Microsoft offers charitable pricing for nonprofits

Microsoft has recently introduced charitable pricing for the nonprofit organisations in Bangladesh in line with its “Technology for social impact” initiative.

The scheme was launched with the vision to accelerate transformation for nonprofits, the multinational technology company said in a statement yesterday.

Under the initiative of charitable pricing, organisations eligible as nonprofits, will be able to avail majority of standard Microsoft software and Software as a service (SaaS) solutions, such as Office 365 E3.

They will be available at affordable prices, being 75 percent less than commercial pricing, the company said.

Likewise, most of the software and SaaS cloud solutions, designed for premium enterprise-class scenarios, such as Office 365 Enterprise E5, will be available at an average discount of 60 percent than the commercial pricing, according to the statement.

Qualified nonprofits can also receive Office 365 Nonprofit as a donation or upgrade to advanced features at a significant discount.

However, to qualify for an Office 365 Nonprofit plan, an organisation must hold recognised charitable status in Bangladesh and sign Microsoft's non-discrimination policy.

“We at Microsoft are committed to bring the benefits of technology to all, and we believe nonprofits can scale impact through using technology; building on the same platform as the private sector,” said Sonia Bashir Kabir, managing director for Microsoft Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Laos.

“Bangladesh is home to 160 million people and a significant number of nonprofits are operating in the country in different capacities. Our commitment is to help them achieve their mission whether they are fighting poverty, inequality, upholding human rights or saving the environment.”