To celebrate, 12for12k is joining up again with the very cool people over at TwestofTO to hold a live event in Port Credit (in the Greater Toronto area) on Thursday 26th November, between 6.30pm and 11.00pm Eastern. So, what is Tweetsgiving and what will be happening this Thursday?

TweetsGiving 2008: The Classroom Built from Gratitude

Epic Change launched the original TweetsGiving celebration in November 2008 as a 48-hour celebration of gratitude and giving that successfully raised over $10,000 to build a classroom in Arusha, Tanzania.

Imagined and built entirely by volunteers in six days, TweetsGiving was launched 2 days before the US Thanksgiving holiday, and quickly became the #1 trending topic on Twitter as thousands of grateful tweets from across the globe filled the stream, and hundreds of blogs, from Mashable to VentureBeat, spread the story.

Epic Change invested the funds to build a classroom at a school founded by Tanzanian Epic Change fellow “Mama Lucy” Kamptoni, a woman who used to sell chickens and used her income to build a school that now serves over 300 children near her home in Arusha.  In this classroom built from gratitude, the Twitter handles of donors are now painted on the walls.

2009 Plans: Epic Thanks

In 2009, Epic Change will expand this global groundswell of gratitude by including live events across the globe and reaching out to even more online communities.

Proceeds will again, in part, benefit the school, where a dormitory/orphanage, library, school cafeteria and additional classrooms are much needed. In addition, TweetsGiving 2009 seeks to fund new Epic Change partners and fellows in other parts of the world.

12for12k, TwestofTO and the Port Credit Tweetsgiving Event

As part of the live events that will be happening around the globe, TwestofTO has once more joined forces with 12for12k and have opened up their doors to help celebrate Tweetsgiving. Taking place at the very funky Brogue Inn and Restaurant in Port Credit, Ontario, the event starts at 6.30pm.

Thanks to very kind donors like the Toronto Raptors, the Canadian Opera Company and more, there will be a silent auction with some very cool prizes. Additionally, there will be special mini-events throughout the night. More details can be found here.

It’s going to be a great way to end 2009 with the TwestofTO crew, other great people from online and offline, as well as have some drinks and raise money for good. At the time of writing, there are only 20 19 tickets left, so make sure you grab yours now and see you there!

If you can’t make it, but still wish to contribute, you can use the Tweetsgiving widget below to add your support to this year’s celebration of gratitude.

As you might notice, the site has undergone a little bit of a revamp. Gone is the old blog design, in is the new, more visual look. I  deliberately wanted to go with a more pictorial approach – after all, what tells a story better than a picture?

So, when you first visit the site, you’ll now see a (hopefully)  more aesthetic look and feel (and my sincere thanks to Darin Berntson for the visual help).

This continues with the different pages and sub-page links. On the homepage, for instance, you can go directly to our blog for the latest news; find out more about the charities we’re supporting; and find out how you can get involved with 12for12k, all via tabs underneath our homepage main images.

Speaking of the main images, you’ll notice each has a powerful message attached to each one. The mantra, if you like, behind 12for12k has always been to effect long-term change for as many causes and people as possible. Our images, and the tagline to the top right of the home page – “Hope, Change, Belief – changing the world through social media” – is our reason for being here in the first place.

I’ve also updated the Newsroom, which is co-sponsored by Marketwire and Rachel Kay Public Relations (RKPR). Again, this is tied into the more visual approach, and will let you see the latest news, media features, events and more.

Our Blogger Resource Center has also been updated with an FAQ section, courtesy of 12for12k’s blogger outreach partner, Sarah Robinson. Sarah will be looking after all of 12for12k’s blogging support as well as helping with any queries from either bloggers wishing to partner us, or existing blog partners.

On the charity front, since August was a regrouping month, if you like, I’m looking at different ideas to involve the 12th charity. Due to a special collaboration with the awesome Epic Change team for November, it may be that we support two charities that month. However, this is just tentative and if you have any suggestions, I’m always open to hear – after all, this is as much your project as it is 12for12k’s.

Next month sees us supporting the incredible Doctors Without Borders in partnership with the Global Patriot project, and the next couple of days will see more information released. This includes multinational live events, with San Diego enjoying a great live concert on September 3, details of which can be found on our events page.

So, some new stuff, some old stuff, some planned stuff – but still the same ideals that together, we can all make a difference. Feel free to look around, check out the changes, and let me know what you think.

Thank you so much for being with us so far – this really is just the beginning, and on behalf of the whole 12for12k team, here’s to an amazing end to 2009 and into 2010 and beyond.

Danny Brown
Founder, 12for12k.

photo credit: johnscotthaydon