It was encouraging to see this article in Civil Society regarding eBay's "Give at Checkout" scheme which has raised more than £2.5m since launching in November 2008.  The scheme gives buyers an option to add a small charitable donation when making a purchase.

The website has revealed that up to May 2010 the functionality, which allows users to add a donation of £1, £2 or £5 to their order, has benefited 533 charities, 57 of which have received more than £10,000 each.

Nick Aldridge, CEO of eBay's partner charity MissionFish adds,

"Give at Checkout creates a frictionless online equivalent of a collecting tin on shop counters across the country".

“We’ve been surprised and delighted by the enthusiasm of eBay users for supporting a good cause as they shop online. eBay users have continued to give generously during the recession, and we are seeing 20-40 per cent growth in funds raised year-on-year.” .

Although it can be said that the biggest benefactor was the DEC's Haiti appeal, this should not detract from the fact that giving people the chance to donate in an open and optional environment will increase the likelihood of them giving.

Although the figure looks insignificant to the £40 billion of total sales raised by eBay in 2008 this is at least a start in the right direction and more emphasis should be given to this form of fundraising given that more users than ever are using online retailing solutions to purchase goods.

Infact eBay is already looking at adapting this functionality to its mobile application; however, must ensure that it doesn't fall foul of Apple's stringent rules on donations within their apps.