to Give – Microsoft On the Points
Fifty years in the past, Microsoft opened its doorways and launched us to a world of know-how improvements that contact each a part of our lives. We’ve got grown from six buildings and Lake Invoice in Redmond to places of work in over 190 nations. Tons of of 1000’s of individuals have shipped 1000’s of merchandise which have made all of us extra related, environment friendly and modern.
By means of all the expansion, change, and technological progress, there may be one widespread thread that ties our Microsoft staff and their communities collectively— Microsoft’s Give program. It’s basic to who we’re as an organization. It displays our values and our dedication to serving to each individual and group on the planet do extra.
In 2024, our contributions reached historic milestones, highlighting the shared advantages of our giving program for the nonprofits we assist and for Microsoft and its staff, who inform us many times they derive heartfelt worth from our neighborhood connections. We’ve logged practically 6 million volunteer hours and $1.3 billion in lifetime donations to Washington nonprofits.
Giving is deeply ingrained in our tradition
It’s an honor to rejoice the generosity of our staff who passionately give their money and time to assist nonprofits they care about within the communities the place they dwell and work.
- In 2024, our staff worldwide volunteered 1.2 million hours and raised over $255 million to assist 36,000 nonprofits world wide.
- In our first full 12 months of the Change Agent program—the place staff volunteer their time to assist nonprofits on their digital transformation journey—we had 1,200 staff line as much as take part and the demand is rising.
- Our staff, previous and current, have donated over $3 billion since our first Give marketing campaign and supplied the equal of 1,277 years of volunteering to 36,000 organizations globally.
Investing in our personal yard
Nowhere is that this dedication to giving extra evident than in Washington, our HQ state, the place so a lot of our staff who dwell proper right here within the Puget Sound area are so deeply dedicated to creating a distinction. It exhibits within the numbers!
- The whole donations in 2024 to nonprofits within the state was $88 million, and over 460,000 hours of volunteer time. It’s the best variety of volunteer hours we’ve ever supplied in Washington in a single 12 months.
- We supported 4,900 nonprofits within the state in 2024—one other document.
- Our lifetime giving in Washington state alone has surpassed $1.3 billion and Microsoft staff have logged 6 million volunteer hours.
- Probably the most inspiring statistic? 80% of our Washington state staff participated in our giving program – sharing their time and their private assets.
These numbers inform the story of affect, however it’s the private tales of our native changemakers and the nonprofits they assist that inform the actual story.
What actually issues
The Fred Hutchinson Most cancers Analysis Heart can be celebrating a 50-year anniversary. What began as a regional most cancers middle has was a world-class biomedical analysis and scientific care establishment. Microsoft and our staff have supported the essential work of Fred Hutch for the reason that Nineteen Eighties.
Some staff have a really private purpose for his or her dedication to the group. La Shanda Hurst misplaced her father to colon most cancers when he was simply 43 years outdated. Her assist of the Hutch is rooted in her drive to make a distinction. “My total calling has to do with my life expertise, shedding my dad so early, and attempting to drive affect.” For her, “I’m eager about supporting causes and making an affect one year a 12 months.”
Her give attention to outcomes is echoed by a lot of our staff. They’ve shared that volunteering not solely permits them to make a tangible distinction of their communities but additionally fosters a robust sense of connection and objective. Considered one of our staff states the drive for affect superbly when he stated, “When my time is over on this planet, what is going to I say I actually did to make an affect?”
Committing to long-term affect
Northwest Harvest is among the nation’s largest impartial meals banks, accumulating and distributing meals to greater than 400 associate organizations throughout the state of Washington. It is usually one in all our high ten giving recipients—in each {dollars} and volunteer hours—12 months after 12 months.
Thomas Reynolds, CEO of Northwest Harvest, talks in regards to the significance of the connection, “The partnership with Microsoft signifies that there are actually 1000’s of people that take motion on meals justice points right here in Washington State. They supply monetary assist, their time, and their knowledge.”
We frequently speak in regards to the significance of scale. Nonetheless, essential and complicated points like starvation and meals safety additionally require a long-term dedication to impact significant and lasting change. The continuity of our staff’ assist supplies a stable basis to assist the group attain its aim of slicing starvation in half by 2028, and doing the identical for the variety of households struggling with out sufficient meals on the desk.
Investing in a future for everybody within the digital economic system
We imagine financial progress and alternative should attain each individual, group, neighborhood, and nation. Even in a state like Washington, dwelling to a few of the largest and most influential firms globally, financial alternatives should not accessible to all.
To assist tackle the problem, our Give program has supported the Washington State Alternative Scholarship (WSOS) since its inception in 2011. WSOS removes boundaries to schooling and helps traditionally excluded college students create a path to high-demand STEM, well being care, and commerce careers in Washington state. As a first-generation school pupil, Douglas Lepar, Microsoft Director of Operations Program Administration, skilled the identical challenges as WSOS students. He additionally brings years of expertise and information of working within the know-how discipline, which he generously shares with students by way of the Expertise that Shine mentor program. “I’ve been so impressed and humbled by the scholars I’ve seen who, because of this unimaginable program, have managed to juggle all these issues whereas nonetheless thriving, rising, and interesting.”
Wanting ahead
I’m each grateful and impressed once I have a look at how Microsoft staff give to create a optimistic and lasting social affect. There’s a super quantity of change on the planet as we speak, inserting important stress on nonprofits organizations worldwide. They’re grappling with immensely advanced conditions and are being requested to reply to extra crises than ever earlier than. Our changemakers proceed to step up as advocates, allies, funders, and volunteers. Their dedication provides me hope that we are able to rise to as we speak’s challenges and guarantee everybody has the chance to thrive.
