The Mom Project is the leader in helping businesses attract and retain female talent. With a community of more than 500,000 talented professionals connecting to over 2,000 companies, the company is committed to building a better workplace by harnessing the oft-overlooked intellectual workplace power of moms. In this interview with founder and CEO Allison Robinson, we will explore what makes The Mom Project unique and what’s next for the startup.
E-3 Magazine: How does The Mom Project work?
Allison Robinson: On top of offering $500,000 in grants as part of the Stronger Together Fund, The Mom Project created programs to support community members during their time of need as we all continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic that sent ripple effects through every aspect of life beginning in March 2020. RALLY, for example, is a peer-to-peer mentorship program giving community members the space to solicit and offer advice. Resume Rev, a no-cost program that helps moms put their best foot forward, saw more than 15,000 resumes created and downloaded within the first 90 days. RISE, the inaugural initiative from our not-for-profit MomProject.org, launched in September 2020 to elevate 10,000 women of color over the next three years through a new upskilling model that puts moms first with scholarships to highly sought-after technology certificate programs including Google and Salesforce. As of July 2021, there are more than 500 women enrolled in RISE via one of six certification tracks including Salesforce Administration, Google IT Support, and Google IT Automation with Python, which can be completed in as little as six weeks. In Q2 of 2021, RISE also introduced additional certification tracks such as Project Management, Data Analysis, and UX Design to further accelerate the supply of qualified leaders of color to meet demand for diverse talent by committed employers and partners of The Mom Project.
What are the customer-side requirements? Why do they turn to your company for help?
Robinson: We’re looking for companies to work with TMP who truly “get it” and share in our mission to support working parents and change the workplace for women and mothers everywhere. While it may start with having great benefits and parental leave policies, it absolutely doesn’t end there. TMP wants to partner with companies who are eager to drive change within their organization and are progressive in nature. We expect our customers to offer flexibility to their employees and more importantly for leaders and managers across the company to have empathy for their team members, especially those that are working parents. Organizations turn to The Mom Project to support their hiring needs and DE&I initiatives. If your company is hiring, you may be a fit to work with us and while we don’t have a formal verification process in place to vet our employers, we absolutely look for some key things that would make a company a great partner of TMP’s and even more importantly, a great place to work for our talent community. These may include remote roles, generous parental leave, flexible schedules, empathetic culture, and much more.
Do customers need special devices to use your solution?
Robinson: No, they do not! We have our own self-serve platform that our marketplace clients can utilize to support their hiring needs. On our subscription side of the business, we can also integrate with a client’s applicant tracking system (ATS) to make their day-to-day workflow easier and not add an additional system to the processes they already have in place.
Why did you start The Mom Project?
Robinson: I always knew I wanted to build a business – most likely in my 40s when I had older kids. But while I was out on maternity leave at Procter & Gamble with my first child, my dream quickly came true due to a harsh reality. It was during this time I read the staggering statistic that an estimated 43 percent of highly skilled women leave the workforce to become mothers. Imagining a future where women wouldn’t have to choose between their family and their career, I founded The Mom Project in 2016. We’ve continued to not only champion women and moms, but diversity, equality, and inclusion because a more diverse workplace not only benefits its employees and their families, but also the company overall.
This past year and a half was unlike anything we’ve witnessed. Women, especially women of color, were some of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was at this time we doubled down on supporting women in the workplace and at home through our new initiatives and programs, as well as through media opportunities with top-tier outlets including CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, TIME, and Fortune. The battle certainly isn’t over yet, and we continue to let moms, dads, and allies know we’re here for you.
What’s next for The Mom Project?
Robinson: As we continue to deliver on our mission of helping to unlock $1B in economic potential for moms in the next three years, we know that in partnership with great companies, we will be able to get the female labor participation growing again and support millions of women in finding opportunities that will allow them to flourish professionally and personally.
Thank you for the interview.
Enjoyed this interview in our SAP Startup Spotlight Series? You might also like our piece on Anthill, the first talent management software for the deskless workforce.
Add Comment