Cyberspace Charity Auctions: Helping Your Favorite Charity

The January 28th Wall Street Journal had Sue Shellenbarger's Work & Family article "Do You Want An Internship? It'll Cost you." The article is quite interesting, but I'd already known about parents buying internships for their children at school auctions.

What I didn't know about was the existence of online fundraising sites that make money for charities by holding auctions. According to The Wall Street Journal article:

CharityFolks.com, a fundraising Web site, saw a sharp rise in internships offered for sale last year at such employers as Rolling Stone, Elle magazine and Atlantic Records, says Chief Executive Kelly Fiore. Another site, CharityBuzz.com, says a one-week internship at a music-producing company sold last month for $12,000.

I looked up both these sites to see what they are about.

Charity Folks is the leading online marketplace for nonprofit fundraising, corporate cause-marketing campaigns and celebrity-driven charity initiatives. Managing hundreds of successful charity auctions since its inception, Charity Folks has raised millions for nonprofit organizations around the world, all while offering consumers highly coveted auction lots donated by today’s hottest celebrities, musicians, sports stars, high-profile personalities and top-tier brands.

At charitybuzz, we believe that cause marketing can be both effective and trend setting. Our innovative auctions reach millions on a global basis. Our growing community of bidders are driven to do well, affluent, well educated, well informed and brand loyal. Our methods ensure successful results through a focus on value to consumers, collaborative marketing and unsurpassed white-glove service.

It's a new world of fundraising in cyberspace, and you might want to check it out for your favorite charity.