CAMBRIDGE,MA. - November 7, 2008 "“ cMarket Network, the leader in online auction fundraising for nonprofit organizations, today surpassed $50 million raised for charitable causes through its online auctions, a $10 million increase in just six months. The company attributes this recent growth spurt and record company sales to a tightening economy and the need for nonprofits to expand their support base beyond traditional donors.

"In this economy, auction committees know they need every edge they can get if they hope to replicate last year's fundraising total," says CEO Jon Carson. "Not only are online charity auctions a popular fundraising tool for nonprofits, more than 250,000 cause-minded consumers have placed bids in cMarket charity auctions in the last 4 years, getting great deals on unique and everyday items that support various social, medical and environmental causes."

The rapid growth in online auction fundraisers is a function of the network effect created among three core groups in the fundraising auction ecosystem: schools and nonprofits, consumers, and commercial item donors who increasingly seek some measureable benefit from their donations.

"This model works because each participant in this auction ecosystem benefits from the others," explains Carson. "More items draw more shoppers; shoppers like to support a good cause especially if the items are unique and they get a good deal. The more shoppers placing bids, the more money the charity makes and the more attractive the 'channel' is for hospitality, entertainment and product donors looking to reach new customers. As the weakening economy impacts each of these industries, they are finding natural business synergies by working together."

The cMarket Network thrives on a three legged model: More items + more bidders = more money.

More Items: cMarket Place is a robust 'stock room' filled with millions of dollars of donated and consignment products and services. A typical new cMarket client gets thousands of dollars of donated items as part of the service. As an organization builds their online catalog, they can add weekend getaways and exotic vacations, sports memorabilia and autographed collectibles, items for the home, electronics, clothing and apparel, unique experiences and more. Some of the forward-thinking vendors who regularly donate items include Kimpton Hotels/Boston, Liberty Hotel, LEGOLAND, LimoLiner, Lucky Strike Lanes, Reebok Outlet Stores, The Taj Hotels and Premier Cancun Vacations.

More Bidders: BiddingForGood.com is the consumer portal to all current auctions driving over 25% of winning bid revenue for cMarket clients. Here shoppers from all over the world can bid on thousands of products and services and support great causes at the same time, and in many cases, winning the item for less then market value. The site's 'goodometer' keeps a running tally of money raised to date, live auctions and the number of items currently up for bid.

More Money: More bids plus more items means cMarket clients make more money. On average the typical client gets a 7/1 return for every dollar they spend with cMarket. In addition, clients generate additional revenues from selling online sponsorships and tickets to their gala, as well as accepting cash donations.

Maine Cancer Foundation raises funds for cancer research using many methods."According to Joanne Jordan, special events manager, "cMarket provides our Foundation the ability to showcase the companies who are supporting us. We keep 100% of our proceeds in Maine and the online auction provides ways for us to bring attention to the quality Maine companies who support our mission."

Having run more than 5,000 online auctions and selling 350,000 items for thousands of nonprofits, cMarket is in a unique position to offer trends, data, expert sources and polling information. For media wishing to learn more, please contact Helen Stefan at (617) 252-6417.

Vendors interested in learning more about placing products in auctions can contact Dave Mello at 866-918-0308 or dmello@cmarket.com.

About cMarket
cMarket is the leading online auction platform solely for organizations engaged in fundraising for nonprofit causes. With more than 5,000 customers, online auctions powered by cMarket have generated measurable successes and tens of millions of dollars by allowing organizations, both large and small, to better optimize their auction
fundraising model and at the same time, build mission awareness and heightened caring for important causes.

cMarket services national nonprofit organizations such as the United Way, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Junior Achievement, National PTA, and hundreds of local schools, among others. cMarket also works with companies including Ford, Deloitte & Touche, UGG Australia, Kimberly-Clark and General Electric to raise funds for their nonprofit causes.

You can experience cMarket at www.BiddingForGood.com, its consumer website that aggregates hundreds of auctions under one powerful umbrella for thousands of cause-minded bidders. cMarket is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.cmarket.com.

BiddingForGood

BiddingForGood

BiddingForGood is the leading cause based e-commerce platform solely for organizations engaged in auction fundraising for nonprofit causes. With more than 8,000 customers, online auctions powered by BiddingForGood have generated over $75 million for non-profit organizations by allowing them to expand their bidder universe to include their entire constituency AND the 150,000+ BiddingForGood bidder community. Clients also secure more items by delivering a stronger and more measureable marketing value to item donors to ultimately raise more money from more participants.

The company also works with dozens of brand marketers through its unique product advertising program to enable them to efficiently reach affluent donors just as they are spending in a trusted environment. The marketplace can be experienced at www.BiddingForGood.com.

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