SMC of SLC

SMC: Hey, JD! Tell us all about eBay’s cool initiative to give back to the community this holiday season via its “eBay it Forward” program:

JD: Happy to! eBay it Forward is a new way for people to pay it forward: to share stories with one another, while assisting Family Promise, a great local charity, in the process. In a nutshell, we’re asking people to donate an item that gave them joy, comfort, or happiness in 2009. An item that, when passed on, benefits the recipient. The giver gains, the recipient gains – as will homeless families here in Utah. It’s definitely a feel-good way for people to regift. This project will really show how similar we all are, regardless of beliefs, ethnicity, geography or – financial standing.

SMC: So I hear we physically deliver our item and story to Salt Lake’s EVE event. True?

JD: Yes! I invite everyone to come down to EVE on December 28 for a preview event from 5-8 p.m. We will have an exhibit set up at the Gateway Mall, in the Depot Grand Hall, where we will be collecting the items and displaying them as an art exhibit for all to see. The exhibit will be on display throughout the EVE festivities, from December 29-31, noon to 8 p.m. daily.

By the way, your $15 EVE ticket is good for all three days/nights of live music, arts performances, dance parties, DJs, action sports, etc. You should definitely be there for the New Year celebration! Make plans to stay-up late, party in the street and ring in 2010 in a major way. This won’t be the First Night you’ve seen in past years!

SMC: Cool! After the items are collected at EVE, they go up for bid on eBay? So even my cousin in Alaska can get in on the eBay it Forward action?

JD: Yes! Once Eve is over, we will list the items, with their stories, on eBay Giving Works, with all proceeds of the auctions going to Family Promise Salt Lake.

SMC: This all sounds like a lot of work for eBay. Are a lot of eBay employees volunteering their time for this project?

JD: Many eBay employee volunteers will be staffing the venue, along with volunteers from Family Promise. eBay volunteers also will be listing all the items afterwards. And I’ve heard quite a few eBayers talking about the personal items they will be donating, so we’ve got good buzz within our center. With the help of our local vice president, who has been behind this project 100 percent, we also will be receiving personal donations from our CEO and division presidents in San Jose, California.

SMC: Sweet! Let’s talk turkey, err, mistletoe. How are the collected funds going to be distributed to the homeless?

JD: We chose a local charity for this project, as I think it’s important that people can feel great about supporting the community in which they live and work. Family Promise is awesome. They’re all about helping homeless families and keeping them together during their struggles. Their mission is to help homeless families achieve lasting self-sufficiency by providing safe and hospitable shelter, with the help of numerous and diverse local congregations. Family Promise also offers intensive case management support both during and following a period of homelessness.

SMC: Has social media played a major role in promoting this event? What tools have you used?

JD: Social Media is playing a HUGE role in spreading word about eBay it Forward. I started putting teasers out in the Twittersphere a couple of months ago, to get people thinking about items they valued most in 2009, and why. SLC has such an amazing group of dedicated Twitter users who really care about making the local community an even better place. Or maybe I just happen to follow all the right people!

We also have had an amazing response to our eBay it Forward FaceBook group and corresponding event page. I was shocked to see how quickly word spread, and how many people joined solely from word of mouth. Too, an eBay employee also went out on his own and created a Squidoo page for the event, just because he’s a nice guy. Social media as a whole really encompasses what this project is all about – Community!

SMC: Umm…not to put you on the spot (HA!), but what personal item are you regifting?

JD: It’s been hard to decide what I will be donating. Just like many others, 2009 was a stressful year; without my wife and daughter I may have exploded! But, as donating people is frowned upon (and I would never give either up without a fight to the death!), I think I’m going to donate an item we all used together during one of our rare weekends together as a family (we events people don’t get many free weekends; so when we do, we really make them count!).

SMC: Cool! I can’t wait to read the story that accompanies that! See you at EVE, JD. We wish you much success with eBay it Forward!

JD: Thanks! It’s scary doing something entirely new like this, as it could be a giant success or a huge flop. I guess it all depends on whether or not the SLC community is willing to pay forward important things in their lives. I have a hunch they are!

**Note: JD’s Twitter handle: jdnorton. But also be sure to check out eBayEvents_SLC.

Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt is a freelance writer, editor, and social media trainer/marketer. Catch her online at www.Bell-Rehwoldt.com, http://www.facebook.com/SheriBellRehwoldt, and http://www.linkedin.com/in/sbrehwoldt