How Women’s March Global drives collective progress with global data
Learn how Women's March Global used Momentive to conduct a first-of-its-kind global survey on issues affecting women and gender-diverse people.
In an early-2020 check-in call with its worldwide chapters, Women’s March Global uncovered a devastating pattern: domestic violence was up globally and women’s issues were falling through the cracks of government initiatives.
“Our chapters were not seeing pandemic relief dollars going to the women and gender-diverse people who needed them, and we were not seeing solutions for the surge in domestic violence,” said Betsy Scolnik, Board Chair of Women’s March Global. “It created an incredible sense of urgency globally.”
The non-profit, which is dedicated to gender equality and grassroots community mobilisation, knew that it needed comprehensive data to lobby local governments and ensure that women and gender-diverse people were being heard. But that data is typically hard to come by, as highlighted by the rapid and sustained crises of 2020. To bridge this gap and collect potentially life-changing insights, Women’s March Global turned to Enterprise Feedback Management by Momentive.
“Momentive went above and beyond to understand our needs as a cash-strapped non-profit. The professional services team really did their best to help us be successful.”
Launching a first-of-its-kind global survey
Women’s March Global had a specific list of requirements for its Global Count survey. Because it was being launched in over 170 countries, it needed to be accessible in 15 languages. It also had to be capable of collecting nuanced insights.
“The idea of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ women’s issue platform is a patriarchal, racist approach to philanthropy,” explained Scolnik. “Location, ethnic background, environment, societal systems and more affect what individual women need.”
As a non-profit with a small team, the analysis process was also an important consideration for Women's March Global. Scolnik wanted to ensure that she and her team could analyse tens of thousands of survey responses in a way that would support rapid, evidence-based intervention in local communities.
With Momentive, they had the exact support and resources they needed, from built-in analysis to translation and API services. The Momentive professional services team was also a huge advantage for Scolnik and her team. “Momentive went above and beyond to understand our needs as a cash-strapped non-profit,” said Scolnik. “The professional services team really wrapped around us and did their best to help us be successful. I can't say enough about that team.”
Vital data to support real change
The first Global Count survey was launched on 21 January 2021, which was the day that the annual Women’s March would normally have taken place had it not been for Covid. Tens of thousands of responses were received in just a few weeks, with more than 2,000 submitted overnight from Russia alone. The Women’s March Global team was even able to successfully collect responses from locations where access can pose a challenge, such as Kenya.
As data came in, Women’s March Global identified immediate needs that should be elevated to local chapters. It then shared high-level Momentive dashboard access with those chapters and their partners so they could quickly see what was urgent in their communities.
Thanks to Momentive analysis capabilities, Women’s March Global also mapped common keywords used in the answers to open-ended questions. This created an additional way to identify which issues were flagged the most per locality.
“This Momentive survey is helping organisations on the ground think through who they fund, how they fund them and which areas make a true impact.”
Among the insights uncovered, violence against women was the top issue for communities globally. With Momentive, Women’s March Global could see the national and local differences in how women viewed the problem and the barriers to solving it, whether political, cultural or economic. That information empowered the organisation's chapters to develop targeted action plans that would help NGOs and governments effectively direct support and policy where needed.
In the future, Women’s March Global hopes to evolve the Global Count survey. By continuing to share the data directly with its 75 partner organisations, the non-profit is aiming to maintain an international line of communication and collaboration. Scolnik said the project will be a key part of developing policies and programmes that meet the needs of women and gender-diverse people worldwide long into the future.
“Even if issues look the same in different locations, the reasons or the barriers to change are different,” she said. “This Momentive survey is helping organisations on the ground think through who they fund, how they fund them and which areas make a true impact.”
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