There are many volunteer opportunities available right here on eBay. eBay Community is a section of eBay that contains groups, discussion boards and chat rooms. Our community is a vital part of eBay and provides various ways to volunteer and become more of an active participant on eBay.

There are many types of groups that you can be involved in. Some are geared toward mentoring others, toward specific collectibles or toward specific interests or toward fundraising. Each type of group enables you to provide advice, assistance and support. You also start a new group  or join an existing group to lend a hand. If you feel led,  you can become a moderator to assist the leader of the group with the many tasks involved in maintaining an active group. You can see the number of groups that we're involved with by visiting our ME Page

Discussion Boards also assist eBay users with many different issues. They are broken down into the same type of categories with a specific one for eBay Giving Works. Discussion Boards always seem to have those few people who are there to help all of the time. If you feel very knowledgeable about an area on eBay why not be that person?

Chat Rooms have many volunteer areas. For example there is the Giving Board, where you can post about someone in need and request help for them. There's also the Emergency Contact Board where you can help others who are having trouble contacting another eBayer.

Volunteering can also mean that you run charity auctons either through  Giving Works or on your own by following these steps:

1. You must solicit on behalf of a recognized tax-decductable charitable organization (for example, 501(c)(3) status or equivalent with the IRS). One that we are involve with is DOUA.
   
2. Receive advance written consent for the solicitation from the benefitting non-profit. It must be on the non-profit's letterhead, signed by an officer and include the their tax-deductability status as well as your name or eBay User ID, dates of listing and donation of amount (percentage of the final sale price).
3. Include a scanned copy of the consent in your listing.

And here's a few really easy ways to volunteer on eBay:

1. Purchase on eBay. Buy from fellow sellers.
2. If you see something wrong in someone's listing, send them a message about it.
   
3. Be kind and curteous to your customers and sellers.
4. Spread the word about eBay. Tell your family and friends how much you enjoy it and let them know about the great bargains and customer service you get here.

Volunteering doesn't have to be time consuming or cause you to leave your home. You can take advantage of the time and money you spend on eBay and help someone in need. Remember that we all were newbies once and that terrible things can happen in an instant.

So keep an eye out for ways to help. Volunteering takes your thoughts off yourself. It can make you feel really good.

I'm proud of eBay's policy on giving when Hurricane Katrina hit last year. Here's a blurb from the Chatter Newsletter of Oct. 2005:

As the horrific scenes of devastation and sorrow caused by Hurricane Katrina unfolded last month on TV screens across the country, a shocked nation rallied to come to the aid of those affected. The eBay Community also sprang into action to help the victims. The Community discussion boards, especially the newly created Natural Disaster & Relief Information Board, quickly became a hub where members gathered to talk, share their grief, and plan grass roots relief efforts.
If there was one thing that stood out in all the discussions, it was the depth of feeling expressed by the eBay Community as they came to terms with the tragedy. Discussion threads swelled with the caring thoughts of people who were willing and eager to help. Many offered prayers. Others shared links to websites of relief organizations and other resources.

Offers of help poured in from eBay members the world over. The ideas discussed on the boards illustrated members' courage and creativity—from offering to house a family of evacuees to running auctions to benefit the victims to offering services in exchange for voluntary donations to the Red Cross.

eBay also geared up to help as a responsible corporate citizen, setting up several ways for members to donate funds to the relief efforts. For sellers who donated at least 90% of the final sale price of an eBay Giving Works listing, eBay now donates the Insertion and Final Value Fees to the organization specified within the listing. The eBay Foundation made a $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross and matched employee donations dollar for dollar up to $500 per employee.
eBay also reached out directly to one thousand sellers in the Katrina-affected areas whose eBay activity over the past 12 months suggested that they ran their eBay business as their primary source of income. For these sellers, eBay deposited $1000 into their PayPal accounts to help them get back on their feet.
The eBay Community was founded by people helping people. Disasters like last year's tsunami in the Indian Ocean and hurricanes like Katrina and Rita in the U.S. show us how we are a true, global community. This month, The Chatter team wanted to honor this spirit.