A growing number of corporations, many with operations in South Asia, are giving donations to relief agencies working to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami and are encouraging their employees to do the same.

Among them, Wal-Mart and the Sam's Club Foundation have pledged $2 million to the American Red Cross, and Wal-Mart has announced that it will establish donation collection points in all its stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, Sam's Club, and distribution locations throughout the United States. Meanwhile, the Pacific Life Foundation in Newport Beach, California, has announced a $1 million gift to the US Fund for UNICEF, the largest single donation ever made by the foundation. "This devastating natural disaster touches most of our employees in some way, whether it be through friends, clients, family, or perhaps those employees who have visited some of the affected areas," said Pacific Life chairman and CEO Thomas C. Sutton.

Newark, New Jersey-based Prudential Financial, Inc.; Amgen, a biotechnology company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California; and Houston-based ConocoPhillips have also announced contributions of $1 million and will match the donations of their employees and/or retirees for at least six months to assist in long-term recovery efforts.

Other U.S. corporations announcing pledges include Santa Clara, California-based Intel Corp. ($1 million, with a promise to match U.S. and international employee contributions); Toronto-based Nortel, which has pledged $350,000 to the Red Cross and UNICEF and has challenged employees worldwide to match that amount; and Dallas-based Texas Instruments, which has pledged $500,000 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund and will match employee contributions to the fund.

According to the New York Times, many companies that have become involved in aiding relief efforts are not publicizing their actions, or are discussing them only in response to questions, despite the increasing popularity of cause-related marketing. "The focus is and should be on the victims," said Jonathan Klein, a spokesman for General Electric, the giant conglomerate headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut.