Pledge 1%'s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Molly Trerotola
VP of Social Impact, ShoppingGives
Brooklyn, NY, USA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
In my leadership role at ShoppingGives, I work with dozens of retail brands and nonprofits of all sizes to launch Social Impact partnerships collaborations in fundraising cause marketing campaigns. ShoppingGives is a tech-for-good ecomm platform that facilitates impactful fundraising campaigns, helping brands give to nonprofits.
This year's International Women's Day theme is "Embrace Equity." What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?
To me, "Embracing Equity" means actively working to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or identity, has fair and equal access to opportunities, resources, and power. This involves challenging systems and structures that perpetuate inequality and advocating for policies and practices that promote equity and inclusion. Embracing equity means striving for a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential, and recognizing that we all have a role to play in making that vision a reality.
Building equitable and inclusive workplaces requires a deliberate and ongoing effort to create an environment that values diversity, promotes inclusion, and addresses systemic biases and barriers. We can make progress towards more equitable and inclusive workplaces by: Educating ourselves on the impact of unconscious biases and how they can manifest in the workplace; establishing policies and practices that promote fairness and equal opportunity; fostering an environment of belonging; regularly measuring progress towards equity and inclusion goals; and holding ourselves accountable for advancing these efforts. By taking these steps and committing to ongoing efforts, workplaces can become more equitable, inclusive, and supportive of all employees.
Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?
Mentors are important because they can offer guidance, support, and wisdom, and are a crucial part of personal and professional growth. I've been lucky to have a variety of mentors: bosses, coworkers, life coaches, and even my sister. Each have helped me chip away goals, overcome barriers, and reach (or get close to) my full potential.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." Don't get hung up on not knowing the future. Learn from the past to make smarter decisions, and move forward with the best information you have on hand.
The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?
What has kept me motivated and inspired during the last few years is working in social impact and a sense of purpose and meaning. Staying connected to what matters most through my work, surrounding myself with a supportive personal and professional community of individuals with similar values, (and celebrating small victories), helps me stay optimistic during turbulent times.
Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it's important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Companies play a significant role in shaping the world we live in. They have tremendous power and influence, and the decisions they make can have far-reaching effects on society and the environment. Prioritizing social impact means taking responsibility for these effects and working to ensure that they are positive and sustainable.
Companies should prioritize social impact because it's good for business: Consumers are increasingly looking to support companies that align with their values and are making a positive impact in the world. It's also the right thing to do. As members of society, companies have a responsibility to contribute to the greater good. Finally, it can drive innovation. Prioritizing social impact can drive innovation by spurring companies to develop new solutions and technologies that address social and environmental challenges.
Ultimately, prioritizing social impact is about recognizing the massive role companies play in creating a better world.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
(Proud) Generalist. In a society that rewards specialists, I've found most success in having a broad range of knowledge, skills, and perspectives across multiple areas, which has made me a valuable asset in the social impact start-up world. Don't be afraid of being a generalist.
Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?
My newest and most impactful hack: No phone in bed. While this isn't necessarily a professional tool, ending my day and starting my day screen free (at least for the first several minutes) has had a positive impact on my energy level and focus.
Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?
Asana for project management, and, more recently, AI programs like ChatGPT. These are revolutionizing the way we work -- and very very quickly.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
I'm thrilled to be working with incredible nonprofits and retailers to build the future of ShoppingGives. Without revealing too much, we're investing in products and programs that guarantee social impact as a critical part of any brand's business model.
