This week Microsoft shared some news that’s especially heartwarming in this tough economy. Microsoft employees are making a difference in a big way: by giving to others. Not many companies offer a $12K per year match on Employee Giving. Microsoft does. It’s foundational to the culture. And it’s a benefit many Microsoft employees value.

Through the annual Employee Giving Campaign, Microsoft employees raised a record-breaking US$100.5 million in 2011. This topped the previous year’s total with donations to more than 18,000 community organizations across the United States and around the world. Overall, more than 64 percent of the company's employees – about 35,500 – got involved in the Giving Campaign during the year.

Here’s what we heard from a few employees:

“To be honest, that number means more to me than any other statistic Microsoft releases,” says Joe Michaels, a senior director of business development in the Online Services Division. “I think that says more about who we are as a company than any earnings figure or any ranking in a Best Places to Work list.”

“Microsoft’s an awesome company to work for. I get to continually do new things, and with the generosity of the company I help raise money for wonderful organizations,” says Crissy House, a senior product marketing manager for SQL Server.

People who value giving and making a difference in the world have the opportunity to double their dollars with the Microsoft Giving Campaign. They can make a huge impact for the causes they love and support.

• Read the full Giving Campaign story on Microsoft PressPass 
• Learn more about cool things employees are doing on the JobsBlog and the Facebook Fans page
• Apply for cool design jobs, development engineer jobs and more on the Global Careers site