Coding for a Cause: Bringing Tech to Girls One Shipment at a Time Girls Who Code has an ambitious mission—one that involves getting computers and other gear to school-age girls around the world.

When Dr. Tarika Barrett speaks, her knowledge of and passion for what she does is immediately apparent. And for good reason. As CEO of Girls Who Code, she oversees a group of individuals who share a common mission: To close the gender gap in tech. Specifically, they're aiming to achieve gender parity in new entry-level tech jobs by 2030.

"Today, women make up only 26% of computing jobs, and the numbers are even worse for Black and Latinx women, who hold only 5.3% of computing jobs," Barrett explains. "Half of the women in tech say they lack female role models, and a third say they have unequal growth opportunities compared to male colleagues."

Girls Who Code's "Clubs" offer school-aged students free access to teachers and role models, as well as peers with shared interests—to learn hard skills in computer science while finding inspiration and support for their passion. In addition to the afterschool Clubs, they offer Summer Programs as well as programs for college and career development. Partnering with school districts, library networks, and afterschool programs, Girls Who Code has more than 6,300 programs for kids in grades 3 to 12 all over the world.

"When more women seek out tech jobs, they become creators and changemakers—they can advocate for tech that keeps our needs, safety, and interests in mind," Barrett says. "The same goes for all underrepresented groups in tech. The future of tech depends on a tech workforce that is representative of the diverse world we live in."

Realizing efficiency at scale.

With such an admirable objective, Girls Who Code leans on reliable partners to help make sure that every student and program leader has what they need to succeed. That means everything, right down to snacks and office supplies. That's where Amazon Business comes in. Since 2015, using Amazon Business's familiar and intuitive purchasing system has enabled Girls Who Code to save time and money helping teachers and facilitators clear their supply wish lists and successfully run their Clubs.

"We have been able to improve the tech fulfillment support to students by having the ability to ship all around the U.S. effectively, in a short time frame. We also appreciate the responsive 24-hour customer service to troubleshoot issues in a timely manner and provide technology at a competitive price to the organization," Barrett says.

Through Business Prime and Amazon Business's Analytics reporting, organizations like Girls Who Code can research, create, save, and download reporting on their purchasing behavior, allowing them to make smart decisions based on their specific needs. "We have found the Business Analytics page and reporting functionality to be helpful for expense reconciliation and tracking," Barrett says.

Giving extra when it counts.

Earlier this year, Amazon Business and Girls Who Code realized a way to strengthen their relationship while providing for students. Tapping into generous donations and grants across the organization, Amazon Business fulfilled a $100,000 IT order for the Girls Who Code Summer Programs.

Girls Who Code turned to Amazon Business to help accomplish three things: Gain the ability to order hardware as needed (instead of in bulk), the ability to make returns (in case a student dropped the program), and the ability to ship worldwide. As a result, Amazon Business provided and shipped approximately 255 laptops and headsets to the homes of each participating student this year. They also disbursed nearly $16,000 in gift card incentives to more than 600 Summer Programs students.

"Thanks to Amazon Business, we accomplished our objectives and hope to continue refining different aspects of these processes next year," Barrett says.

Click here to find out how Amazon Business can help your company simplify and improve your purchasing processes.