What if you could spend money for a good cause while getting great deals on entertainment and other things you love? Boston- based BiddingforGood has announced that it has raised $100 million dollars for schools and charities by doing just that. In this economic climate, an announcement like this is astounding.

BiddingforGood is an online auction site that helps non-profits into the world of e-commerce. It’s unlike any other because it is able to contribute a whopping 91% of its merchandise sales to charity. With its unique technology and group of dedicated bidders and donors, it helps them create a successful auction and find unique items – all of this during a time when it’s difficult for small businesses, let alone charities, to survive.

According to BiddingforGood founder, Jon Carson, “It feels great to enable folks to participate in the e-commerce community.” So how was a website able to help non-profits and schools raise this much money? “We enable non-profits to conduct charitable commerce online.

The primary way most organizations sell things to consumers in their annual fundraising auction.”If a school or non-profit is interested in doing a silent auction, they can sign on up the BiddingforGood website and use that platform to reach hundreds of thousands of potential buyers.

BiddingforGood started in 2003 with the idea that if you could provide schools and non-profits with a tool that enables them to build a branded online auction website they could move their silent auction online. This would help them in three ways. First, they could get bids from the 50% of constituents who for one reason or another don’t attend the gala.  Second, they could differentiate their auction with online clickable links and logos and better overall marketing value to merchants in the solicitation effort to get new items, and lastly, they could sell or barter online sponsorship/advertising that can be enabled with the tool.  This model for fundraising has worked. BiddingforGood now has an online shopper community of over 205,000 shoppers who drive the sales.

People find this way of helping charities preferable – even exciting – because they are not just donating money to causes they care about, but bidding on unique items, like:

* A guitar autographed by Justin Bieber
* Ten hours in your own private jet
* VIP tour of the U.S. Capitol (followed by lunch with a Senator)
* Autographed 2004 Lance Armstrong Yellow Jersey
* Teri Hatcher’s Donna Karan Golden Globe Gown

Carson has started and profitably sold three companies, and is passionate about helping charities and schools. He advises all people to support their local schools. “For schools, it is important to maintain funding which means don’t vote for reduced property taxes and support funding drives in any and all forms. Our kids are our seed corn and we must nurture them for the global economy they will enter some day,” said Carson. And for those who can’t afford to make a monetary donation, Carson reminds us that volunteering is another way you can help.

Carson walks the walk when it comes to his work to help non-profits and schools. While he could harness his business power to make big money, he is an example of someone who is following their heart. “Life is short. I only want to work on projects that have social impact–widgets and routers got boring for me long ago. For profit social entrepreneurship harnesses the power of capital markets and innovation while delivering social good.”