I'd like to say something about our founders, because they'll never say it about themselves: They're nice guys. Quintessentially nice guys. Every year Jerry & David reach into their own pockets to buy gifts for all good little Yahoos around the globe. Never mind that those Yahoos are brushing up against the 12,000 mark. And that Jerry & David hand-deliver to as many of those as possible.

It's a wonderful tradition everyone looks forward to. Since I joined Yahoo!, I've received a purple North Face sleeping bag (back when sleeping under your desk was en vogue), a Compaq MP3 player (it was 32MB, but it was so rad at the time), two jackets (with clever messages on the label), a wool blanket with snowflakes constructed from Y's, and a purple gym bag (were we working too hard?).

This year's choice was decidedly different. In a really good way. David handed me an envelope with a card inside that said:

"A sleeping bag. A blanket. A jacket. Just a few of the gifts we've given you through the years."

Inside, it said:

"This year we're helping you give all those things and more to someone in need. Yep, we're finally giving you something you're supposed to re-gift. A hundred bucks to be exact. Go ahead, spend it all in one place. (And feel good doing it… after all, it's for charity.)"

How cool is that? You could choose from over a million charities (under four partner organizations – Network for Good, DonorsChoose, GlobalGiving and Yahoo! Employee Foundation India/Parikrma) and were invited to share your donation story on a special internal microsite to inspire others or rally group impact.

I've discovered the coolest part about this gift is reading up on all the causes we Yahoos from around the world are into… and the personal stories that go with them. From big national charities (American Cancer Society) to the more esoteric (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls). From low-income kids (The Princess Project) to nature (California Native Plant Society) to animals (The House Rabbit Society). From music (Mr. Holland's Opus) to math (MathCounts Foundation). The donations are as diverse as Yahoos, though it appears the Yahoo! Employee Foundation India/Parikrma is considerably closer to its goal of building a new elementary school. Witness the difference a sea of conspiring cube-mates can make.

David apparently got the inspiration for this idea last summer when some employees asked if they could forego the 2005 holiday gift and donate the cash to Hurricane Katrina victims instead. It was too late by then — thousands of jackets were already on order — but it got him and Jerry thinking.

Well over a million dollars later, Yahoos around the world are feeling particularly good about re-gifting... and about our nice-guy founders.

Nicki Dugan
Editor, Yodel Anecdotal