I’ve been meaning to blog about Twestival for a while because it is simply the best use of Twitter that I’ve ever seen.
Sure, there have been a number of incidents where Twitter has saved someone’s life or provided information in an extremely timely fashion but Twestival takes it to a whole other level.
On February 12, 2009 202 cities around the world held simultaneous parties and celebrations with people on Twitter to help fundraise money for Charity:Water, an organization that’s sole mission is to provide clean drinking water to the people who don’t have it.
A most worthy cause:
Right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. That’s one in six of us.
charity: water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. We give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need.
Just $20 can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years.
Read that last line again: $20 dollars can give one person clean water for 20 years.
Unbelievable.
But what’s even more unbelievable is that the event took off and that literally thousands gathered, all through volunteers who really, really, really liked Twitter and who wanted to support a charity that they also really liked.
And they did it. Together, they raised more than $250,000. Bingo.
Just recently they’ve begun to dig the wells that Twestival was able to support financially.
When I saw this video I nearly wept. I couldn’t believe Twitter did this:
My wife and I had the pleasure of joining the Atlanta Twestival (and I had the rare opportunity to join their Saks 5 Ave Gala) and we had an amazing time meeting 50 or so completely random strangers who all gathered because they liked Twitter and wanted to support the charity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKVTTbWuRsk
I think there are so many takeaways and lessons-learned from Twestival that I’m still digesting it a bit.
Charity:Water did this for the suffering people in villages through the web service Twitter.
I think the Church could learn a thing or two from Charity:Water.
I’ve often said that web technology is only as good as the results that it ultimately produces. Twitter is cool, but it’s even cooler once you begin to see what one can actualy do with it.
Where people are passions are. Some of those people are passionate about helping others. Are you leveraging those people and their passions?
[One final note is that a good friend Esther Havens has been taking photography for them… she’s awesome!]
JakeSchwein says
i thought the same thing….very profound. Plus the guys at Charity:Water are amazing!!
human3rror says
seriously. those guys are nuts…!
human3rror says
test
Andy_Darnell says
John, Have you ever run into Water Missions International. Class Act Organization. They work with missionaries that are on the ground in areas that need sustainable clean drinking water. They engage the communities that need need clean water and work on a solution that can be maintained by the people in that community. It provides ownership and pride. They also support the true mission which is helping bringing the Message of Christ (Living Water) to that people.
http://www.watermissions.org
Phillip Gibb says
wow $20 = 20 yrs of water!!!!!!
They had a Twestival gathering here at Cape Town, I should have gone.
human3rror says
it would have been awesome!
Graham Brenna says
This is just awesome…