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The program is currently available to full-time employees of Apple in America, but will expand to other countries in time. It was announced on Thursday in an e-mail sent out to employees by Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, which was obtained by MacRumors
Starting September 15, money donated to a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Apple. Up to $10,000 will be matched every year, should employees choose to take advantage of the program.
"Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here at Apple and in the lives of others," Cook wrote to employees. "I am incredibly proud to be part of this team."
The philanthropy of Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs himself was highlighted last week by Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2. Bono felt compelled to write a letter to The New York Times to respond to an Andrew Ross Sorkin editorial entitled "The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving," in which Sorkin questioned why there is "no public record" of Jobs donating his money to charity.
Bono highlighted Apple's continuing contributions toward the fight against AIDS in Africa, which the company has supported with special red iPod models since 2006. For each unit sold, Apple donates proceeds to (Product)RED, of which Bono is a founder, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.
The full e-mail sent out to Apple employees by Cook on Thursday is included below:
Team:I am very happy to announce that we are kicking off a matching gift program for charitable donations. We are all really inspired by the generosity of our co-workers who give back to the community and this program is going to help that individual giving go even farther.
Starting September 15, when you give money to a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Apple will match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 annually. This program will be for full-time employees in the US at first, and we'll expand it to other parts of the world over time.
Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here at Apple and in the lives of others. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.
If you'd like more information on the program, you can get it on HRWeb, which can be easily accessed through AppleWeb.
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27 Comments
You know what would be cool...if Apple created a Charity Store that worked just like the App Store--break down legit charities by category, give a brief synopsis of what they do, how much money they've received, etc...and allow anyone to easily donate via iTunes
You know what would be cool...if Apple created a Charity Store that worked just like the App Store--break down legit charities by category, give a brief synopsis of what they do, how much money they've received, etc...and allow anyone to easily donate via iTunes
Would Apple get 30% off the top?
You know what would be cool...if Apple created a Charity Store that worked just like the App Store--break down legit charities by category, give a brief synopsis of what they do, how much money they've received, etc...and allow anyone to easily donate via iTunes
Too much effort, and people would call shenanigans if apple would collect the usual 30%.
Too much effort, and people would call shenanigans if apple would collect the usual 30%.
Forget about the cost, it would just be a "bag of hurt" from a perception/politics angle. There are too many controversial organizations and Apple would either be tarred by associating with them or lamasted for cherry picking who was allowed in. Nice idea, but let the United Way deal with it.
Shareholders will probably cry over this. They were so used to "maximizing" the maximum profit. Any dime goes to charity is a dime less in their pocket.
PS: I support Tim Cook %100 on this. There are more leftovers from Steve Jobs Apple needs to change.