Annually, we conduct a workplace giving campaign called the REI Charitable Action Campaign. The voluntary program extends our core value of "service" via personal philanthropy and provides REI employees another opportunity to make a difference.

During the campaign, the company matches up to $1,000 of each employee's contributions to any 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. In our 2006 campaign, 1,154 employees collectively donated $530,293—a 35 percent increase in participation and a 46 percent increase in contribution dollars from the previous year. More than 900 nonprofit organizations around the world received a total of $957,013.

As our company continues to grow and more employees join REI, so has our budget for this program and our collective impact on our communities. See the chart below for employee contributions from the past five years.