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For the second year, PayPal is running the Regift the Fruitcake campaign, an effort to raise money for charity through the sharing of a virtual fruitcake. The slogan is, "By giving the gift no one wants, you're giving the gift that everyone needs." PayPal is asking people to participate by logging onto the site to create a fruitcake on behalf of a featured charity (there are 25 of them), make a donation to a charity using a PayPal account, and using Facebook Connect to regift the fruitcake to friends. There are a number of videos on YouTube about the project . Here's one from last year from Yao Ming: "Fruitcakes will no longer be seen as the holiday doorstop, but a stepping stone to a higher cause," said Amanda Pires, senior director at PayPal. "The more fruitcakes that are regifted, the more chances fruitcakes have to make a real impact on important issues like fighting cancer, reducing poverty and rescuing animals. Finally fruitcakes will get the respect that they deserve." The idea is that the viral nature of the fruitcake via Facebook can get a lot of people to take notice and donate money for good causes. So far, there's been just over nine grand raised. Charities involved include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, ASPCA, Boys and Girls Club, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Autism Speaks, and many more. "There's no shame in regifting this fruitcake," said Cameron Sinclair, founder, Architecture for Humanity. "It's the hero of the holidays -- the one brick shaped bad gift you can feel good about passing on to all your friends." "Our supporters aren’t typically huge fans of actual fruitcakes," said Cyndi Court, EVP, Resource Development & Marketing, Boys and Girls Club of America. "But this year, PayPal's viral fruitcakes will rise above the usual sweaters from grandma and become a gift they’ll love receiving – and regifting." PayPal will award the charity that raises the most money with $20,000; the second runner-up will get $10,000; and the third place charity will get $5,000. The most active users will also be rewarded. Regift the Fruitcake is only one example of how social media is changing charity. WebProNews recently did an interview with ER's Anthony Edwards on this subject. Check that out here . Related Articles: > Continue reading →