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The following post is from Lisa Brummel, Chief People Officer at Microsoft.
It’s been a busy autumn at Microsoft. When I watch the buzz of activity across the company, I see creative people collaborating and moving toward a vision. Our people are equally passionate about contributing to their communities outside of Microsoft. This energy is on full display during October, our annual Employee Giving Campaign – a magical time of year for all of us.
Last year was a significant moment for the Employee Giving Program as we marked the 30thEmployee Giving Campaign and the milestone of $1 billion raised for more than 31,000 nonprofits over those three decades (inclusive of corporate match). But we’re not done.
This year, we enhanced the Employee Giving Program to make a bigger impact: we increased the matching funds available to each employee to $15,000 (up from $12,000 in previous years), and we’re helping newly-hired Microsoft employees kick off their giving through a $50 donation to their nonprofit of choice. We’re on track to beat last year’s number, driven by our motivation to support nonprofits in making the world a better place.
As October comes to a close, so do the more than 300 Giving events that occurred throughout the month. We ran, jogged or strolled at the 5K. We raised funds in a relay across time zones with our international colleagues through the 24-Hour Global Give & Go – and one Microsoft employee even ran around campus for the full 24 hours to raise money for theSankara Eye Foundation. We “flocked” colleagues’ offices with flamingos, set up dunk tanks and held bake sales. We contributed recipes from around the world to the award-winningMicrosoft Cookbook to benefit FareStart. We bid on auction items such as breakfast at the Woodland Park Zoo with the twin sloth bear cubs, running the scoreboard at a Mariner’s game, and renaming Microsoft Way – a source of local media intrigue – to benefit Washington State Opportunity Scholarship and United Way of King County.
I am not alone in observing the generosity of Microsoft employees. This month, the company received two reputation-based honors. Consulting firm Performance Inspired surveyed nearly 5,000 consumers to discover America’s Most Inspiring Company, and consulting firm Reputation Institute invited 55,000 consumers across 15 markets to identify the Companies with the Best CSR Reputations. Microsoft received the top ranking in both surveys, with consumers applauding the company’s long-standing legacy of giving to the community through employee-driven and corporate philanthropy.
Choosing where to work often means finding a company whose values match your own. Our employees regularly tell us they choose Microsoft because they know their personal commitment to philanthropy will be honored, encouraged and matched. We have worked together to build a culture of giving that is truly part of Microsoft’s DNA. Whether you’re a Microsoft employee, a nonprofit organization, or a member of one of our global communities, we invite you to share your stories with us and follow our #msftgiving journey – onward toward the next billion!
Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program is one of the biggest in the world, with more than $1 billion dollars raised for more than 31,000 nonprofits since 1983. Today, Microsoft announced two changes to the program that will help employees support their favorite causes and nonprofit organizations in an even bigger way:
Microsoft will now match employee donations up to $15,000 per year (up from $12,000 in previous years). Microsoft continues to match cash donations 1:1 and volunteer time at $17/hour to the nonprofit.
Microsoft is helping newly-hired employees kick off their giving with a $50 donation to their nonprofit of choice.
Microsoft Employee Giving Campaign Highlights
More than 2,500 employees ran, jogged or strolled in the 5K Run/Walk around Microsoft’s corporate campus in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft employees Colin and Erica McCaig created the Microsoft Cookbookfilled with recipes contributed by employees all over the world. All proceeds benefit Seattle nonprofit FareStart, a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. The cookbook is available for purchase by employees and the general public, and has raised more than $175,000 for FareStart. The cookbook won Gourmand International’s 2013 award for “Best Charity/Fundraising Cookbook,” beating First Lady Michelle Obama’s cookbook American Grown.
The silent auction benefited Washington State Opportunity Scholarship and United Way of King County. Top auction items included:
- Running the scoreboard at a Seattle Mariners baseball game
- Guaranteed entry in the 2014 NYC Marathon, a training program, and marathon-day breakfast with Anthony Edwards (Goose from “Top Gun”)
- A look-alike avatar in Project Spark
- Breakfast at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo with the twin sloth bear cubs
- A stretch of Microsoft Way renamed after the highest bidder
Employees raised funds in a relay across time zones through the 24-Hour Global Give & Go – and one Microsoft employee even ran around the Redmond campus for the full 24 hours to raise money for the Sankara Eye Foundation.
Microsoft employee Alex Weinert organized Crush Kids’ Cancer to raise funds for Seattle Children’s Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research after his son was diagnosed with leukemia. Seattle Children’s Hospital became their second home for three years as his son endured chemotherapy. He was lucky to go into remission after treatment, but many children aren’t. Crush Kids’ Cancer raised more than $70,000 in 2013 through charity bike rides to fund phase one clinical trials of adaptive T-cell immunotherapy to help kids increase their chances of surviving childhood cancer.
