Got Stuff? Intuit's QuickBase and Freecycle Extend Free Reuse Program to the Workplace

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Online Application Makes It Easy for Companies, Employees to Share and Reuse Items; Reduces Landfills and Enhances Corporate Green Efforts

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Whether it's in closets or cubicles, Americans accumulate lots of clutter. In fact, we generate about 254 million tons of trash annually, much of which winds up in landfills.

Now there's a way for businesses to keep some of that clutter from landfills and give it a reusable, second life. Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU) and green community leader The Freecycle Network have teamed to bring the benefits of the world's largest environmental Web community from home to work.

It's called Freecycle(TM)@Work, a free, online application that large and mid-size businesses can use to offer a gifting and reuse forum to their employees. Built on the award-winning QuickBase online database platform, Freecycle@Work makes it easy for businesses to find new users among their employees for unused work items, such as office furniture and computer screens. Once introduced to the concept, employees can also find a local community to join in their town or city. Any number of employees can use the application to give away or share reusable clutter lying around the home or office - everything from fish tanks to filing cabinets.

Global Environmental Community

The Freecycle Network, the largest environmental Web community in the world, has more than 7 million members and is active in more than 100 countries. The nonprofit gifting movement enables individuals to gift items to others in their local community rather than throw them away. The amount of items gifted in the past year is the equivalent of over 10 times the height of Mt. Everest when stacked in garbage trucks, weighing more than 500 million pounds.

"The partnership with Intuit expands our community-based program to the workplace and encourages employee communities to participate," said Deron Beal, founder of Freecycle. "QuickBase's unique ability to organize information and enable easier communication between work groups made Intuit the ideal partner to bring Freecycle to the workplace."

Making It Easy to Be Greener

Intuit introduced employees to the Freecycle@Work program in 2008, and has seen widespread adoption and popularity. Employees enjoy such exchanges with people at the same company, and dealing with colleagues builds trust while making it convenient to exchange goods at work. In addition, there's the satisfaction of knowing that their items found a home inside the company instead of a landfill. Intuit intends to bring the same success to other companies.

"Freecycle@Work uniquely combines technology and community to create an ideal way for companies to empower and encourage their employees to act socially responsible and participate in their corporate green efforts," said Rupesh Shah, director of sustainability at Intuit. "The flexibility of QuickBase enables companies to grow their sustainability programs at their own pace and can even be used to provide corporate support for community-based nonprofits, such as soliciting clothing, canned goods or toy drives around the holidays."

Companies do not need to be QuickBase customers to access and use Freecycle@Work. With no IT required, most users can start posting items in minutes after simply creating an account. Further information on signing up is available at www.quickbase.intuit.com/freecycle.

About QuickBase

Intuit's QuickBase, the industry's number-one online collaboration software, empowers teams inside large companies to succeed together by helping them efficiently solve important business problems. Business users can select from hundreds of ready-to-use database applications such as online project management and sales management software or customize an application to match the exact workflow and unique needs of their team. Used by more than half of the Fortune 100, QuickBase is proven and trusted database software designed with the business user in mind to help them improve personal productivity, communication and group participation.

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks(R), Quicken(R) and TurboTax(R), simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries(R) and Lacerte(R) are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.1 billion in its fiscal year 2009. The company has approximately 7,800 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

About The Freecycle Network

The Freecycle Network enables gifting and reuse via its website Freecycle.org in nearly 5,000 local communities. Often referred to as a "cyber curbside," Freecycle is keeping 750 tons of used items out of landfills every day. Freecycle is a private, nonprofit organization based out of Tucson, Arizona, and stewarded by a volunteer near you. Visit www.freecycle.org to find the Freecycle community in your area.

Intuit, the Intuit logo, and QuickBase, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are service marks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and other countries. Other parties' trademarks or service marks are the property of their respective owners and should be treated as such.

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    Source: Intuit Inc.

Released April 21, 2010