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Christopher Sakalosky, Dynamics General Manager, East Region, for Microsoft Corp.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tech Citizenship
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Christopher Sakalosky, the Dynamics General Manager, East Region, for Microsoft Corp., came back to New England in 1997 from the South Central region of the U.S. where he managed sales and support for small and midsize business customers. He brought with him a commitment to giving back and now helps with Microsoft’s local efforts to support organizations such as the Timothy Smith Network, Boston Medical Center and the Dimock Community Health Center. He talked about Microsoft’s giving strategy with Mass High Tech staff writer Galen Moore.
Q: Why should a company give back to its community?
A: I think companies should give back to the communities that they’re in, quite simply because that’s where their people live. If you think about the fabric that the company is woven into, it’s the members of the community. That local presence is made up of its constituents. Giving back to the community is actually providing better service for employees.
Q: What advice can you give startup companies making their first move into charitable efforts?
A: Have a program that’s structured and flexible. It’s good to have structure for your organization — and the people within your organization — to work within, especially those who are looking for guidance. At the same time there are also those who have already made specific decisions about how they want to give back to the community. And encouraging both is the most important thing I think an organization can do when they’re trying to make philanthropy a part of the culture, not a mandate.
Q: Describe one moment that stands out for you in connection with your company’s charitable efforts in the last year.
A: Being a recent transplant from the Texas market back to the Boston area, the areas where I used to work were heavily hit by a series of hurricanes. What I did is not only gave money that Microsoft matched, but I actually gave time — which Microsoft matched with money — to an organization by the name of Habitat for Humanity. I love to be outdoors and I love to work, and I like to see and meet the people who are the recipients of the work I do and the money that I put in place. Habitat for Humanity provided me with those opportunities.
Q: How can technology best be used to help with charitable efforts?
A: It’s an enabler. So technology can enable charitable organizations to extend their reach, the fabric of their community, to find more people to serve. Personal example: My daughter was born premature. We found an organization via the Internet that specialized in the hip dysplasia she was born with. We would never have found that service if that organization didn’t have a strong web presence.
Q: With the tough economy, do you envision less or more charity activity by tech companies in the coming year?
A: I think you’ll probably see some level of decline potentially in cash contributions. What I think you’ll see is more people lending time, and organizations providing what they have. For Microsoft, I don’t think we’ll see a drop-off in the financial donations. Each company is going to be different, but what you’re going to see is more organizations looking to the assets they have today.
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