Douglas McGray writes an interesting article in West (the new Sunday mag for the LA Times) about how Omidyar and Skoll, the founders of Ebay, are changing the face of philanthropy.
Since EBay went public in 1998, Omidyar, now worth about $8 billion, and Skoll, worth about $5 billion, have become two of the nation’s leading philanthropists. And they have done so in ways that seem likely to shape their generation’s philanthropic legacy—first poking at the firewall between the nonprofit and business worlds, then punching through and building a network of investments that cross back and forth.
The article documents the transformation of philanthropy in the United States and details how the technology boom is not only increasing charitable contributions, but also incorporating more ROI-driven methods to improve the way resources are allocated. It’s a great read– check it out for yourself.