Microsoft is a big, global enterprise with tens of thousands of employees. The company encourages them to develop their passion and creativity through volunteer efforts, and has several programs in place to support these efforts.

1. Microsoft matches employees’ donations dollar for dollar when they give to charity. But they take it a step further: they also match volunteer time, and value it at $17 per hour. Through the Volunteer Time Matching program, for every hour an employee gives, Microsoft gives the organization $17, up to $12,000 per employee per year.
2. Time-matching programs encourage employees to volunteer for causes they support—whether it’s an environmental initiative, civic improvement or health and human services organization.
3. Microsoft focuses on its community partners, including United Way, HandsOn Network and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, mobilizing employees to support these organizations though the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program.
4. Employees are also encouraged to step up to leadership roles by volunteering to serve on nonprofit boards and to provide business and tehnology consulting at no cost to organizations that help their communities.
5. Disaster relief is another Microsoft focus, and during times of crisis, employees give both their expertise and their financial resources.

The results:

• In 2010, 35,000 Microsoft employees made charitable contributions
• 4,000 employees volunteered 350,000 hours
• Microsoft employees, through contributing money and volunteering their time, gave a total of $96 million to 16,000 nonprofits in 2010
• The top three recipients were the United Way of King County, WA, World Vision International and the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation
• Microsoft employees are the largest group of donors for Children’s Hospital
• The company organized hundreds of fundraisers, including a 5K run that raised $130,000, a national poker tournament that raised $260,000 and an online auction that brought in $500,000.

As long as Microsoft continues to be profitable, charities in Washington State and around the world will continue to benefit from the company’s generosity and that of its employees.

Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Volunteer Programs

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