Microsoft Malta has organised another NGO Connection Day to promote the resources that technology has to offer to NGOs and charitable institutions.
“The commendable work of non-governmental organisations, charity institutions and voluntary groups is usually carried out with limited resources and restricted expertise. However, the potential and effectivess of this priceless work may be strengthened through the application of technology and its unlimited resources,” Adrianna Zammit, country manager of Microsoft Malta, said in her opening address.
Microsoft Malta has so far donated over €560,000 in software, hardware and financing.
The event was attended by around 70 members from 60 NGOs, double the number who attended last year’s first edition.
Hosted at the Microsoft Innovation Centre, the second edition of the NGO Connection Day explored various aspects, such as how NGOs can use social media to promote their mission and increase reach, donors and volunteer engagement, how intermediary organisations are driving the digital society and how to align ICT use, acquisition and management with an organisation’s mission, vision and business plan.
They were also briefed as to how Microsoft’s Citizenship programme assists local NGOs through software donation. In her address, Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli highlighted Microsoft’s Citizenship Report for 2012.
“I was impressed with the initiatives and the enormous amount of work, as well as with Microsoft’s sense of commitment to serve communities and people around the world. Locally, Microsoft Malta has donated over €560,000 in software, hardware and financial donations as it strives to make its products more accessible to people, especially young people with limited opportunities, to non-profit organisations, to people with disabilities and senior citizens,” she said.
“This reflects the work that Microsoft has been conducting on a global level. Only last year, Microsoft donated $96 million in cash grants to 16,000 organisations worldwide and $504 million in software to almost 43,700 organisations across the globe.”
Since 1983, Microsoft has given more than $6.5 billion in cash, services and software to tens of thousands of non-profits around the world.