Although I work at Microsoft, I have no control over how they spend their money. It was therefore really nice to hear that the “powers that be” in Microsoft Corporate have really grown to LOVE the GiveCamp idea, and are now working to make sure everyone knows about it.

At GiveCamp.org, we’ve been really fortunate to see the idea of Developers Helping Charities through GiveCamp grow astronomically all over the US and now into other parts of the world! Those that have been involved in organizing events know that it takes a lot of time, dedication, resources and patience to get everything organized and laid out for a successful event.   Pulling all of this together is a non-trivial task, and takes a concerted effort from many volunteers to make it work.  In an effort to make the organizer’s job easier, Microsoft is stepping up to the plate in a big way with something we’re calling the National Day of GiveCamp.  Scheduled for January 14-16, 2011, to coincide with the MLK National Holiday, the National Day of GiveCamp will be a single day where GiveCamp events will be run simultaneously in multiple cities all over the US.

The key part of Microsoft’s contribution is around solving the 2 biggest hurdles to new GiveCamp events – location and sponsorships. To that end, Microsoft is working with venue sponsors New Horizons and Devry University to provide accessible facilities in your hometown so that you don’t have to worry about locating a venue.  They’re also working with a number of food and beverage sponsors to help take care of feeding the campers as well as keeping them well caffeinated during the long weekend of coding.  Microsoft is also offering up some free GiveCamp branded t-shirts to commemorate this special day.

There are already a number of GiveCamps lined up to participate in this special event including Dallas (Dallas GiveCamp) Springdale (NWA GiveCamp), Albany (TechValley GiveCamp), Nashville (Nashville GiveCamp) and Seattle (Seattle GiveCamp).   If you live in an area that doesn’t have a GiveCamp already, or would like to make your event part of our National Day of GiveCamp, just drop me a line at givecamp@live.com and we’ll get you hooked up!

I can’t wait to see all of this happen, and I’m really excited about being part of such an amazing event!  Stay tuned to http://givecamp.org for more details as they evolve!