To celebrate 300 consecutive weekly blog posts, I wanted to reach out to the community and share some great stories with you. In researching this post I have both been educated and inspired, so I am very excited to share this. As you may know there are several Ohana Groups in the Salesforce Community, but I did not know that there are actually 10 of them. Salesforce Community Manager Sofia Rodriguez introduced me to them, and to the people who run them, and we have stories from 5 of them today! Thank you to Sofia, this post could not have happened without you!
Latinoforce 
Sofía Rodríguez | Global Vice President, Latinoforce
Overview
Latinoforce was established in 2011 and is one of 10 Ohana Groups (Employee Resource Groups) at Salesforce. Our mission is to create inclusion for and drive the visibility of the Latino community at Salesforce and in the tech industry. We welcome our extended Ohana to join our group and attend our in-person events (like the Dreamforce Fiesta!).
How Your Community Benefits
Something I really appreciate and love about our leadership is our natural and genuine approach to allyship. With latinxs making up less than 4% of the Salesforce population, we have gravitated to doing outreach with our internal and community allies. We’ve had customers personally thank us for organizing sessions, the Fiesta, and Feria at Dreamforce, saying “..it was the first time I felt like I belonged at Dreamforce”. One particular event we hosted on-site for employees, there had been major conflict within a group, and after walking out of a processing session we held (unrelated to the group), they approached us to let us know it was the first time the teammates had understood and seen each other as people, instead of roadblocks. That was a really powerful moment, realizing that our actions could ripple across the business organization.
Best Piece of Career Advice
“Say yes to the things that scare you (within reason!)”. I added the last bit there for clarification, but it’s been advice that that has carried me through my career. Being a woman and latinx, I have constantly been told that I couldn’t do xyz, and consequently, I have seeked out those challenges as an opportunity to prove others wrong. When I start to think something is scary, that’s when I know I have to do it – be it going up on stage, being in a video, or as small as speaking up during a meeting. It’s the things that scare us which challenge us and allow us to grow. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t continulously said yes to those challenges.
Outforce 
Hrishi Kulkarni | Outforce Global Vice President, Outforce
Overview
Founded: 2011 with over 3200 members globally across 25 cities.
Outforce is Salesforce’s Ohana Group for allies of diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity. (Sometimes known at other companies as the “LGBTQ Employee Resource Group,” allies are definitely welcome!) Outforce helps drive Salesforce’s efforts around recruitment, integration, development, and retention of the LGBTQ+ workforce. We have 25 Outforce chapters and more than 3,200 members globally. Outforce is open to ALL employees who wish to promote and celebrate diversity within our global Ohana.
How Your Community Benefits
We recently launched Outforce in India (Feb 2018) to create a safe space and empower our ohana members from the LGBTQ community to bring their true selves to work. As a result of this launch, one of our employees came out openly as a cis-gender gay man at a company town-hall event in front of 500 employees in Hyderabad, India. India is a non-progressive nation when it comes to LGBTQ awareness and acceptance. India also has laws that discriminate and criminalizes LGBTQ people. To be able to promote and drive equality for LGBTQ community in India was a huge step and big win for both Outforce and Salesforce.
Personally, Outforce has positively impacted my own and life of my family members. Even though I have lived and worked in the Bay Area for 14 years, Salesforce is the first company where I can bring my true self to work and that is because of Outforce and the company’s commitment towards driving equality across the board. It has given me the platform to work for the LGBTQ community across the globe and empower and influence people both within and outside of Salesforce.
The work Outforce has done for the community globally has inspired my aunt who is lived all her life in India to learn more about the LGBTQ community, their challenges, and struggles. She is now a strong ally and is also volunteering to work with an LGBTQ non-profit in India.
