Zola and Black Girls CODE Cement Long-Term Partnership

Zola and Black Girls CODE come together for a long-term partnership to further advance Black Girls CODE's mission of leveling the playing field for girls and women of color in STEM that includes a series of coding classes, internships, and more.

By Emily Forrest

zola partners with black girls CODE
Photo by Zola x Black Girls CODE

‘Tis the season to celebrate all good things. Here at Zola, we’re celebrating a newly formed long-term partnership with Black Girls CODE—and we’re kicking off today with a special holiday donation.

Black Girls CODE introduces computer coding lessons to young and pre-teen girls of color to learn in-demand skills in tech and computer programming. At Zola, we believe in the importance of supporting and giving back to the next generation of female leaders. As a female-founded and majority female company, we know firsthand how these skills and the confidence in them can inspire girls to become the next generation of innovators in whatever field they choose. So, we’re thrilled to partner with Black Girls CODE this holiday season and beyond.

From now through the end of the year, we’re donating 10% of net Holiday Card sales to Black Girls CODE (up to $30,000*—some exclusions apply, see below). With 200+ card designs, created with every type of family and celebration in mind, there’s really something for everyone. Check out all of our Holiday Cards here.

As part of our longer-term partnership with the organization, Zola’s team of engineers have already begun teaching a series of coding classes to elementary, middle and high school students. The engineering team kicked off by hosting a virtual class in October of this year for a group of girls ages 9-14 that focused on how to add features to holiday cards on the backend, such as changing fonts and colors.

Zola will also participate in the Black Girls CODE 2021 mentorship program, a core part of the organization that plays a critical role in the success of high school and college students. The mentorship program will be open to all Zola employees and will center around mentoring students on topics such as goal setting, interview prep, and resume writing. We’re excited to help give the students a window into the world of working at a tech startup.

To cap it all off, Zola will welcome two BGC alumni to join our team as engineering interns next summer.

Speaking about the partnership, Zola CEO and Co-Founder Shan-Lyn Ma says, “Black Girls CODE is an incredible organization that we are absolutely thrilled to support. We’re most proud to be partnering with and supporting Black Girls CODE in a variety of ways, which includes and goes beyond our donation. Today’s younger generation spends so much time on their mobile devices, but to someday work as an iOS or Android engineer or as a product designer is not always the first career path that comes to mind for many young women. We hope that we can help to illuminate all of the endless possibilities that these girls have in front of them, because they are the next generation of leaders.”

Kimberly Bryant, Founder & CEO of Black Girls CODE echoed, "We're excited to team up with Zola this holiday season to further advance Black Girls CODE's mission of leveling the playing field for girls and women of color in STEM. The long-term partnership fostered between Zola and BGC will be instrumental in eliminating socio-economic barriers that stand in the way of accessibility to STEM education and will ultimately generate pathways for youth of color to have a seat at the tech table. Zola's commitment to inclusion within their company and in the tech sector exemplifies the importance of corporations stepping up to the plate to change the narrative surrounding racial and gender diversity. Together, Black Girls CODE and Zola will empower the next generation of changemakers."

We hope that you'll join us in our support of this incredible organization by checking out our collection of Holiday Cards that give back. You can also visit the Black Girls CODE website to learn more about the incredible work they're doing to shape the next wave of female innovators. Happy holidays!

Promotion begins November 23, 2020 and ends December 31, 2020. Promotion applies to net sales of Zola holiday cards up to $30,000, with a minimum donation of $10,000. “Net sales” means the cash price of the product sold at the time of purchase, net of discounts and excluding returns, fees for services, taxes and shipping and handling. Promotion does not apply to sales made to residents of AR, FL, HI, IL, KS, MA, MN, MS, NJ, NM, TN, WV and WI. No portion of the purchase price is tax deductible by customer.

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