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eBay Inc. and Net Impact Release Landmark Report that Redefines "Green" Jobs Through Social Intrapreneurship

eBay Inc. and Net Impact Release Landmark Report that Redefines "Green" Jobs Through Social Intrapreneurship

Published 05-13-09

Submitted by eBay Inc.

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - May 13, 2009 - eBay, Inc., the world's leading e-commerce company, and Net Impact, an international nonprofit organization with over 10,000 students and professional members dedicated to improving the world through business, released a groundbreaking report that profiles 15 social intrapreneurs - or individuals working within large organizations who find ways to integrate sustainability into their day jobs - and highlights the key strategies and actions they take to create positive change. Building on their long tradition of entrepreneurism and drawing on the momentum of their growing Green Team, eBay collaborated with Net Impact to develop this report as a way to inspire current and aspiring social intrapreneurs to drive innovation within their organizations and shape the definition of sustainability jobs and business.

"The eBay Green Team inspires us every day," said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe. "What started as a small group of passionate employees helping to drive change within our company has evolved into a partnership with 100,000 of our customers to inspire smarter, greener ways to shop. Our Green Team employees show how small steps can lead to big changes, and I hope that sharing their story through Net Impact's guide inspires others to create positive change in their own workplace."

"Although we frequently focus attention on the corporate responsibility department or an organization, it is often the employees with deep functional knowledge, working in operations, marketing, finance, and other areas who are driving the real change in how an organization addresses social and environmental concerns," said Liz Maw, Executive Director of Net Impact. "These internal entrepreneurs or social intrapreneurs understand that each small improvement they create can have a profound positive social, environmental, and economic impact for their organization, particularly as these changes are accepted and integrated in the daily business practices of a large corporation."

Making Your Impact at Work is based on the stories of innovative and inspiring social intrapreneurs from Net Impact’s network. The report summarizes key themes identified in the experiences of social intrapreneurs and provides a model for future changemakers to follow as they "green" their own corporate positions. The report also profiles 15 social intrapreneurs representing 13 different companies and a range of functions and industries, and provides details on the planning and execution of their corporate change projects.

Given the challenges of the current economic environment, Making Your Impact at Work is particularly relevant to organizations and individuals seeking economic, environmental, and social opportunities. For corporations, the report highlights projects that can clearly add economic and environmental value for customers, shareholders and management; and gives advice on how to best support staff in developing successful corporate change projects. Additionally, Making Your Impact at Work outlines several ideas for employee engagement projects that can also help an organization’s efforts to attract and retain talent. For individuals, Making Your Impact at Work provides guidance on how to leverage social intrapreneurship projects for professional development and career reinvention at a time when new jobs are scarce.

To extend awareness of Making Your Impact at Work, eBay and Net Impact are releasing a special podcast that features three of the social intrapreneurs featured in the report: Lisa Neuberger-Fernandez, Strategy & Policy Lead, Corporate Citizenship, Accenture; Hilary Sinclair, Process Improvement Manager, eBay Inc.; and Suzanne Henricksen, Associate Marketing Intelligence Manager, The Clorox Company. The podcast features a discussion on the role of social intrapreneurship in the current economic climate, career paths, main challenges, and strategies any employee can apply to become a social intrapreneur in their organization.

The podcast and the report are available for download at http://www.netimpact.org/impactatworkguide.

The eBay Green Team initiative grew out of a grassroots effort begun in 2007 by a small group of passionate eBay employees who wanted to put their environmental values to work. Today, more than
2,300 eBay employees in 23 countries are Green Team members, supporting environmental causes in their local communities and championing sustainable business practices within eBay. When the company needed more office space, the Green Team led eBay to construct the first building built to LEED Gold Standards in San Jose, CA, featuring the city's largest solar panel installation. Inspired by the passion and accomplishments of the eBay Green Team, the company launched ebay.com/greenteam in March, a new initiative dedicated to promoting smarter, greener shopping decisions by its 88 million active users.

Motivated by professional members who wanted to improve the way their organizations approached business, Net Impact launched the Impact at Work program in 2007 to inspire, educate, and equip social intrapreneurs in creating and implementing workplace change initiatives. Today the program supports working professionals actively engaged in positive social and environmental change initiatives by providing project support, access to resources and information, and developing networking opportunities all designed to help employees who want bring their social and environmental values to work, while creating positive economic value for their organizations.

About eBay

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Building on this positive foundation, eBay Global Citizenship was formed to harness the capabilities that underlie our core businesses to further our ability to be a "force for good." Our citizenship portfolio includes the eBay Green Team, the eBay Foundation, and our ventures for social good - eBay Giving Works, MicroPlace, and WorldofGood.com by eBay.

About Net Impact

Net Impact is a global organization of students and professionals using business to improve the world. Net Impact offers a portfolio of programs and initiatives to educate, equip and inspire over 10,000 members to make a tangible difference through business. Spanning six continents, Net Impact’s membership is one of the most influential networks of students and professionals in existence today and includes current and emerging leaders in corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development and environmental sustainability. The Net Impact network includes over 200 chapters in cities throughout the world and a central office in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.netimpact.org.

eBay Inc. logo

eBay Inc.

eBay Inc.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is a global commerce leader including the Marketplace, StubHub and Classifieds platforms. Collectively, we connect millions of buyers and sellers around the world, empowering people and creating opportunity through Connected Commerce. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay is one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. In 2016, eBay enabled $84 billion of gross merchandise volume. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com

Global Impact at eBay

Global Impact is the good that happens when people connect on eBay. It’s how we bring our purpose to life: Creating a better, more sustainable form of commerce—where people are empowered, causes are supported and opportunities are open to everyone.

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