A charity auction to have lunch with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to launch in early May

April 11, 2024in Salesforce

A charity auction to have lunch with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff launches in May carrying on a long tradition. The lunch featured Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett for many years.

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Glide will field bids for the “Power of One Charity Lunch Auction” with Benioff from May 5-10, according to a Tuesday press release put out by eBay on the nonprofit’s behalf. It is working with the online marketplace to conduct the auction, like it has for many years.

Charity auction to have lunch with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff

“I’m humbled to continue my friend @WarrenBuffett’s legacy w/ the Power of One Charity Lunch,” the billionaire Salesforce CEO said on X. “Thank you to @GLIDEsf for their great work to support our amazing city of SF. And I’ll always be grateful for the passion of Susie Buffett and leadership of Warren & Reverend Cecil Williams.”

EBay and the nonprofit have set bidding at $25,000 to start. Whoever winds up winning will get a “memorable lunch for eight” with Benioff, the press release said.

Not the first charitable thing Benioff has made a large donation to in 2024. Earlier this year Fox Business reported a large donation to hospitals in Hawaii. He and his wife have promised to give away at least 50% of their wealth to charitable causes as signatories of the Giving Pledge. They signed onto that initiative, which Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett set up about eight years ago.

Glide had collaborated with Warren Buffett, the longtime CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and a billionaire investor, on the auctions for over two decades. The origins of the lunch trace back to his late wife, Susie.

$25,000 charity auction to have lunch with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff launches in May.

The more than two decades of lunches with Buffett helped the non-profit bring in $53 million worth of funds for its “transformative programs and services that lift people out of poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and advance equity through systems change,” according to the press release.

The total includes the “record-breaking” $19 million from 2022’s lunch auction. That year marked the last one Buffett planned to do, as FOX Business reported at the time.

Buffett, who turned 93 in late August, said the lunch “is in the right hands” with Benioff.

“He is going to do a wonderful job improving on what I did over the years,” the “Oracle of Omaha” said. “With Marc’s enthusiasm and commitment, along with GLIDE’s leadership and volunteers, GLIDE will be able to continue providing its vital services for San Francisco.”

Both men have been active when it comes to philanthropy-related efforts over the years.

Buffett has disbursed tens of billions in charitable contributions to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a few nonprofits linked to Buffett’s family.

Meanwhile, Benioff has made donations for various causes, including the environment, homelessness and health care.

Salesforce has provided more than $10 million in philanthropic giving to refugee-serving organizations worldwide. The Salesforce Foundation also makes considerable contributions.

What does the Salesforce Foundation look for in a potential grantee partner?

The Salesforce Foundation looks at the following factors when sourcing and shaping new strategic grant partnerships: alignment with Salesforce’s Education grantmaking strategy; nonprofit status, demonstrated program impact or strong evidence-informed models; commitment to measure, learn, and adapt; and strong, diverse leadership team reflective of the community and connected to the issues they are addressing.

So, if you’d like to chat with Mark Benioff of Salesforce, like to see your money going somewhere meaningful, and are intrigued, mark your calendars for the May auction.

Charity auction to have lunch with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff