I live in a world where things start up and then go away on a regular basis. It’s difficult every single time that happens. But it’s especially difficult when it’s not an a flash in the pan. When it’s a critical part of the community. And doing important work. But like it or not, even nonprofits need financing to survive. And without ongoing support from sponsors, I’m sad to report that our friends at PDXWIT have been forced to shut down.
The board voted in January to suspend operations due to “lack of predictable” funding required to support the group’s work. PDXWIT has been around since 2011 when an ad hoc group of women working in technology started meeting for regular happy hours.
Executive Director Hazel Valdez took over in December 2022. Early in her tenure she assessed the group’s runway and potential for fundraising. She said she knew it would be challenging but was optimistic the organization could carry on.
“Unfortunately, this optimism was misplaced,” she said.
It’s hard to see any organization go. It’s especially hard to see this organization go. I believed in their work. I believed in the people who worked for the org. I worked alongside them as we shared space at Autodesk and saw their efforts — and energy — firsthand. And I’m unable to really fathom what our community looks like without them there.
Honestly, they were the one single organization that seemed to keep programming — and the community — alive throughout the pandemic, despite all of those hardships.
They are — and will remain — one of the best professional organizations I’ve seen. Regardless of whether sponsors reciprocated or appreciated the value that PDXWIT provided. Regardless of the business model on which the org was predicated.
Hazel Valdez, executive director, shared the following thoughts:
Message from Executive Director
Equity and inclusion work, it seems, was merely a passing fad to countless organizations in the tech industry. Yes, we know the economy is different now. Yes, we know it is an election year. No, it does not mean the work of equity and inclusion ends. It ends when nonprofit organizations ask for financial support to continue serving its community and mission, and the response is crickets.
And so it is with PDXWIT. We have reached our end.
If you are close to folks with PDXWIT, I encourage you to reach out to them. And I am hopeful that the community can help them through this challenging time.
For more on this depressing news, see “Portland tech professionals organization shuts down, cites shrinking corporate support” and a message from Hazel (PDF).
[Full disclosure: I worked with the PDXWIT team on the language for conveying this news.]
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Sad news, I would have paid a membership fee, I wonder if that was considered. Also just look at the first comment here, what a simplistic and stupid take, exactly why these orgs are needed.🙄
I’m sure there were nice people involved but the reason this organization cratered is because it’s a professional managerial-class grift, and no one wants to pay for it. Women don’t need an organization to help them get into tech, they just need to get excited about tech, learn about it, and apply for the job. Tech companies in Portland *love* to hire women. They’re well represented (or even over-represented) in non-technical roles. Engineering roles are meritocratic. You either know how to code, or you don’t. If you know how to code, it’s easy to get and hold a job. If you don’t know how to code and want to know how to code, organizations like this offer little help.
It’s clear that when the “women in tech” message wasn’t hitting, they were quite happy to pivot to race. Randomly clicking on a story from their website served up this little gem:
“What keeps me coming back for more is the ongoing commitment to create trust and belonging for underrepresented folx in an industry steeped in white dominance.”
STEEPED IN WHITE DOMINANCE. Portland is 72.1% white. Of *course* it’s white dominated.
These DEI non-profits are scamming off the balance sheets of productive companies who feel they owe some sort of tax in order to keep their ideologically poisoned staffers satisfied. It’ll be better for women and minorities to focus more on learning how to contribute, rather than feel discriminated against, as these grifting organizations suggest.
Thanks for the post, Rick! I appreciate the support that you have given PDXWIT and won’t forget it.