eBay reports that its users gave more than $50 million to nonprofits in 2009. The donations were made through the online auction site's Giving Works program, which contributes small amounts with each purchase.
The $50 million in donations is a record year for eBay's program, which has given over $162 million to various causes since 2003.
Featured nonprofits on eBay Giving Works include the American Cancer Society, Habitat For Humanity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, though hundreds more are available in their directory.
From the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal:
"The eBay community has proven time and again that small actions, when brought to scale, can have a big impact," said eBay Inc. CEO John Donahoe. "It's what makes the eBay marketplace so unique, and what enables our community to do good things for causes they believe in. I want to thank every single buyer and seller who connected through eBay and gave back to their communities through eBay Giving Works."
In 2009, the San Francisco chapter of Goodwill Industries raised more than $44,000 per month through the program by selling donated goods online. The Blind Center of Nevada, a small nonprofit out of Las Vegas, developed a job skills training program that refurbishes electronics and resells them on eBay, with 100 percent of the sales going back to the Center. Since 2006, its eBay Giving Works sales have generated more than $1.2 million.