Best Piece of Career Advice
I read this quote and it has inspired and influenced my life
The beauty of standing up for your rights is others will see you standing and stand up as well
Faithforce 
Michael Roberts | Vice President, Faithforce
Overview
We acknowledge, celebrate, and foster understanding of our global faith and religious diversity across Salesforce. Faithforce is open to all people of faith and allies who wish to learn about the different traditions that are integrated into our global communities. Founded in 2017, we have seven regional hubs and are continuing to grow across our offices.
How Your Community Benefits
Being a part of the Faithforce Community has helped me to feel confident to bring my whole authentic self to work, including an important part of my life, my faith. It’s helped me to share my story in a constructive way.
At Salesforce we really champion the concept of the ally, and I think this has been an important realisation as we create Faithforce communities in Salesforce hubs that for many people who aren’t of faith – they have a role to play. Allies can help to understand their teammate who does need to pray 5 times a day, or won’t drink alcohol, but also share in the joy of holidays that are important to them. Faithforce is all about sharing stories, and educating one another as we do so.
The world is full of misconceptions and misunderstandings around different faiths and worldviews. We want to encourage people to really own that at work, but share this with the broader Ohana. There is much we can learn from one another.
Best Piece of Career Advice
Be authentically me! I don’t shy away from my loud, extroverted, crazy self at work. In fact I try and think about how I can channel these qualities into something that can drive deeper conversations with our customers, and really become trusted advisors.
Southasiaforce 
Bhavit Desai | Global VP, Southasiaforce|
Overview
Southasiaforce – formed September 2016
Size of Ohana Group – 3289
Ohana Goals – Our goal is to celebrate a growing Global South Asian population! Our FY 19 goals are to focus on inclusion, diversity, celebrate south asian culture, and giving back to the community.
Join the Southasiaforce chatter group.
How Your Community Benefits
Being a member of the Southasiaforce community has helped me increase my awareness of unconscious biases that impact equality. It has helped me expand my network at Salesforce and given me the opportunity to work with Office of Equality and other Ohana Groups.
I think members of Southasiaforce are focused heavily in giving back and we have helped enable them this by making it easier for them to give back. Recently we were able to donate the proceeds of an event hosted by SAF to help support over 70 young girls in an orphanage. That credit goes to our Southasiaforce members. For our membership – events like our recent Leadership forum have helped provide executive guidance and mentorship.
In this political environment, we need to invest more in building bridges and getting to know each other better and doubling down our efforts on #equalityforall
Best Piece of Career Advice
If you are bored you are not learning anything. I use this to push myself into uncomfortable situations which forces me to learn new things.
Abilityforce 
Carden Wyckoff | Global Events Chair, Abilityforce
Overview
Abilityforce is a global network for people with disabilities and their allies, we transform perceptions and elevate the status of people with disabilities. We evangelize best practices and innovation around disability inclusion and accessibility in our products, workplaces, industry, and communities. Founded in 2016 with currently 1100 members and growing. Search chatter to join a local regional chapter to find who the local leaders to get involved or be a champion for the global group.
How Your Community Benefits
Everyone has been, is or will be affected by a disability either directly or indirectly whether it’s mental, physical, visible or invisible. I believe joining Abilityforce will help open your eyes on the importance of #AccessforAll in the offices, events, services and products we deliver internally and externally. It’s important that our society be sensitive and inclusive of all regardless of their ability and I believe joining Abilityforce will help shine light on this.
We want to build a culture that welcomes all vs creating obstacles that prevents someone from accomplishing a goal due to their physical limitations. Abilityforce will guide you to become an advocate for equality, participate in philanthropic activities and aid in your professional development if you choose to take on a leadership position. Lastly, we are a group of motivating self starters who envision a more equally accessible world and being surrounded by everyone’s positive energy is evangelizing.
Best Piece of Career Advice
The best place to meet people is in the elevator. Break the silence and discover a fun fact about them. The 15 seconds you have with someone new can change your day. You never know what doors will open from that conversation, but networking is the key to success. It’s not always what you know it’s who.
