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Happy International Women’s Day! International Women’s Day is a global holiday to commemorate the achievements of women, and today we’re here to celebrate the amazing achievements of women in tech. Here at Qgiv we have dozens of incredible women to celebrate and recognize—their achievements and hard work have helped advance us as a tech company in the nonprofit sector.
Something you may not realize is that despite women making up almost half (47%) of the US workforce, they hold less than one-third (28%) of the leadership positions in tech. Women also hold only 25% of C-suite positions.
We’re proud to say that women make up 40% of Qgiv’s executive team! 🎉 In addition to devoting ourselves to the professional development of female leaders, we want to take a moment to appreciate the women whose work plays an integral role in Qgiv’s day-to-day operations. Keep reading to be inspired and learn a little more about the women shaping Qgiv!
Meet Sandra Munoz, Director of Product – Fundraising 👋
Qgiv: How did you end up working in the tech industry?
Sandra: Since I was little, I have always been interested in computers. They intrigued me and I was good at it naturally. I had family members who were electrical engineers that encouraged me to follow the engineering path. I ended up choosing software engineering over electrical because of my interest in computers.
Qgiv: What advice would you give to a young woman interested in software engineering?
Sandra: My biggest advice would be to not get intimidated by the field. Seeing a field that’s dominated by men can be very intimidating and make you second guess yourself. If you’re interested in software engineering, jump in–you’ll be good at it! Women can bring a different viewpoint and a problem-solving skillset that’s needed within the field. I’m already seeing so many more women enter the field, and I hope to see this shift even more!
Qgiv: What have you accomplished during your time at Qgiv that you are most proud of?
Sandra: One of the things I’m most proud of is helping develop Qgiv’s original peer-to-peer fundraising system. When I came on board, our peer-to-peer system didn’t exist. It was my first big project. I was just out of school and there was so much I had to learn. When we released it, it was one of the proudest moments of my career.
Qgiv: What about Qgiv’s culture do you think helps foster and promote female leadership?
Sandra: If you’re good at your job, there’s always a path to leadership within the organization. This really helps foster and promote the growth of female leaders since we have the same chances of growth.
Meet Jessica Cronk, Vice President of Marketing 👋
Qgiv: What have you accomplished during your time at Qgiv that you are most proud of?
Jess: Over the last two years, the marketing department has more than doubled in size! I am most proud of developing a team of stellar marketers to better support our customers and our company’s departmental goals. I take a special interest in coaching and developing young marketing professionals, focusing on expanding their skillsets and wellbeing, as well as leadership skills.
Qgiv: What advice would you give to a woman aspiring to become a tech company leader?
Jess: Your voice matters. I want to encourage every woman to dismiss that inner voice or those that say you don’t belong—you do. Ask questions. Bring new ideas to the table. Challenge your colleagues and leaders. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are being “too this” or “too that.” Take “being bossy” as a compliment. Your perspective is unique. The next best idea for your company may come from you!
Qgiv: What about Qgiv’s culture do you think helps foster and promote female leadership?
Jess: Our core values at Qgiv foster an inclusive and highly collaborative environment, specifically our values of respect and openness. In addition, Qgiv promotes a flexible work environment to support a healthy work/life balance. Women often take on the role of the primary caretaker within their household, and Qgiv understands that family needs arise when you least expect it.
I am very passionate about my career, and during my time at Qgiv I became a new mom. Throughout my maternity leave and the years that followed, many team members reached out to offer their support and advice. Qgiv provided an environment where I felt comfortable sharing my challenges with the leadership team, and I always felt like I had the support I needed to navigate this new phase in my life.
Meet Cristina Ordaz, Senior UI/UX Designer 👋
Qgiv: When did you first develop a love for user experience and design?
Cristina: I was incredibly lucky because early on I had an amazing opportunity to simultaneously work part time with both a marketing agency and with a UX agency. I was the sole designer for many of the websites I worked on with the marketing agency and so I felt this ownership over the projects. That ownership changed my definition of what “design” even meant. I became much more interested in who was using the website, why they were using it, and how.
