Spotlight on eBay Groups: Boutique Angels Charity Organization

Continuing our spotlight series on eBay Groups, our Community platform where members can form their own micro-communities, this time we're celebrating the Boutique Angels Charity Organization. This group is committed to raising money to benefit children's charities, hosting auctions benefiting children several times a year.

Their latest fund-raising effort begins on August 4th and goes through August 17th. The group uses eBay Giving Works to donate 100 per cent of the final price of their items to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. You can find their items by searching for "Boutique Charity Angels" on eBay.

Here's Group Leader mimi*kattini with more information:
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The Boutique Angels Charity Organization was formed in October 2004 by then Leader Tiffany Hageman (my*only*princess). The group currently consists of over 330 independent custom boutique designers which include sellers of children's clothing, jewelry, art, and accessories.

Our organization launches charity fund-raisers four times a year, with 100% of the winning bids donated to a specified children's charity. In the past we've also come together for emergency fund-raisers to help victims of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Asian Tsunami and the California Wildfires.

All auctioned items must be hand-crafted in order to fall under the Boutique Angels' guidelines.  All charity auctions are listed through MissionFish on eBay Giving Works, to ensure that monies collected from these auctions are sent to the appropriate agency. Since its inception in 2004, our group has raised over $59,000 for charity.

Earlier this year, the torch was passed on to myself, Clara Zamora, eBay ID mimi*kattini, and I am very eager to run with it. I am a stay-at-home mother who creates custom boutique clothing for little girls. I ventured onto the scene here on eBay in October of 2006. I became a Boutique Angel member in March of 2007 and haven't missed a fundraiser yet. I really have my heart in this group and all that it does. I do whatever I can to ensure its continued success. I have a wonderful group of moderators who help run the group: Jen of litle*red*wagon, Patty of key*west*kids and Mary Beth of wildbydesign. We work very well together in making sure that our group runs smoothly. All of our members are very talented, generous and caring women...it really is a wonderful group to be a part of!

In designating a charity for each fund-raiser, our group has an ongoing charity suggestion thread. When a fund-raiser is nearing, the group members vote in a poll to narrow the choices, and then a final vote is made in a new poll to specify which children's charity will benefit from the proceeds of their listings. 

The launch dates are also voted on in advance at the end of each year, for the following year, so that members can plan for those they would like to participate in. Participation in each fund-raiser is not mandatory, but members are encouraged to try to contribute to at least one per year. 

The group also encourages those members who have real life personal experiences with some of the charitable organizations to share their stories with other members.

The Boutique Angels have their next fund-raiser on August 4 through August 17. All proceeds will benefit  the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Please read my blog post to learn about some children (such as Jamie, pictured here) affected by this disease. If you have a minute, please stop and visit our listings (just search eBay for "Boutique Charity Angels") and help us raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We would greatly appreciate it!!!!