Author: Randall Ward, Co-founder and CEO of Appfire
On this Giving Tuesday I want to take a moment to talk about the other side of community and philanthropy: sharing my perspective from the receiving end of charitable giving and the transformative impact even the smallest gestures can make.
I lost my dad to cancer when I was 7 and my sister and I were raised by a single mom. We lived in a rundown apartment and my mom had to make really tough tradeoffs on a monthly basis, like “Do we want hot water, or toilet paper and essentials?” We lived slightly above the poverty line of $9,862 in 1982 which meant we were labeled as “low income,” or a family whose total income was less than 200% of the poverty threshold. Because of this, we didn’t qualify for relief programs and at the time there weren’t many anyway. Today that line is $31,200 for a family of four.
The United States is considered the richest country in the world, and yet in 2024, 37.9 million (11.5%) American families live in poverty. Add another ~93 million (29%) Americans who live with incomes less than double their poverty threshold. This translates to 40% of the U.S. population who are disconnected from the social safety net and in need of assistance programs to unlock basic human needs such as food, housing, medicine, mental health care, employment, transportation, and education.
Although statistically we were poor, we were fortunate to live in a community with many selfless people who gave generously. Whether donating money, clothing, food, transportation, shelter, or time, they gave often, sometimes without knowing the magnitude of their giving. These are just some of the ways that support took shape:
- The Bariteau family provided daycare so my mom could work two jobs. Daryl Bariteau helped raise me and to this day, I consider her my “other mom.”
- The Hsia family donated money necessary for me to join and participate in Scouting and afterschool programs, and Dr. Hsia was the single most influential person in my life while growing up. Dr. Hsia taught me the importance of integrity and of keeping my word, pushed me to see things through, reminded me that patience through collaboration is a critical skill, showed me that small course corrections lead to big changes over time, and provided so many more lessons like these that I was able to apply while growing Appfire years later.
- The Dyers donated money so we could join the ski program, an activity I still enjoy today.
- The Davis family donated food that they grew, their children (older than us) gave us their hand-me-down clothing, and when I was a teenager Mr. Davis hired me to work on their farm and taught me to drive.
- The Batsons gave my mom a loan to start her own business, a third job to help bring in supplemental income, and paid for us to go on camping trips. Bob Batson taught me engineering principles and at 15, I worked with his startup, Electric Vehicles of America, helping convert small pickup trucks from gas to electric. This was decades before Tesla and still one of my fondest childhood memories.
- Jean Haynes paid for our instruments so my sister and I could join the band and choir. My sister spent much of her older teenage years circling the globe in a traveling choir. I still play music. Jean also helped me buy my first car and then years later loaned me money to go to college.
- The Seeleys and Crowthers allowed me to sleep on their couches for a two-year period, from age 15 until 17 when my mom was hospitalized and I became homeless.
- Steve Morrissey became a father figure, mentor, and coach.
- The McMahons checked on my mom, sister, and me frequently and gave selflessly in so many ways: time, food, and, while I was homeless during high school, a place to sleep at their house 2-3 times per week. Their daughter Kerri became my best friend, and as teens, we talked on the phone every day for hours.
These are the givers I knew, but there were countless others too — some anonymous and some that I wish I could remember today to honor them in memory.
My life was positively shaped and changed by these generous givers to whom I credit many of my interests and passions, as well as my creativity, success, and my own philanthropic efforts through Pledge 1%, Appfire Town, and more — and without whom I would have walked a very different path.
On this Giving Tuesday and every day that you are able, I challenge you to give back in whatever way you can. Your giving can make a difference in the lives of millions of families, just like my own, that are in need today, tomorrow, and beyond.
About Randall
Randall Ward is the co-founder and CEO of Appfire. He is committed to helping teams everywhere tackle their biggest challenges by breaking down silos, boosting productivity, modernizing their tech stacks, and adding value to the platforms they already have. He began his career as a telecommunications signaling engineer and spent the past 25 years building and scaling software companies, from early-stage through IPO and acquisition, including Boston Communications Group (1996) and Net.Genesis (2000). He has consulted and worked for Boston Scientific, Oracle and Vodafone, and helped architect MIT’s OpenCourseWare platform. Randall also held a technology advisory role for LFM/SDM, one of MIT Sloan School of Management’s most prestigious programs, and worked as a visual learning researcher at Stanford University. He is an investor and advisor to emerging enterprise software companies in the US and Australia and is actively involved with investments in virtual workspaces, AI advancements in healthcare, and software automation. He firmly believes that making a positive impact is integral to business and proudly serves as a member of the Pledge 1% Global Visionary Council.
About Appfire
Appfire is the leading global provider of software that enhances, extends, and connects the world's leading platforms to make work flow any way teams want to work, from planning to product ideation, product development, project delivery, and beyond. Appfire increases the value of platforms such as Atlassian, Microsoft, monday.com, and Salesforce, enabling teams to thrive and do their best work together. With more than one million users, Appfire's popular solutions are helping teams with Enterprise Collaboration, DevOps, Workflow & Automation, Product Portfolio Management, IT Service Management (ITSM), Document Management, Business Intelligence and Reporting, Administrative Tools, Agile Tools, Developer Tools, Time Tracking, Publishing, and Integrations. Appfire has been selling its popular software products on the Atlassian Marketplace since it first launched in 2012, and today Appfire has the most widely adopted portfolio of Atlassian apps across tens of thousands of customers worldwide. Learn more at www.appfire.com.
