The eBay Foundation added two new members to its board this month. The philanthropic arm of eBay, established in 1998, partners with nonprofit organizations that are addressing and removing barriers to entrepreneurship for people who identify with historically excluded groups, according to its website, and also supports employees with giving and volunteering opportunities.
Derek Allgood, eBay Vice President of Global Customer and Experience, had previously reported to Wendy Jones, a member of the Executive Leadership Team who stepped down in 2020, and he has been with eBay since 2017. Based in Ireland, Allgood currently manages the customer service arm of eBay, “a global team of over 7,000 that assists over 45 million customers with over 350 million help requests each year.”
Lorena Martinez, Head of Operations for Core Product, joined eBay in 2015. She posted on LinkedIn that she was looking forward to partnering with nonprofits to affect change for entrepreneurs who identify with historically excluded groups. “I come from a family of entrepreneurs and understand how the eBay Foundation can enable businesses to realize their dreams,” Martinez said in eBay’s announcement.
Allgood and Martinez join the following current eBay Foundation Board members:
Julie Loeger: (Board Chairperson) SVP, Chief Growth Officer, eBay
Julie Simpson: (Board CFO) VP, Head of Internal Audit and Chief Audit Executive, eBay
Ken Ebanks: (Board Secretary) VP and Interim General Counsel, eBay
Beric Alleyne: Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, eBay
Patrice Green: VP of Programs, Surdna Foundation
Jonathan Jayes-Green: Nonprofit and Philanthropy Executive
Eve Williams: VP and General Manager, eBay U.K.
Beginning in 2014, eBay appointed top executives from its PR department to chair the Foundation’s board, including Alan Marks (2014-2015); Dan Tarman (2016-2018); Steve Wymer (2019); and Joe Billante (2020 – 2022). In 2023, Julie Loeger broke the streak and remains Chair of the eBay Foundation.
In 2022, eBay refreshed the Foundation’s board, and for the first time added two members from outside eBay, at the same time reporting that it had been implementing a new strategic vision for the organization.
eBay said in its August 5th announcement, “With Derek’s background in delivering customer satisfaction at scale and Lorena’s expertise in inclusive leadership, the eBay Foundation is poised to advance its strategic mission.”
eBay also noted several milestones that highlight its foundation’s continuous work, including $19M in grants and employee matching gifts in 2023; $120M granted to nonprofit organizations since 1998; and 1.8K nonprofits awarded grants since 1998.
The eBay Foundation’s president, Allie Ottoboni, participated in an interview conducted by Harvard Kennedy School’s HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor John McQuillan about corporate philanthropy on March 21, 2024 in the following video posted on YouTube:
Julie Loeger: (Board Chairperson) SVP, Chief Growth Officer, eBay
Julie Simpson: (Board CFO) VP, Head of Internal Audit and Chief Audit Executive, eBay
Ken Ebanks: (Board Secretary) VP and Interim General Counsel, eBay
Beric Alleyne: Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, eBay
Patrice Green: VP of Programs, Surdna Foundation
Jonathan Jayes-Green: Nonprofit and Philanthropy Executive
Eve Williams: VP and General Manager, eBay U.K.
ALL useless employees who can be layed off and whos salaries can be used to help grow the business instead of wasting it on useless positions.
Charity begins at home, try your sellers, eBay!