Question
Does this mean we can no longer run fundraising auctions for needy OAI members?
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...226519,00.html
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Foundation to help eBay fight bogus charity claims
EBay Inc., the world's largest Internet auctioneer, will change how items benefiting charities are listed for sale to provide more fraud oversight as online donations surge.
EBay will work with MissionFish, a service of the Points of Light Foundation, to register nonprofit groups and make sure sale proceeds are sent to charities, the San Jose, -Calif.-based company said. The new service will begin in November.
Charitable donations made on the Web are forecast to rise as more people become comfortable giving online. A Chronicle of Philanthropy survey found that online fund raising almost tripled to $123.3 million in 2002 from a year earlier at 124 organizations.
EBay wanted to make it easier for sellers to make donations, spokesman Kevin Pursglove said.
Sales on eBay have raised more than $30 million for charities in the past four years. Law-enforcement officials have contacted eBay about people who have fraudulently listed items as benefiting charity in a couple of instances, Pursglove said.
The work with MissionFish adds a level of oversight that should cut the scams as well streamline the process for listing charitable auctions, Pursglove said.
"Yes, it has the potential for increasing gross merchandise sales," he said. "But the real goal here was to respond to well-meaning, public- spirited users."
Under the new program, sellers can designate that 20 percent to 100 percent of proceeds go to groups that have had their nonprofit status verified by MissionFish.
MissionFish will review listings to ensure they are appropriate for each organization and collect sale proceeds for distribution to nonprofits. A listing will carry an icon designating it as a charitable item and the logo of the charity, MissionFish spokesman Clam Lorenz said.
"People are willing to pay more for an item if they know the money is going to a nonprofit," Lorenz said. He said the new offering may help charities raise money at a time when donations in general aren't keeping pace with inflation.
Giving by U.S. individuals, corporations and foundations rose to $240.9 billion last year from $238.5 billion a year earlier, according to Giving USA, a survey conducted for the American Association of Fundraising Counsel by Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Blanche
Answer
Well, it's a little too vague to be certain, but to me, it doesn't sound like you will be required to use this MissionFish thingy if you want to run a charity auction. It sounds like it will be a "reccomended" but "optional" thingy that will give you the priveledge of using a "seal" that will give bidders more confidence. Like Square Trade. Sounds just spectacularly useless.
Hmmmmm . . . if I had any graphic arts talent, I'd make a SpongeBob SquareTradePants Logo for fun . . .
http://www.retrohappypeople.com/icons/lineup_short.jpg
Would you like a side of snarky with your order of sarcasm?
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"A SpongeBob SquareTradePants Logo". LOL, I'd love to see THAT. http://community.here.com/infopop/em...on_biggrin.gif
Blanche
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Absolutely NOT implying or indicating any individual or group!!!!
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>MissionFish will review listings to ensure they are appropriate for each organization and collect sale proceeds for distribution to nonprofits. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
From one thief's pocket to another. I wonder what percentage "cut" will be applied for this "service."
_____________________________
~Weaving thru life on a silver cloud~
www.simplybaskets.com
www.simplynantucketbaskets.com
*Abe's* Antique Silver Shop
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Here's a Feb article on MissionFish from Auctionbytes. It appears they are owned by the Points of Light Foundation, founded in 1990 by former president George Bush.
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$$$$$$$$
and how much will this cost out of the donations...
no one connected to ebay does anything for FREE!!
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oh, wonderful, someone to collect our gross receipts - and probably take a cut - and delay our receipt - fund raising just gets tougher and tougher - I think we are about at the point that we will have to cut back what we can do to the reduced level of funding - I'm spending 40 hours or more a week chasing a buck for the cats and it just gets harder - Maryanne Dubbs, Cat Rescue of Maryland, Inc.
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snips from snowyegret1's link:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Bidding on MissionFish will feel familiar to those who have traded on eBay. The biggest differences are that buyers' credit cards are charged immediately following the close of an auction, and buyers are required to pay a 10% buyer's premium, which goes toward the operating expenses of the site. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
why not just place charity auctions at MF and skip ebay altogether?
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 1) "Donor will ship and pay for shipping." The donor donates the item, sends the item to the winning bidder and pays for the shipping.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
....Why place auctions at MF at all?
