It takes a....club

I've worked in big companies and small ones over the years. It is sometimes a challenge to find yourself in a large corporate environment, where your influence can be tangible but often a bit diluted when it comes to being personally fulfilling.

So now imagine you are working in a huge company with over 90,000 employees worldwide. The business expectations are always high and your personal commitment is significant as well. In this sort of environment, how do you break out and make a difference personally?

We've all heard that "it takes a village" to raise a child. I've found out over the past few weeks that when you work for a large corporation it sometimes takes a club to make a personal difference.

The club I'm talking about is the Microsoft Photography Club and the difference has been their latest project to support United Way of King County, Washington. The club is over 1700 strong and in 2009 they decided to pool their considerable photography skills to make a book with all of the proceeds going to United Way.

As of today the club has generated over $20,000 for the cause, including the Microsoft match of employee purchases as well as an over $17 per volunteer hour donation. I heartily applaud Microsoft for continuing to lead in corporate giving even in this down economy. But most of all, a big shout out to the folks at the Microsoft Photography Club who are showing us that all of our skills can indeed make a difference in our communities when we band together for a good cause.

You can browse and buy this great book here. And even if you don't work at Microsoft, you are still supporting United Way to the tune of $25 per book.