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September 10, 2009, 04:51 PM ET
Twitter Users Revive Fund-Raising Effort With a Local Bent
People who use Twitter proved in February that they could transform the popular social-networking site into a fund-raising tool when they generated more than $250,000 for the nonprofit group Charity: Water.
Twestival — a fund-raising event held in more than 200 cities worldwide — was an experiment that showed both the power and the pitfalls that are associated with raising money through 140-character messages.
The power — some cities saw more than 1,000 people gather for fund-raising parties organized solely through Twitter.
The pitfalls — organizers fell well short of raising the $1-million they had set as a goal for the event.
But the fact that Twestival missed its ambitious goals in February doesn’t mean that the concept has run its course.
Instead, the event is back — although with a somewhat different focus.
Today through September 13, people in some 130 cities are participating in an event called Twestival Local.
The volunteer-run effort aims to replicate the concept of February’s global Twestival. But instead of funneling money to a single charity, the new-look event is instead raising money for local charities.
Money raised at an event in Washington tonight, for example, will be given to Miriam’s Kitchen, a group that provides meals and other services to homeless people in the nation’s capital. The charity says on its Web site that a $20 entry fee to the Twestival party will provide meals to 14 people.
Are you participating in Twestival Local? If so, we’d love to hear how much money was raised for charities in each city.
To offer your report, post a comment below.
Participants are also invited to submit photos from the events to The Chronicle‘s Facebook fan page.
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