Weyerhaeuser: Making WAVES

Weyerhaeuser's Making Waves program, administered through the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, promoted employee volunteerism throughout the organization. In 2009, 1,017 employees worked on 89 projects and contributed 10,714 volunteer hours. Through this program, grant monies -- almost $4 million since 1998 -- are also made available to local non-profit organizations, municipal agencies, and schools.

At their March 8 Spirit of Caring Celebration, the United Way of King County recognized the Making Waves program as the 2011 outstanding Employee Volunteer Program. According to their statement, "employees identify a need in their community and work with a nonprofit or school to develop a project" with Weyerhauser providing support and training to company volunteers.

According to the Making WAVES website, recent projects completed by volunteers have included:

• Building low-cost homes with Habitat for Humanity
• Beautifying local schools, parks and streams
• Rebuilding communities in the Gulf area following Hurricane Katrina
• Working with youth as mentors and tutors
• Collecting donations for local food and clothing banks
• Participating in fundraising events such as the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and the March of Dimes Foundation's WalkAmerica
• Providing nonprofits with business expertise in areas such as strategic planning and technology
• Planting trees or restoring and enhancing native ecosystems
• Mentoring youth on sustainable forests practices

United Way of King County 2011 Spirit of Caring Winners

Effect of Economic Downturn on Corporate Philanthropy

Last month (February 2009), the Conference Board surveyed over 150 companies about how the economic crisis is affecting their corporate social responsibility. Not surprisingly, 45% of companies surveyed had a reduced CSR budget in 2009, and another 16% of firms were considering cuts. However, many companies surveyed are increasing the resources available for their employee volunteer programs.

Conference Board Press Release

Matching Gift Programs Affected by Poor Economy

Today's Wall Street Journal reports that a number of companies are suspending their matching gift programs or reducing the amount matched. These programs either give a particular dollar amount to a charity for a given amount donated by the employee or provide donations for a certain amount of employee volunteer hours.

Some of the companies that have adjusted their matching gift programs include Proctor and Gamble, Weyerhauser, General Motors, Pfizer, and Northrop Grumman.

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