Dear sf.citi community,
2020 has not been the year we expected. For almost all of us, the COVID-19 crisis has upended jobs, plans for the future, a sense of stability, and the way we work.
ADAPTING TO THE AGE OF COVID-19
Like many nonprofit organizations, sf.citi has had to rethink and restructure our programming to continue serving the San Francisco Bay Area during these challenging times. Below are a few highlights of how we’ve pivoted our work to address new challenges presented by COVID-19, respond to the needs of our members, and support our local community:
- We’ve launched the SF Tech COVID-19 Update, the industry’s leading resource for tech and community updates in San Francisco and California, to help people navigate the pandemic. sf.citi subscribers receive these weekly updates directly in their inbox every Monday.
- We’ve connected sf.citi members with key decision makers to support the Bay Area’s COVID-19 response and recovery. Through our series of COVID-19-focused roundtable discussions, sf.citi members are now working with elected and community leaders on a variety of efforts, including closing the digital divide with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, supporting small business recovery with the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and providing critical nonprofit partnerships to Meals On Wheels San Francisco, to name a few.
- We’ve launched virtual volunteerism opportunities for tech workers in our member companies. Last month, we moved our annual speed networking event, Breaking Into Tech, online and paired job seekers with nearly 100 mentors at top San Francisco tech companies. We have many more of these opportunities in store for the remainder of this year.
- We’ve kept you informed about the impact of COVID-19 on San Francisco’s future through original thought leadership pieces and public discussions with City leaders. So far, we’ve taken a look at the COVID-19 effect on San Francisco’s budget, office space market, and transportation system, with much more to come.
- We’ve continued to host our signature large-scale events—virtually—and featured speakers such as Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, and Sarah Rose, President of TaskRabbit. We’ve covered how companies like Slack, Postmates, and Twitter are responding to COVID-19 with more of sf.citi’s quality event programming coming to your screen this summer and beyond.
LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR FUTURE
Beginning last week, sf.citi began polling our members and community to learn how we can best serve you in the coming year. We found that 70 percent of members plan to engage virtually with sf.citi until January 2021 or until a vaccine has been implemented and nearly half of our larger community plan to stay virtual until January 2021 or until a vaccine has been implemented. Another 12 percent are choosing to stay remote permanently.
Taking the lead from you, our membership and community, sf.citi has decided to make all of our events and programming virtual until 2021. That does not mean we have any shortage of exciting conversations, virtual volunteerism opportunities, and sf.citi surprises lined up for you. Even with COVID-19, 2020 is still an election year—a presidential election year.
Coming up soon, we will be exploring how COVID-19 is altering the voting landscape with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, diving deep into the November election with virtual debates, and keeping you informed of all the latest tech policy in San Francisco (of which there is a lot). Stay tuned for more exciting updates for this year’s programming.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR WORK
Building a pathway out of this pandemic will be no easy task and we are dedicated, as tech’s voice, to work hand in hand with our elected and community leaders. To continue this crucial work, bringing you informative sf.citi events, content, and programming during the age of COVID-19, we could use your support. Here are two ways to show sf.citi some love:
- If you work at a tech company with a San Francisco presence, consider becoming a member of sf.citi today. You will join a coalition of other tech companies committed to collaborating with government and community leaders to build a better San Francisco.
- If you find value in sf.citi events, webinars, and content, contribute to sf.citi’s future. By contributing to our work, you are helping us continue to build programming for you, our community, this year and beyond.
We understand that this is a challenging time for all of us, and we would like to thank our amazing members and community for supporting our work. Together, we will build an even brighter future for the City we love, San Francisco.
Jennifer Stojkovic
Executive Director, sf.citi
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