TechSoup Asia announced its highly anticipated expansion into Indonesia through a partnership with PT Microsoft Indonesia. TechSoup Asia is part of the TechSoup Global Network, which partners with corporate donors to provide technology product donations to NGOs and nonprofit organizations in over 50 countries. Qualified charitable organizations have access to a wide range of donated and discounted technology products, including operating system software, productivity software such as Microsoft Office, publishing software and server products.
The launch was announced in Jakarta at the NGO Connection Day 2013, co-organized by Microsoft Indonesia and the ASEAN Foundation. This year’s theme was “Utilizing Technology for Improving Social and Economic Development.” In the era of globalization, technology is required to assist communities to better improve their well-being. This event provides a platform through which nonprofit organizations (NGOs) share and learn from one another about the latest in technology and innovation.
With the launch of TechSoup Asia, NGOs in Indonesia now have access to Microsoft products and other technology donations that will help build their IT infrastructure and enhance their ability to achieve their missions.
“We are really excited to be partnering with Microsoft to launch TechSoup Asia in Indonesia. We will be bringing to life a nonprofit collaborative venture that will deliver technology and other capacity-building donations to the NGO and charity sector in Indonesia in a more streamlined way than ever before,” said Mike Yeaton, Vice President of TechSoup Asia.
“It’s not just about the donations though, TechSoup Asia will also provide online resources to support effective use of everything from routers and social media to face-to-face collaboration around using technology to address social challenges. We look forward to this partnership with Microsoft and serving the needs of NGOs in Indonesia,” added Yeaton.
Andreas Diantoro, President Director of Microsoft Indonesia, said that Microsoft is focused on capacity building for the nonprofit sector as part of the company’s Corporate Citizenship work, and TechSoup Asia is a strategic partner in delivering that programme around the world. The nonprofit sector is contributing to social and economic development in Indonesia, delivering crucial social services and programmes essential to improving the lives and livelihoods of Indonesians.
“In 2012, Microsoft donated over US$800 million worth of software globally to over 60,000 nonprofits. In Indonesia alone, $6 million worth of software has been donated since 2000 to more than 150 NGOs. We want to help many more, and the partnership with TechSoup is designed to make the programme more relevant and accessible to a larger number of nonprofits, which will in turn have a positive impact in the local community. We are very excited to see the launch of TechSoup Asia in Indonesia,” said Andreas.
NGOs will invest an administrative fee to cover the costs of the programme, which is a small percentage of the estimated retail price. The fee is charged by TechSoup Asia as part of their social enterprise model to remain sustainable; it is not a fee charged by or returned to Microsoft. NGOs will have direct access to a wide array of technology planning resources through TechSoup Asia that provides specific guidance for best choosing, implementing and using the Microsoft product donations.