March 3, 2005

SOCIAL EDGE GIVES INSIDE LOOK AT GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY FORUM

PALO ALTO, Calif.—March 2, 2005—For the first time, the public can see and hear what’s happening at the Global Philanthropy Forum’s Annual Conference on Borderless Giving, an exclusive gathering at Stanford University of philanthropists to explore opportunities for international giving.

Social Edge, the Skoll Foundation’s site where social entrepreneurs and others in the social sector connect, is offering nightly summaries of what’s creating a buzz at the Forum on a blog on the Social Edge philanthropy portal at philanthropy.socialedge.org.

Patrick O’Heffernan, an experienced blogger who was a media critic for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” for three years, is hosting the blog. Although the Forum ends on Friday, March 4, the blog will be archived on Social Edge.

Social Edge’s philanthropy portal also will link to live Webcasts of the plenary sessions at the Forum that are being provided by the World Affairs Council.

Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation, said, “This is a rare opportunity to get an inside look at an important conference where attendance is restricted to major philanthropists, and space is always sold out. It’s an opportunity to learn what’s important to them, what issues concern them and what’s causing excitement in the world of international philanthropy.”

Osberg added that she hopes the event will make people more aware of the philanthropy portal on Social Edge, one of six channels on the newly designed site that create communities around specific areas of interest in the social sector.

Social Edge brings together leading thinkers and practitioners in the social sector and is an open discussion forum owned and shaped by its members. It is driven by Jeff Skoll’s belief in the power of online communities to forge bonds and solve problems. Skoll, who founded the Skoll Foundation in 1999, was the first employee and first president of eBay.

Launched in 2003 by the Skoll Foundation, Social Edge is a Web site at www.socialedge.org where social entrepreneurs, nonprofit professionals, philanthropists and others in the social sector connect to network, learn, inspire one another and share resources. The site strikes a balance between the visionary and the practical with spirited discussions, online workshops, and access to resources and experts. Social Edge is committed to fostering frank dialogue, building mutual respect and creating a sense of community among members of the social sector.

About the Skoll Foundation

Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., the Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the first employee and first president of eBay. Its mission is to advance systemic change in communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs, who are individuals dedicated to pioneering new solutions that result in lasting improvements to complex social problems.

The Skoll Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs through three award programs. The foundation connects social entrepreneurs through its online community, Social Edge, at www.socialedge.org, and via the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University. It celebrates social entrepreneurs through projects such as a four-part public television documentary called “The New Heroes” that will be broadcast in 2005. For more information, visit www.skollfoundation.org