Microsoft's $1 billion donation is "great news" for the Australian not-for-profit sector says Connecting Up CEO Anne Gawen.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced a $1 billion donation of Microsoft Cloud Services through their newly-formed initiative (Microsoft Philanthropies), which presents "great news for the Australian not-for-profit (NFP) sector" says Anne Gawen, CEO of Connecting Up Inc.

"As Connecting Up is the global partner of the Microsoft philanthropical program in Australia and New Zealand and serves over 20,000 not-for-profit organisations, we were very excited to hear that Microsoft are committing further support to the not-for-profit sector" continued Gawen.

The new Microsoft donation program is in addition to the $40m (approx.) per year of software Microsoft already donated to the Australian not-for-profit sector in more commonly known services such as MS Office, servers, operating systems and Office 365. 

"The Microsoft Cloud Services will enable eligible not-for-profit organisations to make huge strides in their approach to managing and utilising data, enabling deeper analysis and productivity while also contributing to the betterment of society by solving local and international societal challenges" says Gawen.

Connecting Up will work with Microsoft on a global level to establish a structure for the allocation of funds and services that will ensure Cloud offerings are available and delivered to as many Australian not-for-profit organisations as possible.

What Steps Can You Take?

Office 365 Nonprofit and other cloud services are available today today. Go to Microsoft's Nonprofits page to get started and determine your eligibility.

To stay informed on future cloud offerings, follow Microsoft Philanthropies on Twitter at @msphilanthropic.

For more general information about Microsoft Philanthropies, visit the Microsoft Philanthropies page.