We’re excited beyond words to announce that our unique “causium” model has produced more than $2.5 million in donations to Room to Read, a Bay Area non-profit dedicated to improving literacy and gender equality in education for children around the world.
So what’s our secret?
Start small and think long-term.
We reached this milestone in increments of just $10 through our unique ‘starter licensing program‘ or Causium model (the mash-up of freemium with a ’cause’) where teams of ten users or less can purchase our software for $10/month and then the revenue is donated to charity. Since 2009, the program has more than doubled, generating more than $2.5 million in charitable donations. Our Causium program is part of our larger philanthropic endeavors known as the Atlassian Foundation, through which we donate one percent of profits, employee time and equity to charity.
Focused on giving youth of the world access to a world-class education to break the poverty cycle, the Atlassian Foundation was founded in 2008 and has now donated more than 1,500 hours of employee volunteer time and $3 million in donations to various charities around the world. The $2.5 million in donations to Room to Read have empowered the non-profit to positively impact the lives of nearly 90,000 children, mostly in Cambodia, by giving them access to education. The funds, which support literacy and gender equality, have built more than 150 libraries and six schools, sponsored 1,500 girls to attend school, published 10 new local language books, and enabled much-needed renovations. Atlassian is the original donor of the Reading and Writing pilot in Cambodia.
“This is a huge milestone for the Atlassian Foundation and a wonderful example of how powerful our Causium model can be,” said Jeremy Largman, who helps lead the Atlassian Foundation. “By making donations of just $10 at a time, we’ve made a huge impact on an important issue at a global level. By making small changes and thinking long-term, there’s no reason why every business can’t give back and support its community on important causes.”
Room to Read is just one of nine education-focused charities that the Atlassian Foundation supports, including four near both our US and Sydney offices. Several months ago, we awarded four SF-based charities with grants of up to $10,000 in order to increase our impact on our local community. We’ve also donated more than $350,000 to the Sydney-based Social Ventures Australia, which currently supports AIME, CareerTrackers & Beacon. As Atlassian continues to grow, we’ll continue to uphold our pledge to give back to our community and look for more ways to expand the impact of our philanthropic efforts.
Come celebrate and learn more about this growing trend at our “Causium in Action” event
We’re celebrating this milestone by hosting a joint event with Room to Read on Tuesday, May 14 at our San Francisco office. The event will feature a panel discussion with Room to Read Founder John Wood, Atlassian’s vice president of corporate development Jose Morales and knowledge management program manager Jeremy Largman talking about the success of Atlassian’s unique model. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join!
Check out our article on Fast Company!