FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

 

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press@calpartnersproject.org

 

GoFundMe and Classy Become Latest Companies to Sign Equal Pay Pledge Championed by

California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom

The companies’ signing brings the total number of Equal Pay Pledge signatories to 100

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SACRAMENTO – California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom today announced GoFundMe has signed the California Equal Pay Pledge – bringing the total number of signatories to 100. Classy, an affiliate of GoFundMe that serves nonprofits with scalable technology for online fundraising, has also signed the Pledge. The companies have committed to conducting annual company-wide gender pay analyses, reviewing their hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers, and promoting best practices to help close the pay gap and ensure fundamental equity for all workers. 

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In 2019, as part of her California for ALL Women initiative, the First Partner, in partnership with the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) launched the Equal Pay Pledge to build upon the state’s nation-leading equal pay laws by closing the existing gender wage gap. The California Partners Project, founded by the First Partner in 2020, also provides support for the Equal Pay Pledge.

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“Closing the gender wage gap will require a combination of smart public and private policies as well as cultural change,” said First Partner Siebel Newsom. “I’m grateful to GoFundMe and Classy for signing the pledge and leading the way. I also encourage Californians to look at the companies they purchase from and ensure they have signed the pledge. As long as the pernicious wage gap exists, women- particularly mothers and women of color- will continue to receive the very clear message in this country that our work is less valuable and our human potential matters less than that of a man.”

 

“GoFundMe and Classy are proud to sign the California Equal Pay Pledge, furthering our commitment to pay equity and closing the wage gap,” said Tim Cadogan, CEO of GoFundMe. “Together, GoFundMe and Classy are helping people help each other, as we’ve seen with the outpouring of generosity following the storms across California. While we do this work, the Equal Pay Pledge will help ensure we are holding ourselves to the highest standards throughout our hiring, promotion, and compensation practices.”

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“The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls is thrilled that GoFundMe and Classy have signed the Equal Pay Pledge,” said CCSWG Executive Director, Holly Martinez. “Committing to equity through this pledge is only the first step but it is a critical one. We know from our recent research that women are essential to the California economy, and that simply closing the pay gap will reduce poverty for working women by almost 40% in the state. We are proud to partner with companies like GoFundMe and Classy that recognize the leadership role they have to play in making that a reality and in creating a California economy that works for everyone!”

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California has some of the strongest equal pay laws in the country, but women in the state still earn 88 cents for every dollar a man earns, and mothers earn 77 cents for every $1 earned by a father. These numbers plummet to 62 cents for Black women, 55 cents for Latina women, and 50 cents for Native American women. The gender wage gap creates staggering financial losses with California women losing a combined total of $78.6 billion each year.

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To date, 100 companies have signed the Equal Pay Pledge, including the State of California, LinkedIn, and Apple. Since the launch of the Pledge, First Partner Siebel Newsom has helped connect thousands of Californians to educational equal pay resources, hosted roundtables and conversations to hear firsthand about the pay gap’s impact on working women and their families, and secured major corporate commitments to the Equal Pay Pledge – reaching hundreds of thousands of employees. More information on signatories and the Equal Pay Pledge is available here.

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First Partner Siebel Newsom is committed to lifting up women and mothers and their ability to thrive both at work and at home. In addition to the Equal Pay Pledge, she’s been an outspoken advocate for reproductive freedom, championed California’s work to increase equitable representation at the tables of power by diversifying public company boards in the state, and advocated for family-friendly policies such as paid leave and child care.

 

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About the California Partners Project: Co-founded by California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Olivia Morgan in partnership with the people of California, the California Partners Project is dedicated to championing gender equity across the state and promoting the mental, behavioral, and physical well-being of California’s children. For more information about CPP visit https://www.calpartnersproject.org/. Connect with the California Partners Project on LinkedIn and Instagram.