Then add ebay fees...
I'd just skip auctions and give directly to any organization of my choice. Tired of middle men stealing. MF is not for the good of charities. They pocket the money. If they can get a cut for their expenses why can't the seller also? for shipping at least.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> MissionFish gives 100% of the final bid price, minus bank fees (typically 2-3%) to the benefiting nonprofit. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
http://community.here.com/infopop/em...s/icon_mad.gif Another freeloader comes to town. http://community.here.com/infopop/em...s/icon_mad.gif
or will MF do this for free?
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I would disagree that people will pay more in a charity auction. May be true of rich people at a fancy silent auction. But we've been selling at cat shows for over 10 years and on ebay for at least 4 years and I can tell you that most people assume they will pay LESS because they assume the items are donated (we sell some donated items; but also do a lot of purchased inventory). A 10% buyer's premium would most likely mean reducing our prices 10%. Let's see, 10% price cut, paypal fees (I can't IMAGINE they are going to let misisonfish do anything but collect under paypal) and ebay fees. One zhit load of work for an increasingly smaller bucket of dollars. And our customers who pay with checks will be SOL.
I wish everyone WOULD just contribute directly; I'd MUCH rather be helping the cats than running ebay auctions.
Maryanne
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Hello Maryanne. After looking over the MissionFish info, I don't believe their program is REQUIRED for eBay charity auctions so you should still be able to run auctions to benefit the cats. The only problem I see has to do with the perception of buyers thinking that any charity auctions not sponsored by MissionFish aren't legitimate. I'm sure eBay will do their best to encourage that perception by promoting the heck out of their partnership with MissionFish.
http://www.missionfish.com/
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>MISSIONFISH & EBAY ARE TEAMING UP
We're combining the power of eBay's trading community with the nonprofit auction expertise of MissionFish—offering an innovative new way to support good causes. This fall, every eBay seller will have the chance to share a portion (or all) of the proceeds from each item they sell with any registered nonprofit.
How It Will Work
501(c)(3) nonprofits register with MissionFish to benefit from the eBay marketplace.
Sellers pick a registered nonprofit and a percentage to share for each charity item they list.
Once nonprofits give their approval to participate, the bidding begins on eBay.
Charity items appear on eBay with a unique "charity" icon in the view item page.
When the listing ends, winning bidders pay sellers as usual, and sellers ship their items.
MissionFish will collect donations from sellers, distribute funds to the selected nonprofits and provide sellers with tax receipts.
Buyers and sellers will be able to monitor the donation transfer from seller to MissionFish to the nonprofit.
A Solution That Makes Sense
By providing the MissionFish process to the eBay community, we're creating a solution that makes sense for nonprofits, sellers and buyers!
For Nonprofits
The potential to get revenue by benefiting from anything sold on eBay
Spread your message to an audience of more than 69 million eBay users
Approve your involvement in each charity listing to control your brand
Use a fun, new opportunity to engage current and new supporters
Ability to focus more on your mission, not on getting your donations
For Sellers
Distinguish your listings with the unique charity icon
Improve your business - buyers prefer to purchase when proceeds benefit a cause
You're in control of how much to give and which cause to support
Manage your donations and tax deductions with ease
Be proud of the difference you make in your community
All on a trading platform that you already know
For Buyers
Assurance that the selected nonprofit is legitimate and in good standing.
Assurance that the donation gets to the intended organization.
Satisfaction of making a difference and supporting positive change.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
From their FAQ: http://www.missionfish.com/FAQ.cfm
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>How much will it cost?
Nonprofits can register with MissionFish and eBay . Joining MissionFish is the only way to be included on the list of nonprofits that eBay sellers will choose to benefit.
At the close of each successful sale, MissionFish will deduct a small fee from the nonprofit's share of every charity auction item that sells. The fee will be a flat rate for every charity sale, and not a percentage of the final value. We're still working to determine the exact amount of the fee, but we're committed to keeping it very low.
Standard eBay insertion and final value fees will apply to all sellers (approximately 3-5% of the sales price). There will not be an extra fee to sellers for charity listings.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Apparently they haven't yet determined how much they're going to charge for their service. http://community.here.com/infopop/em...icon_smile.gif
Blanche