”
G2’s impact work has several different focus areas, including social justice, STEM education, and cancer research and awareness.
This past October, G2 committed to fundraising $10,000 for the American Cancer Society in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. At first, Kirstin was nervous about reaching that goal in the middle of a pandemic, but G2 customers, employees, and their networks raised over $8,000 — and a $5,000 donation from the CEO’s family foundation put them over the top.
Before G2 hit its goal, Kirstin’s team asked their colleagues about why they were raising funds. The reasons varied from honoring survivors to remembering loved ones to striving toward health care equity.
“Once we put that purpose behind it and were able to amplify the voices of why funds were being raised, it was more so an opportunity versus an obligation.”
Now that Kirstin has seen what G2ers are capable of during a pandemic, she plans to increase her outreach to employees and get them even more engaged this year. Her goal: When people think about G2, they’ll think about more than just software.
“Long term, I see us standing out as a great company to partner with, a great company to work with — individuals who are spotlighted because of their giving, spotlighted because of their individuality and being their authentic and kind selves.”
