The “Success Written in Lipstick” Foundation (Fundacja Sukcesu Pisanego Szminką) is a Polish non-profit focused on enabling personal development and increasing women’s presence in public life and business.
It has already gained widespread recognition for its flagship projects: “Businesswoman of the Year (Businesswoman Roku),” “Success IS ME (Sukces TO JA)” and “Fun. Tech. Future,” which aim to move women to the forefront of technological and entrepreneurial revolution. In 2023, the SPS Foundation made waves with their impactful campaign “#Isuportwomenssuccess (#Wspieramsukceskobiet)”, encouraging women to vote. Its tremendous influence is evident through record turnout during the 2023 election, with 75% of women casting a vote and, for the first time, outnumbering male voters.
The challenge
The SPS Foundation tackled a burning societal problem – Polish women not being active voters due to a widespread belief that their voices don’t matter. As stated during the survey conducted for the campaign’s purpose, almost 29% of Polish women do not feel adequately represented by any political party, 14% declare no interest in politics, and 11% feel disenchanted with politicians. Yet, most respondents could point to issues that matter to them – reproductive rights, economic inequity, childcare, domestic violence, and labor laws being mentioned. The main challenge was bridging the gap between female voters and candidates who would fit their preferences, incentivizing Polish women to take part in upcoming elections, and increasing awareness of key policies endorsed by Poland’s leading political parties. The campaign was directed towards a wide audience and employed a multi-channel strategy. It was supported by SWPS University and endorsed by Poland’s most prominent public figures, including actors, business leaders, journalists, and TV personalities.
Finding a solution to activate female voters
#Isupportwomenssuccess needed a trusted technological partner to spearhead its key element – a website http://wspieramsukceskobiet.pl compiling candidate statements on policies concerning women. The platform would aim to provide a quick and comprehensive guide to hesitant voters, delivering quick answers on candidates and their views on women’s issues, simultaneously avoiding any political bias. It would also boost a message that women’s votes matter and help make informed choices, combatting the main factors contributing to voting absence. The website would have to be intuitive and easy to use to serve its informative purpose and be able to handle a load of traffic, anticipating an increased interest due to impending election.
Matching leaders for impact
Speednet, a leading Polish software development agency, stepped in to support the SPS Foundation with a modern, responsive, and efficient web design just in time for the upcoming 2023 parliamentary election. This technological powerhouse has social responsibility strongly coded into its values, taking great care to support charity efforts in projects both big and small. Connecting with the SPS Foundation was a natural match – and an impactful one. Tech To The Rescue ensured that both parties are compatible on a service and cultural level, enabling a perfect fit between a trusted non-profit and socially-oriented tech company, and ensuring that both parties’ needs would be fulfilled. #isupportwomenssuccess was an initiative that matched Speednet perfectly, especially considering the increasing role of women in IT.
Harnessing technology for a societal breakthrough
As part of the campaign, Speednet developed http://wspieramsukceskobiet.pl, which featured answers to a 20-question survey from 304 parliamentary candidates and showcased them in a simple graphic form. Potential voters could check if the candidate is advocating for or against pro-women policies via a simple red-green system. The whole process had been designed to remain neutral and not deter any voters from participating.
The project has been conducted as part of the company’s pro bono engagements, promoting social consciousness, diversity, and inclusion, coded in Speednet’s DNA.
“As a proud partner of the Tech To The Rescue initiative, Speednet has actively contributed to the “I support women’s success” project, aiming to empower women’s participation in the 2023 parliamentary elections. Our role was pivotal in developing the website wspieramsukceskobiet.pl, a platform designed to raise awareness and initiate dialogue on crucial societal issues. This pro bono effort successfully highlighted the importance of every vote, engaging over 500 influencers and reaching 80,000 visits during the campaign. Our commitment to promoting civic engagement and social awareness reflects our belief in the transformative power of technology and diversity in building a better society.”Edyta Bartosek, Project Manager, Speednet
Project outcomes
Almost 80,000 unique users visited http://wspieramsukceskobiet.pl since the start of the campaign in September until the 15th of October. This short, but intense run led by Rocket Science Communication ended up gaining widespread international recognition, attracting media from across Europe and amassing sizable traffic. The success had been measured by the following metrics:
- Over 550 million audience reached through 2368 publications
- 12.6 million social media reach
- More than 100 publications and radio broadcasts in local media
The key metric of #isupportwomenssuccess has been a historical turnout record during the 2023 elections, with women constituting the majority of the voters. Almost 75% of Polish women with voting rights participated in the election, marking a milestone in the country’s history and signaling a new step for Poland’s political and societal maturity. It was the first time women outnumbered Polish men at the urns, with 72% of men participating. This breakthrough signifies an important change in women’s approach to citizenship and social responsibility. #wspieramsukceskobiet undoubtedly influenced increasing the number of female voters and guiding undecided ones toward the urns.
The widespread benefits of the impact project
The match benefited both Speednet and SPS Foundation in an incredibly impactful way. As a partner of a trusted and well-recognized NGO, Speednet not only garnered widespread media attention and positive coverage but also had a chance to address an important social issue. In recognition of the company’s efforts, Speednet has been awarded the Tech For Good badge 2023 by Tech To The Rescue in recognition of its commitment to leading impactful pro-bono IT projects. As for the SPS Foundation, the NGO gained a trusted technical partner who had an important role in delivering a strong base for the project and enabled a swift completion of a key feature that contributed to the campaign’s historical performance.
The synergy of both parties led to an unprecedented impact, changing the course of the Polish societal and political landscape and serving as a building block for women’s empowerment during a milestone election.
