Helping worthy non-profit groups promote their causes is an important part of who we are at Method. We truly believe in the organizations to which we give pro bono support, providing expertise and commitment that enables them to amplify their messages, expand their audiences and attract the patrons and donors who can ensure their success.
One of our biggest pro bono successes to date has been our partnership with Encircle, an organization that strives to bring families and communities together to enable LGBTQ+ youth to thrive. Founded in Provo, Utah in 2017, Encircle provides and maintains safe spaces for young people where they can have access to therapy and other programs to help them lead fulfilling lives. Approximately 10 percent of Method’s team identifies as LGBTQ+, which makes this cause all the more meaningful.
Encircle was at work on its second location, in St. George, Utah, when it reached out to Method in 2020 to help it grow and further its mission. A fund-raising effort in 2021 that we helped promote, which had the support of luminaries including Apple CEO Tim Cook, far exceeded its goal of raising $8 million to build 8 new locations. And the media coverage surrounding the campaign put Encircle on the national stage, with more than 100 articles and broadcast segments, including Good Morning America, Billboard, NBC News, NBA.com, iHeartRadio, People and USA Today.
Since 2017 we’ve provided pro bono support for Parity.org, which was founded to promote gender equality in corporate America. We’ve helped the organization attract wide media coverage about the ParityPledge, in which companies commit to interviewing at least one woman and person of color for every job at the VP level and higher. So far, more than 500 companies have signed on.
Our work has included helping Parity.org and Ralph Lauren promote a roadmap for how brands in the fashion industry can break down barriers to achieve gender equality. We also helped the group place a byline in Fast Company by Cathrin Stickney, Parity.org’s founder and CEO, on the importance of tracking attrition in assessing a company’s DE&I efforts. Our work also gained the attention of Insider, which named Cathrin to its list of the “100 People Transforming Business.”
In spring 2021 we publicized the launch of ShePlace, an online platform and community to support and celebrate all self-identifying women, including cis and transgender women, as well as non-binary and gender-fluid individuals. It is the newest iteration of the influential women’s networking organization — Utah Wonder Women — that Method helped found in 2010, working with the noted documentary film producer Geralyn Dreyfous; Jacki Zehner, the first female partner at Goldman Sachs; and Jennifer Danielsen, former president of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah. Method’s women employees have been active participants and organizers for Utah Wonder Women and, now, ShePlace.