Celebrate International Women’s Day With These Empowering Resources

International Women’s Day is more than just a day to celebrate the achievements of women. It’s a call to action to continue to build towards gender equality worldwide.

This year, we’ve collected a series of resources to bring the goals of International Women’s Day to life. From tapping into your creativity to building more inclusive communities, these talks and workshops will inspire you to be a stronger community builder, raise your voice, or be a better ally.

There’s no shortage of inspirational women in the CMX community, and we wish there was enough room to highlight all of them! If this list inspires you, take a minute to dive into this year’s CMX Summit talks or the Masters of Community podcast for more. And don’t forget to celebrate and uplift the women in community around you.

Tap into your creativity

For International Women’s Day, companies around the globe will highlight creative works and innovative breakthroughs made by women.

Use this month to tap into your own creativity and unleash your innovation — at work, at home, or in your community. In her CMX Summit 2020 talk called “How to Foster a Culture of Innovation for Your Community,” Laureline Boin, Global Head of Social and Community Products at Dropbox, shared her playbook for creating a culture of creativity to build inventive communities — including tips for a more creative mindset, and the importance of taking risks.

Or join Daniela Restrepo-Ortiz, Sr. Community Strategist and Chapter Community Manager at OpenIDEO, for a talk on “Unlocking the Power of Creativity Through Community Design.” Daniela’s talk will teach you how to harness the power of community to unlock creativity using design principles.

Advance up the community career ladder

According to our latest research, women make up nearly two-thirds of community professionals. But women in community still face systemic bias — in addition to the challenges that come with climbing the ladder in an industry that’s finding its footing.

On International Women’s Day (March 8th), we’re convening an amazing panel of women in community to discuss their journeys to leadership positions and their triumphs and challenges along the way. Join Jennifer Sable Lopez, Senior Director of Community & Advocacy at Outsystems, Cindy Au, Director of Community & Engagement at Brainly, Caty Kobe, Head of Community at Nextdoor, and Shana Sumers, Principal Marketing Manager for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Community Programs at Hubspot  for this panel and Q&A.

If you’re new to community but considering a long-term career, don’t miss Colleen Curtis’s popular CMX Summit talk! In “The Road to Chief Community Officer,” she outlines her path from a community ambassador to Chief Community Officer of The Mom Project.

Build inclusive communities

International Women’s Day encourages us to build inclusive cultures where women can thrive. But it’s important to remember that not all women have the same experiences, and inclusivity should account for a wide range of lived experiences.

How can community builders be intentional about inclusivity? Here’s a few of our top resources on the subject:

• How to Be an Inclusive Community Leader by Kay Fabella, DEI consultant. For CMX Summit 2020, Kay walks through strategies community managers can use to confront their own bias and build safety and belonging.
• Building a Space for Onlys with Michele Heyward, founder of PositiveHire. In this episode of the Community Corner podcast, Michele shares her experience building a community for women in STEM and her tips for building a sense of community among a diverse group of people.
• Intentionally Building Diverse Programming by Nicole Felter, Associate Manager at PowerToFly. Nicole challenges listeners to take a critical look at their own content programming, and step outside their comfort zone to build a diverse pipeline of speakers.

For a deep dive into designing a community space that is completely committed to inclusivity and empowering its members to thrive, look no further than Naj Austin’s breakdown of Ethel’s Club, a social and wellness club designed specifically for people of color, on the Masters of Community podcast.

Level up your community building

There’s no better time than today to level up your skills and take your career to the next level. Show some love for these talks by women in the CMX community and learn a new skill set at the same time — it’s a win-win.

Learn to accelerate your community's growth from Phoebe Shin Venkat, Director of Community Strategy at Okta. Or, check out Webflow’s Director of Community and Events Britt Caldwell talk on applying go-to-market strategies to increase engagement. If you’re more of a big-picture person, try exploring how community is the future of digital society with Jess Zakira Wise, CEO at Mesh Communities.

Tackle imposter syndrome and raise your voice

What is imposter syndrome? This creeping tendency to doubt your professional capabilities can strike at any time. Learn to overcome imposter syndrome and toot your own horn with CMX Connect Madrid! Join co-hosts Valentina Ruffoni and Cepee Tabibian on March 17th for this panel discussion. RSVP today!