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Blog Post: Consistency and Flexibility are the Foundation of Microsoft’s Community Investments

Akhtar Badshah

Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of blog posts reflecting on the evolution and impact of Microsoft’s Community Technology Skills Program you can find links to the previous entries at the end of this post. If I had to summarize in a few words the most important thing Microsoft...

on24 Oct 2011
Blog Post: Partners with Deep Local Roots Can Make the Difference

Akhtar Badshah

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of blog posts reflecting on the evolution and impact of Microsoft’s Community Technology Skills Program you can find links to the previous entries at the end of this post. When I think of Ren Xuping, I think about rabbits, and the importance...

on20 Oct 2011
Blog Post: Effective Community Investments Require Strong Local Partners and Leaders

Akhtar Badshah

A lot of factors determine whether a community technology skills program is successful. One of the most important is identifying strong community leaders with a deep understanding of community needs, a vision for how those needs can be met, and a willingness to take risks and innovate. Whether it’s...

on17 Oct 2011
Blog Post: Meeting Local Needs is Key to Success of Community Investment Programs

Akhtar Badshah

When Microsoft first began working on strategies to increase access to technology in underserved communities, we assumed that the most successful programs would be those run by nonprofits with a track record of success operating community technology centers and ICT skills training programs. It was...

on13 Oct 2011
Blog Post: Reflecting on Eight Years of Community Investment Worldwide

Akhtar Badshah

As Microsoft approaches the eighth anniversary of its Community Technology Skills Program (CTSP), I have been taking some time to reflect on the opportunities imagined and realized, the amazing things we’ve learned about running a global community investment program, and how all of that will guide...

on10 Oct 2011
Blog Post: Microsoft Commits to Bring Digital Access and Skills Training to 1M U.S. Students

Microsoft Citizenship Team

Posted by Anthony Salcito Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector Education, Microsoft Cross posted from Microsoft on the Issues Yesterday, I had the privilege of combining my personal passion with my profession on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting to announce that Microsoft...

on21 Sep 2011
Blog Post: Seattle Works Redefines its Office Space with the Cloud

Akhtar Badshah

Last Friday we had the pleasure of announcing Seattle Works as one of three worthy winners of the Tech for Good Contest sponsored by Microsoft and TechSoup. With so many great entries, it was hard to pick just three winners, but Seattle Works rose to the top for their innovative use of the cloud as a...

on10 Feb 2011
Blog Post: Microsoft's month of Giving kicks off

Akhtar Badshah

It’s a long standing tradition at Microsoft, that each October our employees come together and combine their energy, generosity and creativity to raise money for nonprofits and causes. The Giving campaign is a month long opportunity for our people to get involved and make a difference in their...

on6 Oct 2010
Blog Post: Announcing Microsoft Elevate America nonprofits grant program

Akhtar Badshah

Today we are launching the Elevate America community initiative , a new grant program that will support nonprofit organizations offering employment services, including technology skills training and job placement, in local communities across the United States. To support this initiative, we are committing...

on2 Sep 2010
Blog Post: Trip Report: South East Asia - Community First and Technology Second

Akhtar Badshah

Without doubt one of the best aspects of my job is getting to visit our partners and see firsthand their communities and the incredible work they are doing on the ground to address real social and economic issues. Most recently I was in Philippines and Indonesia and had the privilege visiting with...

on21 May 2010
Blog Post: Welcome to the Unlimited Potential Blog

Akhtar Badshah

Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) was launched by Bill Gates in 2007 as a company-wide effort to bring together business and philanthropic approaches to make technology more relevant, accessible, and affordable; encouraging close collaboration among businesses, local governments, educational institutions...

on21 May 2010
Blog Post: The EU-Africa Business Forum: ICT for Regional Economic Growth

Microsoft Citizenship Team

The current moment is a particularly challenging one for the continent of Africa. Following in line with the global economic crisis, growth in Africa is now expected to be only 2.8 percent in 2009, following five years of consecutive growth above 5.5 percent. Yet no time is more important than now to...

on15 Oct 2009