June has officially arrived, and at North, we are turning up the volume, bursting with color, and celebrating Pride Month with a whole lot of heart.
This is a season to celebrate our vibrant global LGBTQIA+ community, honor the rich history of advocacy, and reaffirm our unwavering corporate commitment to equality and inclusion.
Kari Lawry, Chief People Officer at North said, “For me, cultivating a culture of belonging isn’t just a corporate initiative; it’s a foundational promise inspired everyday by my own trans non-binary child.
Supporting our Pride Affinity Group allows us to build a more modern framework for global advocacy. When we champion authenticity, we create an environment where everyone can truly thrive."
Our pledge: Real support and global giving
At North, belonging and respect are fundamental organizational values, and we believe corporate advocacy means taking real, measurable action.
We are incredibly proud to announce our continued support for the wider LGBTQIA+ community through renewed corporate donations to three phenomenal organizations:
- The Trevor Project: Supporting life-saving suicide prevention and crisis intervention initiatives for LGBTQIA+ young people.
- The Human Rights Campaign (HRC): Fueling the fight for systemic equality and institutional change.
- Glisten (formerly GLSEN): Advancing the creation of safe, affirming, and expressive K-12 school environments for all students.
These contributions reflect our core mission to champion a fair, equitable world where all individuals have the space to reach their full potential.
Blending inspiration with global connection
We kicked off our celebration with a guest speaker event featuring the brilliant LGBTQIA+ author, educator, and mentor Michael Leali. Leali joined our team to share powerful personal history and storytelling insights, leaving our entire organization feeling inspired to embrace and uplift diverse narratives.
Reflecting on the group's evolving mission, Courtney Sullivan, Implementation Manager at North and the Co-Chair of the Pride Affinity Group, shared her excitement for the community's growth, "We are welcoming everyone with open arms. We are really focusing on expanding allyship across the entire organization, ensuring that everyone who wants to advocate knows they have a place with us. Becoming a part of this group is a fantastic first step to connect and learn about each other as we go."
Because driving engagement across a modern, distributed workforce is an exciting opportunity, our Pride Affinity Group is leaning heavily into creative digital connection.
This month, we are inviting team members from all over the world to submit short, personal videos sharing exactly what Pride means to them.
Hearing these personal narratives reminds us that no matter the physical distance, shared corporate values bring us closer together.
The Pride challenge: Spotlighting our people
What is a celebration without a little corporate community spirit? Our teams are currently diving headfirst into our Pride Month Selfie Challenge: Share Your Pride.
We are encouraging team members across all departments to throw on their official, newly launched Pride@North t-shirts, snap a creative picture, and enter our internal raffle to win recognition points.
To spread the joy far beyond our internal channels, team members are taking the celebration public, using the hashtags #PrideAtNorth and #LifeAtNorth.
The power of corporate allyship and beyond
The most beautiful thing about Pride at North is that it truly belongs to everyone. We firmly believe that advocacy is an open, welcoming space for absolutely anyone who wants to support equality, learn, and lift up others.
The momentum does not stop when June ends, either. The Affinity Groups at North are already planning future intersectional collaborations, including a partnership with our Mental Health Matters network to host a co-sponsored discussion exploring mental wellness within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Plus, based on massive popular demand, we are already working on bringing back our signature "big queer yoga" wellness sessions later this summer.
At North, Pride is not just a page on the calendar or a temporary campaign. It is a living, breathing part of our corporate DNA. Here is to celebrating authenticity, fostering true allyship, and keeping the spirit of pride alive all year round.
North is a leading financial technology company that builds innovative, frictionless end-to-end payment solutions designed to simplify and grow businesses of all sizes. From the front door, to the back office, the developer world, and partnerships that expand the payments landscape, North offers proactive, comprehensive merchant services, in-house processing, and more.
