Hooray for Giving!

At Microsoft, giving is ingrained in our culture, a cornerstone of our citizenship and as our employees will tell you, one of the most rewarding — not to mention fun — aspects of our jobs.

When our giving program began in 1983, approximately 200 Microsoft employees raised $17,000 for nonprofits. Today, more than 35,000 employees participate in the campaign, which is approximately 65% of Microsoft’s total U.S. workforce.

Now we’ve reached a milestone that really has us shouting for joy: our 30th Employee Giving Campaign, and $1 billion in employee contributions to more than 31,000 nonprofits around the world since 1983.

A Special Celebration

This October we celebrated 30 years of employee giving and the vital work of the non-profits we support with a unique event featuring Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire, United Way King County CEO Jon Fine, additional nonprofit partners and Microsoft employees.

Microsoft announced a $25,000 contribution to each of the four nonprofits that have received the most support from employees over the last 30 years. We heard firsthand how giving started at Microsoft. And we joined together in imagining what the next three decades of employee giving will bring.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman and Founder Bill Gates commemorated Microsoft’s 30th Employee Giving Campaign during a special town hall event today and announced that Microsoft employees have raised $1 billion in cash since 1983 for more than 31,000 nonprofits and community organizations in the U.S. and around the world. Redmond, Wash. — Oct. 18, 2012.

Learn More About 30 Years of Giving at Microsoft

News & Video: Microsoft 30 Years of Giving Event

Blog post: A Billion Ways to Make a Difference

How Giving Works at Microsoft

Microsoft’s annual Employee Giving Campaign takes place in the U.S. throughout the year, with a special push every October. You can feel the energy on campus as the campaign hits high gear, with more than 300 activities including a 5K Run, an online auction and other special events.

Microsoft matches employee nonprofit donations and volunteering year round up to $12,000 per employee. Microsoft also helps employees find nonprofits that best match their volunteering skills and interests with our own in-house volunteering tool.

It adds up to a very real impact on local communities near and far — and an enduring giving culture that stems directly from our mission as a company: to help people realize their full potential, in everything they do.

Employee Giving by the Numbers

• Microsoft employees have donated $1 billion, inclusive of the corporate match, since 1983.
• Microsoft employees in the U.S. have volunteered more than 2 million hours of their time to causes they care about since we began our volunteer match program in 2005.
• Since 1983, Microsoft and its employees have provided more than $6.5 billion in cash, services and software to nonprofits around the world.