GLIDE announces Annual Charity Lunch Auction to be hosted by Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff, powered by eBay
For more than 60 years, GLIDE has been dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis and transforming lives. GLIDE has announced its annual Charity Lunch Auction, an exclusive lunch auction launched by Warren Buffett more than 20 years ago, will now be hosted by Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff. The one-of-a-kind event has raised $53 million to support GLIDE’s transformative programs and services that lift people out of poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and advance equity through systems change. Bidding for this year’s Annual Charity Lunch Auction will be powered by longtime auction partner eBay and will open on Sunday, May 5 at 7:30 pm PDT and close on Friday, May 10 at 7:30 pm PDT. The winning bidder will enjoy a memorable lunch for eight with Benioff.
“We are so grateful that Marc Benioff is continuing Warren Buffett’s legacy of supporting San Francisco’s most vulnerable,” said Dr. Gina M. Fromer, GLIDE President and CEO. “Warren Buffett’s vision, generosity, and friendship over the last two decades has enabled GLIDE to directly improve the lives of thousands daily. This legacy is in excellent hands with Marc, who has long been an outspoken champion for equality and justice in the Bay Area and worldwide.”
“The baton is in the right hands with Marc Benioff,” said Warren Buffett. “He’s going to do a wonderful job improving on what I did over the years. With Marc’s enthusiasm and commitment, along with GLIDE’s leadership and volunteers, GLIDE will be able to continue providing its vital services for San Francisco.”
“I’m incredibly humbled to continue Warren’s legacy by supporting the Power of One Charity Lunch Auction, and I’m so grateful for the passion of Susie and the leadership of Warren and Reverend Cecil Williams, ” said Marc Benioff. “We’re thrilled to work with GLIDE, building on their great work to support the amazing city of San Francisco.”
Conceived by the late Susie Buffett, GLIDE launched the Power of One Charity Lunch Auction in 2000 and initially raised $25,000. In 2003, at Warren Buffett’s suggestion, the auction moved to eBay attracting bidders from all over the world, and since then, has raised more than $53 million to support GLIDE. Buffett’s grand finale Annual Charity Lunch Auction in 2022 raised a record-breaking $19 million. eBay for Charity is one of the world’s largest charitable platforms, enabling eBay’s global community of 132 million buyers to support the causes that matter most to them.
Over the past 21 years, eBay has powered the legendary auction on the eBay for Charity platform, opening the doors for participation by its worldwide charitable community.
“As a globally recognized leader who wrote the book on changing the world for good, Marc is the natural successor to host the iconic Power of One lunch,” said eBay CEO Jamie Iannone. “Together, eBay and GLIDE have inspired more than $50 million in charitable giving over two decades of annual auctions. Since its inception, eBay for Charity has helped thousands of organizations around the world raise more than $1.1 billion on our platform, and we look forward to building on that legacy.”
The funds raised by the Annual Charity Lunch Auction help GLIDE extend its reach and deepen its impact. A cornerstone organization in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, GLIDE’s services have expanded to meet the challenges of the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased opioid overdoses and widening income disparity. GLIDE implements evidence-based solutions that help more people in need exit crises and find stability and pathways out of poverty. Focused on impact and combating systems that foster inequity, GLIDE is influencing institutions of power, advancing policies and investments that break intergenerational cycles of poverty and homelessness.
About GLIDE
For more than six decades spanning political, economic and cultural changes, GLIDE has served as a social justice movement, social service provider and spiritual community dedicated to strengthening communities and transforming lives. GLIDE is a nationally-recognized center for equity, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. Through our integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community, we empower individuals, families, and children to achieve stability and thrive. GLIDE is on the forefront of addressing some of society’s most pressing issues, including poverty, housing and homelessness, and racial and social justice.
About Salesforce
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, empowering companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way through the power of CRM + AI + Data + Trust on one unified platform: Einstein.
About eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity enables members of the eBay community to connect with and support their favorite charities when they buy or sell in the U.S. and abroad. Sellers can donate up to 100 percent of the proceeds to a charity of their choice, while buyers can add a donation to their purchase during checkout. To date, more than $1.3 billion dollars has been raised for charity by the eBay community, and the program is on track to raise an additional $600 million by 2025. Visit www.eBayforCharity.org for more information.
About eBay
eBay Inc. is a global commerce leader that connects people and builds communities to create economic opportunity for all. Our technology empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world, providing everyone the opportunity to grow and thrive. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, California, eBay is one of the world’s largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. In 2023, eBay enabled more than $73 billion of gross merchandise volume.
Source: eBay
