Yesterday, I attended the Craig's List Boot Camp and attended great session on Ebay's Giving Works Program. It allows non profits to auction items directly and it also allows individuals to hold auctions and donate proceeds to a non profit of their choice.
What fantastic timing! I was just talking to my seven year old about cleaning his room and his desire to own a Wii. Well since I was not forking over the $400 for the system and he had no money, we were at an impasse. Taking out the garbage and doing extra chores are only going to take him so far (Did I mention that he is only 7?), so we thought we'd have to have a garage sale. Ugh!
But low and behold, there was ebay to save the day. We decided to put what mommy learned into action and test it out. Being a seller was fairly easy. Finding a charity on the other hand was the challenge. I was surprised to find that of the 11,000 organizations signed up that only 9 were based in San Jose, our home town and ebay's hub. Yikes! It really is easy, agencies should take the 10 minutes to sign up. You start by registering at Missionfish. Individuals can also nominate organizations.
We also recorded a short fundraising video that is a new feature on ebay. Now how do you say no to a face like that?
I don't have high hopes that he is going to make the millions he is hoping for, but I am proud to say that we spent a few hours together working on this valuable lesson on making money and the value of money. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it sells and that he learns that making a buck can also mean the less fortunate can win too.
So go out there and bid on the Yu Gi Oh cards! Please help him clean his room! I'm beggin' y'all!
| Support this 7 year old as he cleans out his room by buying his Yu Gi Oh Cards. | |
This is also posted at Starfish Circle and SV Moms Blog.
