A small-town community in northern Nebraska will use eBay to help it with its revitalization efforts. For 10 days beginning August 9, residents of Atkinson, Nebraska, will sell donated items on eBay to raise more than $20,000 for the Atkinson Community Foundation in a campaign called Hometown Help.

Volunteers will be involved in the solicitation and collection of the items for auction and will take part in a workshop that will teach them business skills, including how to launch and maintain a retail business on eBay.

The Hometown Help program was developed by eKnowledge Institute Inc. (eKI) with materials from McGraw-Hill/Osborne, the campaign has already begun. The town expects that more than 1,000 items will be donated.

eKI, which tours the country training people how to start businesses selling on eBay, will be on-hand throughout the campaign to guide Hometown Help volunteers through the process of listing and selling Atkinson's donated items on eBay. The company will conduct two sessions of its training workshops during the 10-day campaign. Open to all Hometown Help volunteers, the workshops will teach attendees how to start their own eBay businesses.

Erik Totten, Hometown Help creator and eBay Power Seller, was raised in Atkinson. He will be one of the eKI instructors who teaches Atkinson volunteers how to run their town's business on eBay.

"Small towns across America are struggling to survive," said Totten. "eBay has become such a powerful tool for small business, and it can do the same for our small-town communities. Knowledge and capital are the keys to starting a successful new business. Hometown Help brings both to Atkinson."

http://www.eknowledgeinstitute.com/hometownhelp