Microsoft has a history of supporting education with discounted software, including both Windows and Office, most recently announcing the Student Advantage deal for Office 365. The company also shows a charitable side towards nonprofit companies and agencies, making similar offerings. The most recent is Windows 8.1, the brand new operating system, which has only been released last month.
Jane Meseck, Director of Corporate Citizenship at Microsoft, announces “thanks to many of you, we received a tremendous response from the nonprofit community around the world with the launch Windows 8.” She proceeds to explain the advantages of the new operating system, stating “Windows 8.1 is an evolution of the Windows 8 vision, bringing together powerful productivity apps and a range of ways to ensure your team can reach the resources they need from any device or location.”
However, the crux of all of this is, not only to expound on the improvements offered by the upgrade, but to let it be known that the same great offer extended to nonprofits for Windows 8 is also in effect for the new OS. Eligible parties can visit the Microsoft Corporate Citizenship site to request a software donation. “Eligible organizations receive their Microsoft software donations through our partner TechSoup Global and their worldwide network of partner,” the site points out.
The company claims that 70,286 nonprofit organizations around the world received Microsoft technology donations during fiscal year 2013. This is not just software, but hardware as well, with 500,000 refurbished or discounted hardware devices available to nonprofit organizations. The program covers 117 countries, and this year even launched HelpBridge, a mobile application that helps people connect with their loved ones during a natural disaster.
