February 3, 2011 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Even in a tough economy, online philanthropy at eBay clicked.
Making it easier for people to donate to their favorite nonprofits and high-profile celebrity auctions pushed charitable donations in 2010 from eBay sellers and buyers to a record $54.8-million, a 7-percent increase over 2009.
To donate, people could give a percentage of anything they sold or add a contribution to anything they bought, and nonprofits could sell items to raise money. For example, on the eBay Marketplace, some 650,000 items were tagged with a blue and yellow ribbon, indicating the seller has chosen to donate a portion of the sale price to charity.
Last year, eBay also started to allow users to select a favorite nonprofit, which would get $1 donation every time they made a transaction.
“It’s really giving donors more power over their charity experience on eBay,” says Amy Skeeters-Behrens, a general manager with eBay Giving Works, the company’s charitable arm. “If it’s a favorite, they’re more likely to donate rather than if it’s part of a campaign we’re running, like for children’s charities or breast-cancer nonprofits.”
“There’s some downward pressure in general on giving because of the economy, but we were really pleased with the growth this year, and we hope to accelerate moving forward,” says Ms. Skeeters-Behrens.
According to eBay, a donation to a nonprofit organization was made every 24 seconds last year through eBay Giving Works in the United States. Some of the beneficiaries included the American Red Cross, Goodwill, Save the Children, and AHomeInHaiti.org. Another is Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which last year received nearly $1.7-million from eBay Giving Works.
During the last quarter of 2010, eBay sellers and buyers donated 32 percent more than during the same period of 2009. And since the eBay Giving Works program was created in 2003, it has raised $230-million, with an average donation of $4.01, and has expanded to the U.K.
Celebrity auctions raised a total of $194,633 for charity last year, double the amount in 2009. A few of the auction items that drew high bids:
Lunch with the Oracle of Omaha. Dining with Warren Buffett sold for $2.6-million, with 100 percent of the sale benefiting the Glide Foundation, in San Francisco. In 2009 the Buffett lunch raised $1.7-million.
Following celebrities. TwitChange.com auctioned off celebrity Twitter mentions and followings with the help of such celebrities as Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, and Justin Bieber. That raised $540,631 in less than one week for AHomeInHaiti.org.
Collecting memorabilia and props. Items from the Nicaragua season of the CBS reality-television show “Survivor” raised $250,000, benefiting the Serpentine Project and Operation Smile.
Wearing Oprah’s clothes. The talk show host’s wardrobe auction raised $150,000 for her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.
