Member Profiles
Tom Hsieh
When I graduated from college, God pointed out to me: 1) He has a heart for the poor, and 2) I didn’t. So I decided to place my self where I could develop a heart for the poor. I passed up lucrative job offers, joined Servant Partner’s work (where I eventually met my wife, Bree) and took an hourly job as a computer technician. But even on that salary, I made more than I needed, so God started disciplining me in giving.
When Bree and I married seven years go, we knew that we could easily slide into spending more on ourselves. So we committed to living at or below the national median household income (currently $46,000/year) as way to set a limit. I’m 36, my wife is 31, and our daughter Kadence is now one year old.
This year I co-founded a new telecommunications business, SplinterRock, Inc. We save our clients 30%-70% on their telecommunications expenses, and have a non-profit affinity program that generates recurring unrestricted revenues for our non-profit partners.
Last year I made more than $200,000 as a technology executive; our family lived on $38,000 and donated the remaining money (after taxes). Giving is easy, because we live in the second poorest community in L.A. county, where needs stare us in the face. Compared to our neighbors we are still wealthy. We have two bedrooms for the three of us, while most of our neighbors have 3 families in the same sized apartment.
Two years ago, after we had already done our giving for the year, God told us to get ready to give out of savings as well. The next week someone in our community had a significant financial need. Then a friend overseas had an urgent need. Then a family member had a financial crisis. By the end of the month our savings account was wiped out. Amazingly, a couple months later I received a bonus that matched what had gone out.
Some think too much of us and think we’re saving people’s lives. But doing this giving—putting time as well as money into Servant Partners and Pomona Hope-- has saved my life. I could easily have lived a life that was boring and inconsequential. Now I am graced with a life of service and meaning.