GoDaddy Demonstrates Year-Round Commitment to its Mission of Empowering Entrepreneurs Everywhere, Making Opportunity More Inclusive for All

In 2022, GoDaddy continued its corporate sustainability journey by putting its values in action with a keen focus on the company’s mission of empowering entrepreneurs everywhere, making opportunity more inclusive for all. GoDaddy learned from its social impact efforts and is proud to share some program highlights.

Rallying behind entrepreneurs no matter where they are in their journey

• Empower by GoDaddy, the company’s signature social impact program celebrated its fifth year of equipping entrepreneurs in underserved communities with the digital training, tools, and networks to help them succeed in their small business journeys.

“This program had a positive impact on my business and increased our revenue, doubled what we did last year. We revamped our brand and in turn our social media engagement increased, and we began to get more responses." – Kimberly Muhammad, co-founder of Zuri’s Circle (my beautiful circle) and Empower by GoDaddy graduate

"BBB is dedicated to helping build better businesses with ethics at the forefront. This aligns with GoDaddy’s global mission to empower everyday entrepreneurs. We’re proud to collaborate for four years straight to ensure business acceleration and education are widely available for all.” – Kimberly Roland, BBB, VP of Innovation and Entrepreneur Programs

• GoDaddy piloted You Empower, a 12-week, skills-based, full-time paid employee volunteer assignment that propelled participating entrepreneurs’ website content, strategy and operations forward. The entrepreneurs noted this was due to the trusted, caring relationships fostered through the GoDaddy coaches’ constructive guidance and accountability. GoDaddy employee volunteers learned valuable skills of their own, applicable to both their professional and personal lives.

“You Empower granted me the ability to work on the ground with people I’ve always had a connection with – small businesses making an impact in their community. Through getting to know them personally and seeing them with their first online win – what I had been doing with GoDaddy for years now finally clicked.” – Cody Mahaffey, GoDaddy Marketing Services Account Manager III & You Empower Volunteer

• Made in America, GoDaddy’s award-winning docuseries unveiled its fourth season spotlighting two Baltimore-based small business owners (and Empower by GoDaddy graduates) as they push through adversity – from chronic pain to a pandemic-fueled supply-chain crisis. The series screened in the Baltimore community as part of GoDaddy Open, an event designed to train and upskill entrepreneurs on building and scaling their businesses and inspire future entrepreneurs to start their first business. Watch Made in America Season 4, streaming now on YouTube.
   
• Empower by GoDaddy rolled out the first iteration of its 10-course Spanish-language program, partnering with New Mexico-based community organization WESST as well as Rhode Island’s Social Enterprise Greenhouse and the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Reaching entrepreneurs who speak Spanish as a first language, the newly translated courses ranged from branding to creating an e-commerce website and provided skilling opportunities for entrepreneurs who may not be able to access English-language small business educational programs.

Engaging and activating employees in the causes they care most about

• GoDaddy returned to in-person volunteerism for the first time in more than two years, while virtual volunteer projects continued with renewed energy – from Beeston, UK employees supporting conservation efforts at the Attenborough Nature Reserve to Santa Clara, Calif. teams sorting 13,500 pounds of produce for those in need with Second Harvest Food Bank. Additionally, GoDaddy employees coached young adults in South Africa looking to take the next step in their career planning, assembled care kits for youth impacted by the crisis in Ukraine, and facilitated mock job interviews for young people with disabilities.

GoDaddy’s employees are embracing 2023 with energy, tenacity, teamwork, and a continued emphasis on inclusive entrepreneurship. In the year ahead, the company anticipates:

• Providing resources with the help of its Empower by GoDaddy partners to support entrepreneurs’ success, including, daycare stipends to participate in Empower by GoDaddy programming, high-speed internet, and other technology needs.
   
• Continuing to leverage the power of collaboration with its partners to help bring communities together through personalized programming and events that meet the needs of entrepreneurs in those regions, like displayed with GoDaddy Open Baltimore.
   
• Improving Empower by GoDaddy’s new Spanish and French-language curriculum to better meet the needs of entrepreneurs across borders and from varying backgrounds.
   
• Continuing to support GoDaddy employees as they give back to causes about which they feel most passionate, especially those organizations aligning with GoDaddy’s mission of making opportunity more inclusive for all.
   
• Sharing progress as GoDaddy strives to be a more sustainable business with the release of its 2022 Sustainability Report in Spring 2023.

Corporate sustainability is truly woven into the fabric of GoDaddy’s mission, vision and business strategy – it is key to ensuring the company is supporting communities and engaging its employees in the most meaningful way. GoDaddy applies what it does best and infuses that expertise into all its programs.

Empower by GoDaddy Spotlight Series: By partnering with diverse local nonprofits and community organizations around the world, Empower by GoDaddy aims to reach those who haven’t otherwise had access by offering skills training, resources, and mentoring to help accelerate their business journeys. This article is part of the Empower by GoDaddy spotlight series that shines a light on the individuals who make this unique initiative possible.