The Financial Services Roundtable - Community Service 2008

Ameriprise Financial
At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is ingrained in the culture. For 115 years, the firm’s employees, financial advisors and retirees have initiated positive change in the communities where they live and work, sharing their time, money and talents with a variety of nonprofit partners across the country. Giving is focused on three key priorities: meeting basic needs, supporting community vitality and volunteer driven causes.

Aligned with these priorities, Ameriprise Financial is actively involved in hunger relief efforts. Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with Feeding America, which included a $500,000 grant to the organization to help provide 3.5 million meals to those in need. In addition, the firm has pledged ongoing volunteer support to Feeding America and other hunger relief organizations, with a goal of dedicating more than 50,000 volunteer hours to this important cause.

More than 100 Ameriprise Financial employees, wearing t-shirts designed to raise awareness of the domestic hunger issue, presented a contribution to Second Harvest Heartland, during the organization’s “No Lunch Lunch” in downtown Minneapolis. In addition, approximately one in eight Minneapolis-based employees wore a t-shirt during the work day, to represent the one in eight Americans who battle hunger.

Ameriprise financial advisors helped repackage food at Capital Area Foodbank in Washington D.C. In communities across the U.S., advisors are raising awareness and helping alleviate hunger through food drives, client events and volunteer activities.

Within its meeting basic needs platform, the company also works with organizations that help people secure safe and stable housing. This summer, more than 1,000 Ameriprise Financial employees dedicated countless volunteer hours to Habitat for Humanity. The company has provided volunteers and financial support to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity for more than 10 years, and has also supported builds in Green Bay, Wis.; Colorado Springs and Denver, Colo.; Raleigh, N.C.; Arlington, Va.; Phoenix, Ariz. and Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ameriprise Financial encourages each employee to take one paid day a year to volunteer in support of an Ameriprise Financial sponsored event. Many employees use this time to support Habitat for Humanity builds in their local communities.

Ameriprise Financial is also dedicated to supporting organizations that help build strong, vital communities. Many employees and financial advisors display civic leadership by contributing their time and expertise as members of nonprofit boards. In addition, through grants and volunteerism, the company supports programs that provide access to the arts and promote cultural awareness. For example:

Funding from the company helps the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis offer free admission to the public, one Saturday each month.
Support for Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series brings concerts to neighborhoods in all five boroughs of New York City and engages community members in the music making process.
Grants to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Skirball Cultural Center (Los Angeles) support tours and programming for students, which enhance their education and cultural understanding.

Ameriprise financial advisors and employees participate in a volunteer activity with Keep Austin Beautiful (Austin, Texas). The firm supports environmental awareness, primarily through the education and volunteer efforts of its employees, as part of its focus on supporting community vitality.

Next month, Ameriprise Financial employees and advisors across the U.S. will participate in the company’s Annual Giving Campaign. Last year, a record-breaking 76 percent of eligible employees and advisors contributed to their favorite causes. Combined with a dollar-for-dollar match from the company, this resulted in over $4.5 million in contributions to nonprofit organizations. The firm also matches employee and advisor contributions throughout the year. In all, the company, along with its employees, financial advisors and retirees, supports more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations annually.

For more information on corporate giving and volunteerism at Ameriprise Financial, please visit www.ameriprise.com/communityrelations.