This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.
Appfire has been part of the Pledge 1% movement from its first year, and we’re always asking how we can do more to integrate giving into our DNA as a company.
Earlier this year, we created a Slack channel dedicated to #LivingThePledge where we share updates about volunteering year-round. And this November was our first-ever “Be Human” month where we encouraged the entire Appfire family to get out there and volunteer with organizations that matter to them.
With employees spread across the globe, it has been incredible to see how our team chose to give 1%.
One of our teammates in Hyderabad, India spearheaded a food drive at the office for the “Fill the Fridge” program run by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Another team member in Denver, CO helped serve breakfast at a local children’s home for kids who have survived trauma and abuse. Another colleague in Boston volunteered with a meal program for the homeless population. We have another teammate who has been coordinating a whole team to volunteer with a tech training program for people living in rural Kentucky.
Rallying our peers to join the movement
As part of the Pledge 1% Builder Program, we’re committed to giving extra resources and encouraging others to take the Pledge. We’re constantly asking ourselves how we can maximize our impact — how we can do more. The answer? Rally our community. For us, that’s the Atlassian ecosystem.
That’s why we’ve made a special donation of $50,000 to Pledge 1%, and we’re inviting other Atlassian vendors and partners to donate as well. After sharing this vision with Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar, he pledged to match any donations from other ecosystem partners up to $1 million.
We are truly lucky to partner with Atlassian to give back in this way and others. This past April, our team volunteered with the Atlassian Foundation during the company’s Summit conference working on a project to support aspiring female coders. We loved that work so much that we’ve signed on to be the official Atlassian Foundation sponsor for the 2020 Summit event.
There are always more ways to live the Pledge
Last year, we announced the launch of our socially-conscious app brand, Feed Three, the first of its kind on the Atlassian Marketplace. Since then, our first Feed Three product has grown and gained momentum, and we’re working to see even more progress in 2020.
Earlier this year, Appfire was invited to attend MIT’s Solve event. I attended on behalf of the Atlassian Foundation, and I wound up as an advisor to several projects with the potential to have a global impact by addressing some of society’s most challenging issues.
More recently, we just closed on the sale of one of our apps to another vendor, and to our delight, they suggested donating the proceeds of the sale to charity. We jumped at the opportunity to turn “business as usual” into making an impact. Now, those funds have been given to the Appfire Foundation to be distributed among various nonprofit charities.
You never know how you can integrate the pledge into your life, once you’re open to it. So this Giving Tuesday, remember that you can start anywhere — you too can take the Pledge.
