Silverline is proud to be among the 11,000 partners around the world that make up the Salesforce ecosystem. 

Partners not only deliver Salesforce success to clients but also collaborate with Salesforce to effect change across workforce development and entrepreneurship. Together, the ecosystem upskills and hires talent from underrepresented groups (URG) and invests in the growth of underrepresented minority (URM) entrepreneurs. We are creating an economic pipeline that positively impacts the workplace and the marketplace.

The first edition of the Salesforce Partner Ecosystem Equality Report examines how Salesforce and its partners are tracking toward creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Equality is a core value at Salesforce and Silverline, and the report provides visibility into the critical role the partner ecosystem plays in supporting equality initiatives. 

The report evaluates the success of joint efforts to expand equality and looks at future commitments to cultivate a more equitable and inclusive ecosystem. Here we share our top takeaways from the report.

1. Committing to a more diverse workforce

By 2026, the Salesforce ecosystem is projected to grow to almost six times the size of Salesforce, creating 9.3 million jobs. Salesforce is dedicated to building a workforce that enables those historically left out of the tech industry to skill up and connect with potential employers at partner companies.

Salesforce Fundamentals is a free webinar series that prepares job seekers with the skills, tools, and programs to build a successful career in the Salesforce ecosystem. The Salesforce workforce commitment is to attract 7,100+ new URG job seekers (71% of total U.S. registrants) into Fundamentals through partnerships with organizations focused on URM and women talent by 2024. In 2022, 55% of Salesforce Fundamentals participants were women, and 44% identified as URM in the U.S.

2. Upskilling with robust programs

Salesforce and its partners are dedicated to building a workforce that meets the economy’s demands and reflects the communities in which we work and live. Salesforce collaborates with dozens of workforce development organizations committed to training Salesforce talent from underrepresented communities in tech. 

Salesforce sponsors free live learning experiences on Clicked, providing an opportunity for participants to practice employable skills and create projects to share as job candidates. Clicked is supported by professional coaches currently working at Salesforce partner companies. In 2022, 67% of those seeking jobs at partner companies through Clicked were women, and nearly half were URMs.

3. Empowering a more diverse talent pipeline

The Salesforce Talent Alliance launched in 2019 and has helped 22,000 individuals start their careers in the Salesforce ecosystem. The initiative connects Salesforce partners with a diverse talent pool of candidates from dozens of workforce development groups. Candidates are trained on Salesforce’s free online learning platform Trailhead. 

Partners like Silverline, a member of the Talent Alliance, commit to devoting 20% of their annual hiring to new Salesforce professionals and adopting inclusive hiring practices. Partners who pledged to work with Talent Alliance candidates reported that 27% of the hires in 2022 came from ethnically and/or racially underrepresented groups in technology, 38% of which were women.

4. Driving business growth in the marketplace with diverse partners

Salesforce is striving to advance equality through the recognition and development of diverse-owned and/or founded partners in the global marketplace. Salesforce’s U.S. diverse-owned partners added more than 1,500 net-new certified employees (a 25% increase) and over 5,200 net-new certifications (a 28.6% increase) in 2022.

Currently, out of the Salesforce partners based in the U.S., only 9.35% are diverse-owned partners. Moving forward, Salesforce is committed to the following:

• Increase diverse-owned partner representation by 50% by 2026
• Support the growth of diverse-owned partners at double the rate of Salesforce through 2026
• 15% of Salesforce’s Professional Services subcontracting spend goes to diverse-owned partners by 2025

5. Growing underrepresented Salesforce partners 

Salesforce recently launched the Salesforce Impact Accelerator. The program is designed to support business growth and entrepreneurship among underrepresented Salesforce Consulting Partners in the U.S. Underrepresented partners are defined as business owners and founders from underrepresented communities within the Salesforce ecosystem.  

The inaugural Salesforce Impact Accelerator kicked off in January 2023 with a cohort of 14 entrepreneurs. The 12-week virtual program uses a hands-on, collaborative learning approach. It provides partners the tools to successfully build their Salesforce business, including identifying new growth opportunities and building long-lasting relationships. 

6. Tapping into collective power

Salesforce supports partners who want to put their commitment to equality into practice. In 2022, Salesforce launched the Partner Collective Impact initiative to showcase and celebrate the contributions of partners who are positively impacting their communities. Through the initiative, Salesforce partners can pledge and share actions they are taking to help people succeed, ecosystems thrive, and communities shine.

Partners like Silverline have taken the pledge. Since the Partner Collective Impact’s inception, members have committed: 

• 15,000+ volunteer hours
• $1.4 million in charitable donations
• 5 million+ trees planted and preserved 

7. Pledging to commit product, time, and resources

Silverline is a proud supporter of the Pledge 1% movement. More than 1,500 partners have taken Salesforce’s 1-1-1 pledge, which invites entrepreneurs and their companies to commit important resources (product, time, and resources) to support integrating philanthropy into their business from an early stage. Silverline donates 1% of our time, product, and profit to various charity organizations.

Salesforce is committed to doubling the number of Salesforce partners who participate in the 1% Pledge program by 2026. To help customers find apps and experts that align with their values, partners can share on their AppExchange listing if they are a diverse-owned business, an accessible solution, and a participant in Salesforce’s Pledge 1%.

Learn more about how Salesforce promotes equality across its partner ecosystem by reading the Salesforce Partner Ecosystem Equality Report.