Community Operations Manager Monique van den Berg shares her inspiration for Likes for Trees
We're featuring an Atlassian Community favorite, our very own Queen @Monique vdB!
Monique is an inspiration within Atlassian and with our leaders and customers, whether she's advocating for a cause she's passionate about, facilitating Community Advisory Board meetings entirely in song, or sharing endless creativity by brainstorming ways to engage our customers and leaders in ways that are fun and special.
We love how she paves the way for amazing opportunities like Likes for Trees, where this month, we're enabling our community members to plant 30,000 trees through partnering with Eden Reforestation by simply liking content on the Atlassian Community! Better yet, the Atlassian Foundation is doubling our donation, so 30,000 clicks willl actually plant 60,000 trees!
Read on to learn more about where Mo gets her inspiration from.
Hey Mo! Tell us more about what you do at Atlassian.
I'm Monique, aka Mo! I’m originally from North Hollywood. and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband and our 11-year-old daughter. I’m the community operations manager for the online community, aka the queen of community. 😉
I started at Atlassian in 2017, right before our community launched on our new platform, and have watched it grow and evolve into something amazing over the years. With a migration to an even better platform coming up and our kudos program coming out of beta, I’m excited to see what’s next!
What’s your favorite Atlassian value and why?
I love all the values so this is really hard. I’m going to say Play, as a Team because I love the playfulness of our team and the creative part of my job. I have a degree in poetry so the fact that we’re able to design fun badges or have haiku contests makes it extremely fun.
Plus, I love the culture of our Communiteam and how we’re always willing to jump in and help each other, getting things done and laughing every day – as a team. (I bet you thought I’d say Be the Change You Seek, huh? I’ll get there…)
How did you hear about Eden Reforestation, and where did you get your idea for Likes for Trees?
When my daughter started getting an allowance, we gave her a piggy bank that included savings, spending, and donations. We talked about using her donation money to contribute a cause that was meaningful to her. She loves nature, so I did some research on highly rated nature-related charities and found Eden. At the time, it cost 10 cents to plant one tree (it’s still only 15 cents) and since her allowance was small, she could make a huge impact with a few dollars! Some of her money still goes to plant trees; her other favorite cause is the Ocean Cleanup.
Likes for Trees was inspired by a lot of things. One of them was Community Leader @Brant Schroeder, whom I am about to embarrass with this story probably. He won one of our community contests and in lieu of another prize, he requested a donation to his local food bank. I realized our community is full of people like Brant who might want to give back and be motivated to take a small action that gives back to the world.
Then, of course, an environmental cause made sense because of Mike Cannon-Brookes and his commitment to the climate. And finally, I remembered my daughter planting hundreds of trees with only dozens of dollars.
So as we thought about our next initiative as a team, we realized we could make a big impact, in a cause aligned with our company values, by tapping into the amazingness of our community. What better way to spend our budget than that? 😉
What do you most love about working with the Atlassian Community?
Easy: the people who are part of it. A community is not a platform or a portal, it’s the people who are involved. I’ve made genuine friendships through the community and love connecting with our amazing members and Leaders (especially at in-person events). To me, this speaks to our community’s authenticity and true human connection. Group hug!
You’re super involved with our Atlassian Foundation. How do you bring a Foundation opportunity from an idea to something others at your org and on your team can get involved in?
I created an internal Slack channel called #be-the-change (told you I’d get to this value) and I deeply appreciate being at a company that shares my values, where I can share different ways to get involved with fellow Atlassians, and hear from them about the causes that are meaningful to them.
There are so many ways to make a difference in the world and so many just causes; this year I’ve had to learn to really focus my giving and advocacy. It has made my year to be able to make Likes for Trees a reality – and we’ve already got team members advocating for Likes for Puppies next, so stay tuned. 😂
What’s a quote that inspires you?
This quote from Wisdom of the Jewish Sages by Rabbi Rami Shapiro:
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
What’s a tip for someone new to the Atlassian Community?
The community is here to help you. Whether you want to solve a thorny workflow problem in Jira, grow your career, become a Community Leader, attend local events, or just have fun conversations, there’s honestly something for everyone here. So don’t be afraid to jump in!
Thanks, Mo! Make some time to like some Community content to help us plant 60,000 trees with Likes for Trees, and learn more about our Community Leader program or find an in-person Community Event near you.
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Sharon Tan
About this author
Customer Marketing Content Manager
Atlassian Inc.
Austin, TX
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