Online marketplace eBay announced that users generated a record-breaking $63 million in donations during 2011. Through the eBay Giving Works platform, users contributed $120 per minute for charitable organizations when shopping online. 

The platform enables users to easily make contributions for charities and causes when completing transactions on eBay's marketplace. Additionally, the company has launched a program called eBay Celebrity, which combines philanthropic causes with celebrity experiences, merchandise and memorabilia.

Last year, celebrities used eBay as a way to raise funds online for charitable causes, such as The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Warren Buffet's annual lunch auction for the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

Using internet platforms for fundraising can sometimes help organizations and causes receive financial relief sooner. In 2011, eBay users contributed $6 million for Japanese earthquake relief efforts and $3.3 million for ending the hunger crisis in the horn of Africa.

"We are incredibly grateful to eBay users for their consistent generosity, and to the eBay team for enabling its buyers and sellers to do good in the world," said Nancy Roman, director of communications and private partnerships of the World Food Program. "The eBay platform empowers nonprofits like ours to reach millions of compassionate people and receive donations quickly and securely."