United Way Honors Microsoft for Measurable Community Impact

Recently, United Way honored Microsoft with the 2011 Summit Award to recognize the company and its employees for making a real and measurable community impact. Our Microsoft Silicon Valley campus has also been a major champion of our local United Way of Silicon Valley. In 2011, our Silicon Valley campus employees donated an all-time high $3.6 million to organizations and one of our top beneficiaries was UWSV. We’ve enjoyed an amazing relationship with UWSV; their work informs and amplifies our giving.

Models for community activism like United Way motivate our team to do more and give more. In fact, in 2011, more than 80 percent of Microsoft Silicon Valley campus staff participated in company’s employee giving program, the highest participation of any Microsoft site anywhere.

While the United Way’s Summit Award recognizes businesses, we know that it’s essentially an endorsement of “people power” – fueled in part by Microsoft’s tireless and spirited community champions here in the Valley – to effect real change. Being a good corporate citizen is core to Microsoft’s mission of helping communities realize their full potential, and we’re proud to share news that indicates we’re upholding that mission.

United Way seeks to advance the common good by igniting “a worldwide social movement, and thereby mobilizing millions to action — to give, advocate and volunteer to improve the conditions in which they live.” A nonprofit whose goal is to create massive, meaningful change in every community in the world? Needless to say, we are inspired!  For more information about United Way, please visit: www.UnitedWay.org.