There are moments in a career when purpose and precision align so perfectly, they create something larger than impact—they create infrastructure. For 23 years, Karen Bergin has been engineering such moments at Microsoft, where giving is no longer a gesture but a global operating system for change.
Bergin doesn’t talk about charity she talks about access. Not as an afterthought, but as a blueprint. In 2022, she spearheaded the global expansion of Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program, transforming a US centric effort into a worldwide platform across 80+ countries. Since then, employees have contributed over $500 million, volunteered 2.5two million hours, and supported more than 3650,000 nonprofits. In her hands, generosity became both system and standard scalable, sustainable, and deeply human.
“When compassion becomes code and generosity becomes infrastructure, we don’t just scale impact—we rewrite the blueprint of corporate purpose,” Bergin reflects.
But Bergin’s legacy is not just written in metrics it’s embedded in moments of crisis and community. As the leader behind of Microsoft’s Disaster Response program, she has mobilized over 150 tech-enabled relief projects in 30 countries combining cloud infrastructure, digital tools, and volunteer expertise with breathtaking speed and empathy.
And when the crisis subsides, she builds again. Her Change Agents and Nonprofit Advisors initiatives bridge the skills divide between Microsoft employees and thousands of nonprofits around the world ensuring access to AI, cloud technology, and strategy isn’t a privilege, but a promise.
Outside Microsoft, she lends her voice to the arts as Chair-Elect of ArtsFund, where she champions equity in creative expression with the same urgency she brings to tech.
Bergin’s work is a quiet revolution evidence that systems don’t change by chance, but through vision, design, and heart. She didn’t just help redefine giving at Microsoft she redefined what it means to lead.
About #empowHER50 campaign
This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50
To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/
