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. Now we have grown from six buildings and Lake Invoice in Redmond to places of work in over 190 nations. A whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals have shipped 1000’s of merchandise which have made all of us extra linked, environment friendly and revolutionary.
By means of all the expansion, change, and technological progress, there’s one frequent thread that ties our Microsoft workers and their communities collectively— Microsoft’s Give program. It’s elementary to who we’re as an organization. It displays our values and our dedication to serving to each particular person 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 workers, who inform us time and again they derive heartfelt worth from our neighborhood connections. We’ve logged almost 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 have fun the generosity of our workers who passionately give their money and time to assist nonprofits they care about within the communities the place they reside and work.
- In 2024, our workers 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 workers volunteer their time to assist nonprofits on their digital transformation journey—we had 1,200 workers line as much as take part and the demand is rising.
- Our workers, previous and current, have donated over $3 billion since our first Give marketing campaign and offered 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 lots of our workers who reside proper right here within the Puget Sound area are so deeply dedicated to creating a distinction. It exhibits within the numbers!
- The full donations in 2024 to nonprofits within the state was $88 million, and over 460,000 hours of volunteer time. It’s the very best variety of volunteer hours we’ve ever offered 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 workers have logged 6 million volunteer hours.
- Probably the most inspiring statistic? 80% of our Washington state workers participated in our giving program – sharing their time and their private sources.
These numbers inform the story of influence, however it’s the private tales of our native changemakers and the nonprofits they assist that inform the true story.
What actually issues
The Fred Hutchinson Most cancers Analysis Middle can also be celebrating a 50-year anniversary. What began as a regional most cancers middle has become a world-class biomedical analysis and scientific care establishment. Microsoft and our workers have supported the important work of Fred Hutch because the Eighties.
Some workers have a really private cause 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, dropping my dad so early, and attempting to drive influence.” For her, “I’m eager about supporting causes and making an influence one year a 12 months.”
Her give attention to outcomes is echoed by lots of our workers. 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. Certainly one of our workers states the drive for influence fantastically when he mentioned, “When my time is over on this planet, what’s going to I say I actually did to make an influence?”
Committing to long-term influence
Northwest Harvest is likely one of the nation’s largest impartial meals banks, gathering and distributing meals to greater than 400 associate organizations throughout the state of Washington. Additionally it is considered one of our prime ten giving recipients—in each {dollars} and volunteer hours—12 months after 12 months.
Thomas Reynolds, CEO of Northwest Harvest, talks concerning 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 concerning the significance of scale. Nevertheless, important and sophisticated points like starvation and meals safety additionally require a long-term dedication to impact significant and lasting change. The continuity of our workers’ assist supplies a strong basis to assist the group attain its objective 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 particular person, group, neighborhood, and nation. Even in a state like Washington, dwelling to among the largest and most influential firms globally, financial alternatives are usually not accessible to all.
To assist handle the problem, our Give program has supported the Washington State Alternative Scholarship (WSOS) since its inception in 2011. WSOS removes boundaries to training 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 scholar, Douglas Lepar, Microsoft Director of Operations Program Administration, skilled the identical challenges as WSOS students. He additionally brings years of expertise and data of working within the know-how area, which he generously shares with students by means of the Abilities 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.”
Trying ahead
I’m each grateful and impressed once I take a look at how Microsoft workers give to create a constructive and lasting social influence. There’s a great quantity of change on the earth immediately, putting vital stress on nonprofits organizations worldwide. They’re grappling with immensely complicated conditions and are being requested to answer 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 will rise to immediately’s challenges and guarantee everybody has the chance to thrive.