Márcio has over 10 years of experience in backend development, system analysis, and CRM development. He joined UncommonGood as the Backend Engineer because he was looking to make something meaningful for society through his technology skills. In his role as the Backend Engineer, Márcio designs the structure of the software application, making sure UncommonGood’s software is secure, stable, and has quick response times so that users can access the tools they need quickly.
Making a Difference Through Action
Growing up in the countryside of Brazil, Márcio watched his father try his best to help people when they needed it. He was always helping neighbors, friends, and family, and he inspired Márcio to always be ready to help those in need. This early childhood exposure to helping others combined with his entrepreneurial spirit led Márcio to take action during the pandemic.
Márcio and his husband saw that a local hospital was in need of masks. They sprung into action, forming a nonprofit with 22 volunteer seamstresses and raised money to buy mask making materials. In total, they were able to produce and donate 4,200 masks to the local hospital! But they didn’t stop there – the couple also got involved with a group of volunteers that worked to feed hungry children. Normally the kids received their only meal of the day at school, however, during the pandemic, the schools were closed so the kids were going hungry. Márcio and the team sprang into action, donating food and painting little pieces of art on the covers of the plastic bowls every Friday.
While volunteering to feed the children, Márcio interacted with another nonprofit that needed help with its website. In exchange for donating food to the hungry kids, Márcio developed a website for ADCE using his tech skills! According to Márcio, technology matters because it allows us to connect to people all over the world and it enables us to help people we wouldn’t have been able to in the past because it breaks frontiers. By building ADCE a website, they can now spread their mission worldwide and fundraise online.
UncommonGood Makes an Impact
“UncommonGood is a special place where we all can be ourselves without any fear of judgment, where all identities and creeds are embraced and we all treat each other as we would like to be treated. It is also a place where work-life balance is beyond expected – the wellbeing of the team is first priority,” Márcio said when asked about UncommonGood’s culture. “Apart from that, it is driven by a sense of purpose rather than profit.”
Márcio’s knowledge and ability to create software drives his purpose and he knows that UncommonGood’s affordable software makes an impact on both donors and nonprofit organizations by making it possible to spread the good they are doing. Sometimes even small changes make a huge impact on NPOs who are trying their best to help others and manage the NPO itself. Márcio and the entire UncommonGood team look to the nonprofits for feedback so we can continually improve the software. From allowing donors to see all the teams and individuals listed on a fundraising page (instead of the original 5) to being able to upload a list of donor contact information without having to fill in all the fields (because some donors don’t give all their information out), the team is constantly listening so nonprofit teams can better understand and manage the donations they receive.
For Márcio, good is the capability that we as humans have to positively impact others, no matter how big or small that impact is.
A Passion for People
In his free time, Márcio likes to read, take walks, and play pokemon go, but his real passion is in learning people’s stories. He loves hearing about their lives and experiences because everyone is so unique and everyone has an uncommon story. Márcio personally believes that the support his family has given him since he told them he was a gay man has left a huge, positive impact on his life. Although he was raised in a rather conservative place, where people are very judgemental, having his family support him means the world to him and has helped shape his experiences and outlook on life.
Uncommon Facts
- I got interested in technology after I bought my first laptop after high school and it started getting viruses. I started reading about why computers get viruses, information security, and after a while, I started studying programming because I wanted to be able to create computer software.
- I’m a Taekwondo Songahm black belt. It’s been a while since I last practiced, but taekwondo has made a huge, positive impact on my life. It helped me improve my self-esteem, self-control, and believe in myself more. I practiced taekwondo for more than five years and went to many competitions. I also have taught taekwondo for a while.
- My favorite NPO is Aavaaz because of the causes it brings attention to such as corruption, climate change, human rights, and animal rights.
If you have a passion to make a difference in someone’s life like Márcio does, then check out UncommonGood’s partner nonprofits. Our partner organizations positively impact people every day!
