While he contributed seemingly incalculable amounts to technology, Steve Jobs was never known for his philanthropic efforts. There are rumors that the ex-CEO donated money anonymously, but he never used Apple or his celebrity status as a platform for giving.
This is yet another example of the differences between Jobs and his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook. In less than three months as Apple’s CEO, Cook has already implemented an employee donation matching program. And it seems to be yielding impressive results…
According to AppleInsider, employees have given a combined $1.3 million dollars during the few months that the program has been in effect. And considering that Apple matches the donations (up to $10,000), that brings the total to $2.6 million dollars. Wow.
Here’s an excerpt from an internal email sent by Tim Cook to Apple employees regarding the program:
“We are really inspired by the generosity of our co-workers who give back to the community and this program is going to help that individual giving go even farther. Thank you all for working so hard to make a difference, both here and in the lives of others. I am incredibly proud to be part of this team.”
The charitable matching project began back in September, and sees that every dollar donated by a full-time Apple employee (in the US) gets matched up to $10,000 per year. The money is then given to a non-profit organization of the contributing employee’s choice.
Not bad Cook, not bad.