Today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, we’re announcing the “What’s Your Cause Challenge” which will help support the fantastic work our partners have underway with nonprofits around the world. We believe that together we can have a greater impact, so we are committing to provide free Microsoft software to youth-focused nonprofits nominated by the Microsoft partner community. To kick start this effort, we are challenging our partners to nominate 500 youth-serving non-profits by August 31, 2012.

The initiative is an extension of our existing software donations program which is designed to give nonprofit organizations access to the technology they need, when they need it. We currently provide software to more than 40,000 nonprofits around the world each year.

At Microsoft, the success of our business depends on working closely with our business partners around the world. Many of these partners are already investing significant time and resources in working with youth-focused nonprofits in their local communities and we want to support that work.

So here’s how the Challenge works:

  • It’s open to all partners attending the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto.
  • Nominations are restricted to one nonprofit per Partner.
  • Nonprofits can receive only one donation as a result of this challenge; should your nonprofit have already been nominated, you will be asked to submit another.
  • The Challenge will be limited to the first 500 nonprofit nominations received and the deadline for nominations is August 31, 2012.
  • Qualifying nonprofits nominated during this period will receive their software donation free of fulfillment charges that would normally apply.
  • Partners attending the Worldwide Partner Conference can find out more details and how to submit their entries here.

You can follow all the latest news from the Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference at the Digital WPC or on Twitter use the hash tags: #WPC12 and #mspartner

 

Not a Microsoft partner but work with a nonprofit?

If you’re not a Microsoft Partner, but have a nonprofit you support, please find out how they can access a software donation from Microsoft here.