Proxy Voting for the
Individual Shareholder

Every spring during annual meeting season, it its important that you, as an individual shareholder, take the time to review and vote the proxy ballots you receive in the mail from the companies* in which you hold stocks. Why? Because voting proxies helps ensure that your concerns, along with those of other socially responsible investors are communicated to corporate management.

*If your money is invested in mutual funds, your proxy voting rights are automatically delegated to the fund managers.

Proxy voting is easy and can usually be done using the following methods:

1. Completing the proxy ballot you received and mailing it back before the due date,
2. Voting by phone, by calling the number listed on the ballot, or
3. Voting via the Internet using special voting websites such as www.proxyvote.com.

It's important to mark your votes on the ballot, whether the instructions indicate this or not. Unmarked ballots count as votes for management's position.

If you're wondering why you never have received a proxy ballot despite owning stocks or mutual funds, it's because your money manager or financial advisor may be receiving them and voting on your behalf. It's possible that upon hiring your financial advisor, you signed paperwork that said you preferred not to receive these materials. If this is the case, be aware that many money managers have policies requiring them to vote along with company management and that management almost always votes against social and environmental proposals. You may, however, speak with your financial advisor to see if you can vote your own proxy ballots or provide instructions on how they should be voted on your behalf.

Investing in mutual funds means that you automatically delegate your voting rights to fund managers. You may find out how your mutual fund is voting on proxy resolutions by calling the fund's investor relations department. This would be a good time to express your views on the position you would like the fund to take. Due to a recent SEC ruling, disclosure of proxy voting is required for all mutual funds, as of August 31, 2004.