Global Diversity Awareness Month: Driving positive impact for organizations that support our communities

At a time when the world is focused on racial justice, compounded by a pandemic that has disproportionately upended Black, Latino, and underserved communities, it is critical for companies – as the engines of economic opportunity and prosperity – to play a leading role in building a more equitable future for all. October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, a time to celebrate diverse communities and focus on the work that must still be done to create an equitable workforce where all talent thrives. As part of our efforts, LinkedIn is proud to be launching a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIBs) resource hub to support organizations that serve underrepresented populations hardest hit by COVID-19, systemic racism, and unemployment.

As a company, LinkedIn exists to empower and drive economic opportunity for the entire global workforce. To serve our mission, we’ve built an ecosystem which includes 40+ DIBS partners (including Blavity, AnitaB.org, DisabilityIn and many others) that we work collaboratively with to find innovative and scalable ways to help expedite the process of economic equity. With a reach of over 60M+ people this network has the potential for significant impact.

Partnering For Change

For several years, we have collaborated with our partners to find strategic ways to bridge network and economic gaps. This year, we’ve collaborated with several organizations on virtual events to create transformative conversations around fostering and enacting positive change.

For example, in our partnership with AnitaB.org – we connected jobseekers at all stages of their careers with companies hiring on LinkedIn. Throughout the annual Grace Hopper Celebration, jobseekers who submitted their profiles were included in a virtual talent pool for companies recruiting at the conference.

In our work with AdColor Everywhere – championing diversity and inclusion in creative industries – we engaged with 40k+ virtual attendees around building leadership branding in a digital world. In 2020,for the 4th consecutive year, we are looking forward to collaborating with the Blavity community via their annual event, Afrotech, helping to provide access to jobs in tech. 

Though our partnerships with Culture Shift and Mosaic Genius we are providing emerging thought leaders with exposure to programs such as Black Voices. Recently launched by LinkedIn Publishing, the Black Voices program highlights leading Black voices from across finance, technology, design, communications, education, healthcare, and beyond to share their unique perspectives and insights. This initiative has gathered immediate traction - Over 2 million LinkedIn members have opted in to follow identified Black Voices, with participants in the Black Voices program experiencing up to 10 times increase to their followers.

Providing Tools for Success

With the launch of our new DIBS Resource Hub, LinkedIn is proud to share these tools and perspectives with a range of organizations that serve underrepresented groups, providing a curated list of materials from across the LinkedIn ecosystem to help your company support underrepresented populations. We’re committed to helping our DIBs partners serve all communities, and providing the resources to keep your community’s audience connected and engaged.

Next Steps For Positive Impact 

Within the resource Hub, you will find relevant self-service tools and resources to keep your organization virtually connected to the communities you serve. The portal includes resources to help your organization.

• Go Virtual – Keep your audience connected and engaged, wherever they are. Check out the site for best practices guides for LinkedIn Pages, Events, and Groups 
• Build Skills – Get resources to help underrepresented professionals learn in-demand skills and stand out to recruiters
• Amplify Your Voice – Your organization’s views are more important than ever. Check out LinkedIn resources to amplify your message and increase your reach
• Online Communities – With initiatives such as the DIBs Partner Summit on LinkedIn Live, we are also bringing together the community to collaborate with one another and share best practices for using the platform

Within the resource hub, you will also find access to the LinkedIn For Non Profits site, and more information about initiatives focused on closing the Network Gap, and the Better Together webinar series.

Our partners play a critical role in helping to build a more diverse and inclusive future for employees around the world. We are proud to be part of such important work and to provide our partners with the rich resources they need to better support the communities they serve. Our work to build a more equitable workforce where all talent thrives, continues.