Microsoft is, without a doubt, a very rich company and pays its employees well. That allows Microsoft team members to give out their money to those who might need it more. Today, Microsoft announced that its US-based employees raised $100.5 million for over 18,000 charitable organizations in 2011, a new record for the company. Since Microsoft employees started giving money to non-profit groups in 1983, they have donated a total of $946 million to charity.
Microsoft offers all of its employees a $12,000 corporate matching gift that is given to either match an employee"s monetary charitable contribution or when an employee volunteers his or her time with a non-profit at $17 an hour. Microsoft said that in 2011, its employees donated 426,671 volunteer hours to non-profit groups, which was 20 percent more than what its employees did in 2010. That allowed Microsoft to match their employees" volunteer time to the tune of $7.2 million in additional donations.
Microsoft even holds an annual online auction for employees with the funds raised going to charity. In 2011, the auction had over 1,000 items to bid on, including things like coveted reserved parking spaces, a cookbook that was signed by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and every employee"s dream: a chance to take on a Microsoft executive in the boxing ring. The online auction ending up raising $670,000.