As the COVID-19 pandemic's rippling effects started to become more apparent, Q2 realized it needed to build a contingency plan for its annual client conference, CONNECT. The original blueprint for CONNECT 20 would have welcomed attendees from across the country to Q2’s home city of Austin, but COVID-19 quickly changed those plans. By leveraging experiences attending virtual conferences and speaking with other industry colleagues and the internal leadership team, Q2 decided to move CONNECT 20 to the digital channel.
Making the most of new circumstances
In moving to a virtual format, Q2 reimagined CONNECT 20 as a four-part series of online events paced over the early part of the summer. The new schedule was designed to accommodate the time constraints many FIs found themselves facing. Q2 presenters updated their content, taking into account the pandemic's evolving effects and sharing the most relevant information.
New opportunities to give
Shifting to a virtual event platform reduced many of the costs associated with hosting CONNECT 20. This opportunity (and the generosity of attendee financial institutions) made possible a donation exceeding $25,000 to two deserving organizations dedicated to the inclusion and success of people of color in tech.
About Black Girls CODE
Black Girls CODE is dedicated to sharing that black girls can code and accomplish much more. Through community workshops and after school programs, Black Girls CODE provides computer coding lessons to girls from underrepresented communities. An array of courses include programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails. The organization is devoted to a mission to show the world that girls of every color have the skills to become tomorrow’s programmers.
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About Year Up
Year Up is dedicated to closing the opportunity divide (a surplus of vacant jobs and potential talent) by helping young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support they need to reach their potential. More than 5 million driven, talented young adults need a path to a stable career. Year Up provides young adults with the professional and technical skills hiring companies are searching for while building a resource of untapped talent for American businesses.
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Providing additional support
If you or your FI would like to contribute to either of these deserving organizations, click on the following links:
