Is the black tie benefit becoming a thing of the past? Rather than spend the money on the room, the invites and the entertainment, many charities are taking their big-ticket auctions online, where
they can raise their money faster and with hardly any overhead.
Online charity auctions have raised at least $250 million, according to figures provided by the largest sites, including
eBay, which runs a program called Giving Works. The auction site has raised $150 million for charity since 1999. Of that total, $50 million was raised in the last year alone.
"It changed
our lives," says Cynthia Thomashow, executive director of the New Hampshire Center for Environmental Education, a group that provides environmental educational tools to schools. "It's a quick and
efficient way to raise an operating budget."
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