Afterpay has joined forces with leading Australian not-for-profit, Global Sisters, which makes business possible for women experiencing barriers to traditional work.
Covid-19 has had a disproportionate impact on women with higher levels of unemployment and underemployment across Australia. The pandemic has also seen people assess their work situation and consider self-employment as a possible option.
In helping women achieve this, Global Sisters delivers innovative, impactful, and sustainable support to women who are experiencing barriers to employment or accessing decent, sustainable work, and want to realise financial independence through self-employment.
Through this multi-year partnership, Afterpay will raise a minimum of $50,000 annually for Global Sisters through fundraising initiatives.
The first initiative is an ‘add $1’ at the checkout campaign which will be running during March in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, with all proceeds going to Global Sisters to support their work.
Also, through this partnership Afterpay’s global team will support Sisters (participating women) through mentorship programs which will provide business coaching and other services.
Afterpay executive vice president of sales Australia and New Zealand and global instore, Rachel Kelly said, “Our mission is to power an economy in which everyone wins. This includes those who are experiencing barriers to mainstream employment due to systemic imbalances. Global Sisters does incredibly important work to help women realise their dreams and full potential, at the same time as establishing their financial independence. We are proud to be able to play a role in this.”
To date, Global Sisters has supported more than 4,500 women through its programs, which provide support in business education, business coaching, microfinance, and sales and marketing.
Global Sisters founder and CEO, Mandy Richards said, “Assistance from organisations like Afterpay provides a real and tangible impact for our sisters. Since the pandemic, we have seen an exponential increase in the request for our services, and with the help of partners we can ensure we are providing assistance where it’s needed. We are excited to have Afterpay come on board and lend its team’s expertise to our Sisters and their growing businesses.”
As part of Global Sisters’ support for International Women’s Day and their campaign #BackHerBriliance, the organisation is holding a competition which gives women a chance to win a small business pack worth $5,000.