eBay Users Generate Record Amount for Charity in 2011

Online marketplace eBay has announced that its users generated $63 million for charitable causes in 2011, a year-over-year increase of 14 percent, while the company's PayPal division processed $3 billion in transactions for more than 200,000 nonprofits, a 31 percent year-over-year increase.

Through its eBay Giving Works platform, which launched in August, the company makes it possible for anyone, anytime to support their favorite charities and causes while shopping. And to further encourage cause-related commerce, the company launched eBay Celebrity in November, enabling users to bid on celebrity memorabilia, with the proceeds benefiting charity. In 2011, eBay users, on average, generated $120 a minute for charitable causes.

In addition, eBay and PayPal helped users respond quickly to disasters around the world, with the eBay community donating $6 million for relief efforts in Japan following the March earthquake and tsunami there and $3.3 million to help end the famine in the Horn of Africa.

"eBay and PayPal strive every day to make a difference in the world, and cause-related commerce is a powerful way we help merchants and consumers easily and generously give to nonprofits and support people and communities in need," said eBay president and CEO John Donahoe. "We are committed to using our global commerce platforms and technologies to drive social innovation and create scalable, measurable impact."