Though many traditional businesses are still sitting on the sidelines studying how the “not new anymore” social web tools work, the people are taking it to the trees and creating events for social benefit. So I am delighted to present a brief case study for your consideration.
The latest of these is Twestival, a global event designed to have simultaneous fund-raising efforts in 175 cities to raise money and awareness for better access to clean water. The target recipient was charity:water.
From @VBrown of 808talk.com, the man who initiated the event: “Basics: started planning jan 28 at a table ala moana food court. Sold 167 tix online over 35 at door.”
It is a pretty straightforward formula:
- Someone gets an idea, creates a tag, and starts promoting it on Twitter and blogs.
- Thought leaders eagerly claim their turf in local communities as word spreads rapidly.
- Volunteers come on board, wanting to be part of something bigger than themselves.
- Sponsors are enlisted to help underwrite the fixed costs.
- Social web tools (free) are used to promote the event, collect donations, organize tasks, and make this thing happen.
- The event features entertainment, donated food, video monitors showing facts about the charity:water cause, and lots of live-streaming, live Twittering, and like-Flickring of the event, generating thousands of impressions for each local event, including the sponsors.
The results are overwhelmingly positive:
- Sponsors get outstanding response for their investment.
- Charities effortlessly find dedicated volunteers; the charity itself only had to provide information. All of the leg work was done by formerly unidentified volunteers.
- Individuals can hardly find easier ways to make a difference – something so valuable in these times when problems seem so huge and insurmountable.
- Enormous sums of money are raised, over $7000 just from Honolulu alone.
What about the intangible business results?
- If you search Google for “charity:water” there are now an astounding 32.7 million results.
- If you search Twitter for the hashtag, ”#twestival”, you can easily learn about the event from around the world, and keep in mind these voices from the collective also are freely helping create search results from the bottom of their hearts.
- If you search Flickr for “hitwestival”, you can witness the event in living color from the people who attended, took pictures, then tagged them.
- Local musicians donated their services yet found new fans and were beamed live around the world. (See list below.)
- Local artists, like @valdezign, share talents to create a logo and get lots of free attention, otherwise hard and expensive to buy.
- The mainstream press takes notice, like the NY Times and those of us who participated can even leave a comment there and further brag about “our” local event. (Mind you, I was only a participant on this one – adding a few tweets to the pool, buying a ticket, making a donation, buying a t-shirt, and live-streaming the event – all done on the fly in the last 48 hours.)
- In less than 24 hours after the event, you can read the results on numerous blogs, including this one.
- Etc. I hope you get the picture now.
Here’s some link love for the Planners and Volunteers:
Arleen Anderson (@AlohaArleen)
Vernon Brown (@VBrown)
L.P. ”NEENZ” Faleafine (@NEENZ)
Nathan Kam (@NathanKam)
Susie Lin (@susielin)
Matt Matsumoto (@matmatsu)
Kelly Mitchell (@HawaiiRealty)
Paul (@twirrim)
Tammi (@alohaTammi)
Judi Clark (@judico)
More link love fro the Musicians:
Guy Cruz
Anuhea
Mailani Maikainai
Jama Hang
Sunset
Further Reading
See all of the players, including the sponsors and prize donors, on the HiTwestival Wiki.
Reed Ryan’s colorful play-by-play coverage to get a feeling for how this event unfolded.
Learn more about how to use Social Media to Promote Your Event.
You can follow and connect with Roxanne on 
You can follow and connect with Shane on 
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Rox :) nice breakdown of the twitter-formula.
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Are twestivals a fad that’s going to go away quickly? I still don’t really see how people are always going to be excited about doing these. One or two… 10, sure. Once it goes mainstream and everyone is tweeting their favorite cause the whole idea will just die out – won’t be enough participants I’m guessing. Hope I’m proved wrong, but I just don’t see it as a long term viable idea… :P
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We’re having our 2010 planning meeting for HITwestival to make it even bigger and better. If we could do $7000 in 2 weeks imagine this team doing it in 52 weeks. Thanks so much Rox for the recognition and sharing. We have an amazing group of go-getters. Vernon Brown and Ryan Ozawa were responsible for putting us all together and getting the ball rolling. Warm Aloha, Kelly @hawaiirealty on twitter.
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@Mike – thanks backatcha. My mind thinks like an analyst, and whenever possible, I like to pull back the skin and show the structure – that is the part that is potentially reproducible by others.
@Vern at AimforAwesome – You have a good point. Virtually everything loses its lustre once used and re-used, but if you see my reply to Mike, I hope to extend the usefulness. Today it is Twitter and Twestival, tomorrow it may be something else. What doesn’t change too quickly are the nuances of human behavior – the early adopters, the love of attention, the desire to give back, and so forth. If people can step back and look at the mechanics of what is in play, that opens up their creativity to apply new skin to the structure.
@Kelly Mitchell – thank YOU as I know you were very instrumental in this as well. I think there is a fine line these days with planning too far in advance though. Online citizens are easily distracted and sometimes things are actually easier (given the power tools we have now) to do things quickly than over a longer time frame.
I chose to do Podcamp Hawaii on the fast track – precisely to keep the energy ramped up because I knew how much work was involved. Being able to see results sooner than later helps to keep people motivated.
Having said all that (did you know my alter ego is “Buzz Kill Rox”??) I just love the global collaboration of Twestival. Have at it and count on me to be a supporter.
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