Qgiv: What have you accomplished during your time at Qgiv that you are most proud of?
Cristina: I’m so proud of our redesigned donation forms! The redesign was a product of so much feedback, research, data, collaboration, love, and sweat. We were able to use what we’d learned about charitable giving and combine it with proven best practices to create a new iteration of our form, something modern and effective.
Qgiv: What about Qgiv’s culture do you think helps foster and promote female leadership?
Cristina: I think when anyone shows an interest or inclination toward leadership, Qgiv does its best to foster and nurture that drive. Our team has a safe environment to practice and explore different aspects and levels of leadership with support and mentorship readily available.
Meet Jennifer Mansfield, Vice President of Customer Experience 👋
Qgiv: How did you end up working in the tech industry?
Jennifer: I was doing marketing for a theme park in 2008 and due to a series of unfortunate events I found myself without a job in 2009 (anyone else?). After a few months without a job, I was open to anything and happened to stumble upon a job at Qgiv. Turns out I landed exactly where I should be and next year I’ll be celebrating 13 years with Qgiv!
Qgiv: What have you accomplished during your time at Qgiv that you are most proud of?
Jennifer: When I started at Qgiv there were only seven employees and no REAL Customer Experience department. I was trusted to build this department from the ground up and I have learned so much along the way! Growing with this company has been one of the true joys of my life thus far.
Qgiv: What about Qgiv’s culture do you think helps foster and promote female leadership?
Jennifer: Everyone has a voice at the table at Qgiv. On top of that our CEO, Todd, is a phenomenal mentor and has never made me feel like being a female has anything to do with my ability to lead.
Meet Sarah Sebastian, Director of Brand Communications 👋
Qgiv: What have you accomplished during your time at Qgiv that you are most proud of?
Sarah: I’m really proud of the brand image and reputation I’ve worked to build alongside my teammates. It’s wonderful to hear industry thought leaders and peers comment on the useful resources and programs Qgiv provides. We also hear great things about interactions with Qgiv staff and support. A lot goes into building that behind the scenes, and it feels good to see it making an impression on the nonprofit world.
Qgiv: What about Qgiv’s culture do you think helps foster and promote female leadership?
Sarah: Outside of having a solid set of core values that Qgiv staff embraces, the fact that we truly hold each other accountable to those values is vital to fostering female leadership—and diverse leadership in general. Every employee is encouraged to share knowledge and ideas that could improve our product and content offerings, and no one is ever made to feel like they’ve had a “silly” idea. We all hold each other accountable for living out our core values, and if a coworker ever witnessed another staff member being dismissed or viewed as less than, I have no doubt that someone would step in to make it right.
Qgiv: What advice would you give to a woman aspiring to become a tech company leader?
Sarah: Never stop learning, whether it’s learning as much as you can about the product your company offers or about the industry you’re serving. When you’re familiar with both sides of the coin, coming up with unique ideas to solve problems for your customers is much easier. And those are the kinds of ideas that help you move into leadership.
It’s also important to remember that if you plan on becoming a leader, you should be prepared to serve and help others. You’re there to ensure your teammates have everything they need to be successful, remove roadblocks, and celebrate accomplishments.
Conclusion
We’re so proud of all these women and the role they’ve had in shaping Qgiv. To continue to uplift women in technology and women in philanthropy we’ve linked to the websites of some of our favorite collaborators and partners below. Check them out and don’t forget to show the women in your life some extra love today! 💕
- Julia Campbell – Author, fundraising consultant, and digital marketing/social media thought leader
- Rachel Muir – fundraising consultant, speaker, former nonprofit CEO, and expert on nonprofit Board Management
- Kishshana Palmer – Management consultant, keynote speaker, and fundraising development doctor
- Marsherall Partners – A female led consultant group specializing in data organization and database management
- The Alford Group – A woman and minority-owned fundraising consultant group specializing in nonprofit operations
