SiliconBeat

Most of us are familiar with the story of Craigslist.org, the online community and classifieds site that is one of the 10 most visited places on the Web. And its founder, Craig Newmark, is something of an Internet icon.

But less familiar is the Craigslist Foundation. Back when Craigslist started charging for job listings, it had to drop its non-profit status. But it created the foundation to continue giving back to the community. Specifically, the foundation focuses on advising, educating, and supporting non-profit start-ups.

On October 18, the foundation is holding a day-long Boot Camp in San Mateo for non-profits. I spoke with Darian Rodriguez Heyman, executive director of the foundation to learn more about the history of the organization and the boot camp this weekend.

I can be as cynical as anyone when I hear someone droning on about how technology can solve all the world’s problem. I often find that Silicon Valley can sometimes have an almost messianic faith that we’re just a few lines of code away from solving any social ill. Just believe in the power of free markets and progress through technology, and we’ll be fine.

Nonsense, of course. But still, there is potential to do good at the intersection of technology and philanthropy. And that was certainly in evidence at the Netsquared Conference held May 27 and May 28. Read the rest of this entry »