By Randall Ward

 

From the very beginning, every major decision we’ve made at Appfire has been driven by our number one core value — be human.

 

Today, we are incredibly proud to launch an entirely new brand in line with that value: Feed Three. For every Feed Three enterprise license purchased from the Atlassian Marketplace, Appfire will donate 100% of the profits to help feed three children for a year.

 

Our mission in this new endeavor is to provide children around the world with the essentials they need to live healthy, happy lives.

 

Why invest in giving back?

 

My co-founder Mat Gauvin and I believe that being philanthropic is an integral part of operating our business, not merely the result of our success. That’s why, three years ago, we joined a small group of pioneer businesses that pledge 1% of our equity, 1% of our employees’ working time, 1% of our profits, and 1% of our product towards helping our communities.

Initially backed by three successful businesses that are deeply committed to philanthropic efforts and foundational giving (Salesforce, Rally, and Atlassian), Pledge 1% wasn’t simply an experiment in giving back. No, this was much more — this was an experiment in humanity. Fast-forward to today, and Pledge 1% is now represented by more than 5,000 companies in over 100 countries.

 

Since joining the Atlassian ecosystem more than a decade ago, Appfire has generated hundreds of millions of dollars from product and professional services, and in turn, we’ve contributed well over $1.5 million towards non-profits and educational organizations such as Room to Read, American Cancer Society, and others.

 

While we certainly felt satisfaction from these contributions, deep down, we knew we could do more. A lot more.

 

Feed Three: A new brand and a new challenge

 

By launching Feed Three, we’re challenging our team, our customers, our partners, and the entire Atlassian ecosystem to do more and give more to leave a lasting impact on humanity.

 

Over 800 million people don’t get the food they need to live a healthy life, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Food Programme estimates that one-third of the food produced in the world is either lost or wasted.

 

But, we can make a difference. Hunger is a solvable problem — there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, and no scientific breakthroughs are needed to accomplish this mission. We can “be human” enough to see that we’re not simply giving to those in need; we’re standing with our fellow humans.

 

Our journey is no more special than any of the other businesses that have committed themselves to this great cause. However, it is one that we hope might help pave the way for others. Will you join us and take the Pledge today?