One such tool is cMarket, which helps charities combine Internet and live auctions and easily communicate with their communities. There is no up-front fee for nonprofits to run an auction through the site.

Other charities have achieved success through Giving Works, which allows nonprofits to run charity auctions through the dominant eBay system. The King and Kitsap Counties chapter of the American Red Cross, for example, raised $547,472 in the 2002-2003 year through online auctions.

In total, nonprofits have raised an estimated $30 million via eBay trading alone.