How an Effective Partner Ecosystem Strives for Collaboration Over Competition

I’m constantly impressed with how the participants in the Salesforce.org Partner Network drive success for our nonprofit and education customers, and the Unite Partner Summit is no exception.

Think about that for a moment — we have over 300 consulting and product partners that are serving thousands of organizations and institutions globally. Yet, each year for the last six years, they come together to share best practices to make each individual and firm better at serving those organizations.

Now, you might think that is counterintuitive — why would you want to help your competition?! Well, that is the beauty of this ecosystem. Our partners know that they individually cannot serve everyone. They also know first-hand the pain, money, and time that is wasted, and the impact and outcomes that are reduced or even lost when nonprofits and schools don’t get the help they need. They would rather share and learn with and from their competitors than let that happen!

Salesforce.org Partners and Staff collaborating at our last in-person Partner Summit in 2019.

Thanks to an incredible response from our ecosystem, we’re proud to share there are over 100+ sessions at Unite this year. There is something for everyone! Check out just a few of the sessions our partners are delivering:

Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management on Salesforce

Zak Kaufman, Vera Solutions, and Andrew Means, Salesforce.org

OFM: A Model for Partner Participation in Open Source Community Projects

Brian Pickett, Theresa Olivier, and Shari Carlson, North Peak and Cori O’Brien, Salesforce.org

Don’t Configure Technology, Configure Its Users

Tim Lockie, Now It Matters

Corporate Social Integration – Looking Beyond the ‘Responsibility’ of a Business

Jolene Chan, Michelle Malpass, Traction on Demand

We’re also thrilled to bring together several special guests for keynotes and fireside chat conversations!

Adopt Radical Empathy with Terri Givens

Terri Givens is an author, CEO, and Founder of Brighter Higher Ed. Terri is best known for working with leaders to help grow teams and businesses by encouraging empathy and understanding in everything we do. Terri has over 30 years of success in higher education, politics, international affairs, and nonprofits, including roles as Provost at Menlo College, Vice Provost at University of Texas at Austin, and positions on numerous boards.

How Leadership, Vulnerability, Brand Building, and Fighting Racism Co-Exist with Doyin Richards

We’re in the midst of two major crises in America: mental health and race relations. They impact our homes, schools, businesses, relationships, and sanity. Do we recognize the signs of these problems? Are we doing enough on the front end to prevent personal and professional disasters from happening?

Doyin Richards is a best-selling author and creator of the Anti-Racism Fight Club. Doyin will share his journey of building his brand and stepping into leadership to take action in a vulnerable space. He will lead us through a session on learning tangible, actionable solutions for being actively anti-racist in our organizations and communities.

Stand for Human Rights with Craig Foster

Craig Foster, a former Australia National Football Team captain who played 29 times for Australia, led an international campaign to free a young Bahraini footballer and refugee, Hakeem al-Araibi, from a Thai prison.

Craig is a refugee and human rights ambassador with Amnesty International, where he works in the sphere of social justice through programs with refugee and indigenous children, using soccer to provide life opportunities. He will address how moral courage in speaking out for minority and marginalized communities can unite people and global sports organizations in driving equality, and supporting human rights internationally.

Grow Sustainably with Jo Fairley

Serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the luxury chocolate brand, Green & Black’s, Jo Fairley is an inspirational businesswoman who paved the way for others to follow her sustainable business model. Using only ethically sourced cocoa and creating products from every element of the plant ensures that the brand, which has been owned by Cadbury since 2005, remains a leader in sustainable business. Jo will discuss how businesses of all sizes and resources can unite to build each other up and grow individually with a view towards growing sustainably.

Pull up a cozy chair for some virtual warmth with these two moving fireside chats.

Combating AAPI Hate and How Individuals & Companies Can Drive Inclusivity

While many of us have been grieving losses due to COVID-19 and languishing this year as we battle a global pandemic, the AAPI community has also been on the receiving end of increased bigotry and hate crimes. How has this affected your employees, teammates, customers, business, and beyond?

Join us for a conversation with Sandra Leung as she shares an overview of AALDEF, insight into the history, how we got to where we are today, why this is important to everyone, and how it impacts our businesses. Kat Holmes, SVP Product Design and UX at Salesforce, will then share her own personal experience, talk about the importance of inclusive design, and offer some impactful actionable takeaways for attendees.

Driving Equitable Outcomes

When we’re aligned on vision but have different opinions on how to get there, how do we come together to bridge that divide so we can reach the desired outcomes? Join us for this conversation with Lorenzo Olvera, director of the Senate Diversity Initiative in the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. There, he and his team assist Senate offices in building a diverse workforce that reflects the diversity of our nation.

Lorenzo has over ten years of experience in public policy, government, talent pipeline development, diversity, and inclusion. Join this discussion with Lorenzo Olvera and Amy Rose (that’s me!) for a fireside chat on his journey, data as a means of improvement, and a call for action to bridge the divide.

This is just a snapshot of the content at Unite. And while collaboration through content sharing is at the heart, there is much more networking, collaboration, and fun on the schedule! If you’re a Salesforce.org partner, be sure to REGISTER TODAY! If you need assistance with registration or want to learn more about joining the Salesforce.org Partner Network, please email [email protected]

See you at Unite!

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About the Author

Amy (she/her) leads the Global Partner Engagement team at Salesforce.org, responsible for helping partners be successful, have a strong relationship with Salesforce.org, and get the most value out of being in the Salesforce.org Partner Network. Amy has been in the tech industry for over 15 years, always focused on partnerships, connection, and results-oriented action. She has a B.A. in International Studies, Human Rights, from the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington and is the Executive Director for Livermore Pride, a nonprofit dedicated to ending isolation and advancing equity in her local LGBTQ+ community.