EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

From: Steve Berkowitz
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 9:42 AM
To: All Employees of MS in Puget Sound; Employees of MS in MSUS
Subject: Empowering People to Make a Difference



Microsoft is a leading corporate contributor and our employees are among the most philanthropic people on the planet having donated a combined total of more than US$103 million in cash and $331 million in software to nonprofit organizations throughout the world last fiscal year. And like us, our customers have told us that they want to make a difference on issues that are important to them .



To further these efforts, I'm excited to let you know that today in the U.S. we launched the "im_logo.png Initiative," which connects users of Windows Live Messenger with nine of the world's most significant causes and the leading non-profit organizations associated with them. The more im_logo.png conversations customers have, the more money will go toward these urgent social issues. Microsoft will share a portion of the program's advertising revenue with the user's chosen organization, and will guarantee that each organization receives a minimum of $100,000 in donations during the first year of the program. There is no upper limit, so greater usage can increase the contributions.



Organizations participating in this exciting initiative are: American Red Cross , Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National AIDS Fund, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ninemillion.org, Sierra Club, StopGlobalWarming.org, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and U. S. Fund for UNICEF.



During the past few months, Online Services has announced several cause-related programs. For every search at Click for a Cause , Microsoft contributes to ninemillion.org, a UN agency-led campaign providing education and sports programs for the nine million refugee youth around the world. In partnership with the Save Our Selves (SOS), a campaign for a climate in crisis, this summer MSN will stream the Live Earth concerts across seven continents to an expected global audience of 2 billion. MSN has also partnered with LeBron James on his site ( LeBron.msn.com) where he shares his personal experiences and inspirational messages with kids and teens. These efforts empower consumers by providing the tools to make a real difference while using the services they already know and love.



These initiatives go beyond good business, and reflect our global responsibility. I am personally quite proud that we have both the technology and the passionate employees to make this happen. To join the im_logo.png Initiative, simply go to http://im.live.com , and select the organization you wish to support and download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger (8.1) to become part of the solution.



Spread the word to your friends, and help start the movement by saying im_logo.png Making a Difference.



Steve