NREL Employees, Managing Partner Pledge $500,000 to Aid Area Charities

The employees of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, have pledged more than $500,000 to support local charities during the lab’s annual holiday giving campaign.

NREL employees have committed more than $466,000 to the Partnership for Colorado, Mile High United Way and other charities. The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, which manages NREL for the U.S. Department of Energy, will contribute another 10% for every dollar of the employee contributions for a total gift of more than $513,000. The previous record was set in 2011. when NREL employees and the Alliance contributed a total of $473,000 to area charities.

“NREL’s employees come through time and time again when it comes to sustaining those who need a helping hand in our community,” said William Farris, NREL’s associate laboratory director for innovation partnering and outreach and giving campaign co-chair. “That we were able to again break our record for charitable giving speaks volumes of the individuals who work at NREL.”

NREL allows employees to designate their funds to any agency served by Partnership for Colorado or the United Way, or to any nonprofit agency of the employees’ choice. Employees designated about 75% of their gifts to community service agencies under the Partnership for Colorado banner, and the remaining money to United Way agencies and other specified charitable organizations.

Donations have been pledged primarily through payroll deduction for 2013 and will be delivered to the agencies periodically through the year. However, this year the lab also hosted a number of volunteer opportunities for staff who were able to give of their time.

“We offered six volunteer opportunities throughout the campaign and roughly 225 hours was spent giving back to our community,” said Debra Coyle, NREL human resources generalist and giving campaign co-chair.

Throughout the year, NREL’s staff council also organizes other volunteer events such as a summer food drive, which this past year collected more than 1,000 pounds of food – enough to feed 50 adults and 100 children for a week.