For Matching Gift Month 2022, we caught up with Malcolm Early ’96G. When Malcolm was an employee for Microsoft, he made sure to take advantage of their generous matching gift programs. Both his monetary donations and his Lehigh volunteer hours were matched with corporate gifts.
We thank Malcolm, and all matching gift participants, for maximizing their contributions to Lehigh, whether it be their time, talent, or resources.
What is your fondest memory of Lehigh?
How would I have ever known that the graduate program at Lehigh would have been so diverse with international students and students also pursuing their education while working full time? This diversity was amazing and brought so many people together where we could learn, have fun, and explore leadership principles together. I'll never forget our intramural basketball team from the materials science and engineering department playing for the championship. During the game, I looked over and saw all these young families who had come to watch their dads play.
Matching gifts send a strong, affirmative message that giving is powerful, and we are committed to Lehigh.
Where has life taken you since Lehigh?
After being exposed to students from around the world, I embraced a strong sense of global communities and cultures. This helped me understand supply chains and organizations in large global companies like Sun Microsystems, Apple, and Microsoft. Without understanding local culture, global perspectives, empathy for regional priorities, and the ability to connect and communicate in real time, I would not have been prepared for a learning career.
Why do you support Lehigh?
I feel strongly to support Lehigh because it gives me an opportunity to give back what I have been given. What is amazing about the Lehigh community is that people who I did not know created opportunities for me to continue my educational journey when I felt vulnerable to the economic challenges, career path ambiguities, and internal perceptions about my own academic capabilities.
Why are you passionate about corporate matching gifts?
For me, giving is contagious. Much like a credit card rewards program or a local grocery store loyalty program, I feel matching gifts are great ways to maximize giving impact, as well as send a strong, affirmative message that giving is powerful and we are committed to Lehigh. I can recall my time at Apple as an employee and being frustrated that there was no corporate gift program for employees to participate in. When Steve Jobs passed away, I can remember one of Tim Cook's first internal communications about the formation of Apple's employee gift matching program and how Apple needed to grow in this direction. When it was time for me to move to Microsoft, I was reaffirmed with how Microsoft was taking corporate matching gifts to the next level. The social responsibility of Microsoft has inspired me to make both my time and financial donations more meaningful with their corporate matching program. I feel respected and empowered when Microsoft has made corporate donations for the hours I've spent participating with faculty members, on councils, and mentoring students in addition to my monetary donations. Not all corporations are as generous as Microsoft, however it's my responsibility to maximize the giving power.