Book Giveaway: Twitterville by Shel Israel (140 Characters of Twitterville Fame)

From the Flickr Twitterville Group

Shel Israel has written a book called Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods.  It's a great read!  Fabulous storytelling.  Better yet, I've got a couple of advanced copies to give away.   Even though it says "businesses" in the title, there is an entire chapter devoted to nonprofits and fundraising on Twitter in the book.

But wait, it gets better.  I'm planning on attending the book launch party on August 23rd and will get signed copies for the winners.

I love Shel's writing - he tells one great story after another.  But he also has done his homework. Like a sociologist digging up the remains of an ancient civilization or someone researching their family history, he went to great lengths to uncover the beginning of fundraising on Twitter.  He looks at how it is evolved in the last two years.    

The chapter begins with the story of how I used Twitter in July 07 to raise money for the Cambodian bloggers conference (now Cambodians are tweeting), how Connie Reece raised thousands of dollars to support breast cancer, Stacey Monk's Tweetsgiving, Twestival, and the entrance of large nonprofits into the Twittersphere.   Certainly as social media "normalizes" and charities bid for attention in an increasing crowded social space, the future of social media infused fundraising will be different.  

Nonetheless, the best practices that Shel outlines at the end of the fundraising chapter will still hold true.

Okay, so if you've read this far, let me tell you what you need to do to win of the copies of the book.

If you have a screencapture of a tweet you think is a best practice for goodwill fundraising on Twitter, leave a comment with a link.  Better yet, add it as a photo to the Twitterville Flickr Group.

Comments

[Stacey Monk]

Beth,

Here's a good example of Twitter goodwill fundraising from Lend4Health ;) Why? It's sharing great measurable results in under 140 characters, and is from a member of the Lend4Health community, rather than Tori herself.

http://twitter.com/Missfine97/statuses/3250726533

I need that book ;)
Stacey

[Vernessa Taylor]

Dang! All the fundraising I've done was completed before I discovered Twitter! Next time around, I'll incorporate these strategies. Great idea and congrats. :)

[Manny Hernandez]

Just added this pic to the Flickr group, as an example of goodwill fundraising on Twitter. This was a campaign one of the then members (now admin) of TuDiabetes.com, led to help raise funds for the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

[Rod Lewis]

I believe that fundraising should not just help you now, but set you up for the future in some way (brand recognition, building trust, developing networks, etc).

Having recently started my first fundraising effort on Twitter for ActionAid's Project Toto (http://www.everydayhero.com.au/rodlewis), the best advice I have received and can share is who to follow on Twitter.

Users such as yourself, @RositaCortez, @edwardharran, @suewaters and many others have so much experience and knowledge, and you all impart those learnings freely and openly. It's the kind of corporate knowledge and wisdom that few people coming into the fundraising field would have.

So while I don't have a screen shot for you, I'll go by your original tweet that I saw, which just asked to "leave comment about your best wisdom about twitter fundraising to enter". And that wisdom is to listen to, learn from and link with the experts. The interactivity that Twitter offers truly is a university unto itself.

[Timonie]

Just added a few choice tweets from WiserEarth's OpenWiser API campaign, which was conducted entirely with social media -- primarily Twitter.

For more information see our Blog post on OpenWiser and follow our Peggy Duvette, our Tweeting Executive Director @WiserEarth.

You can also get get involved with the OpenWiser API Developers Group.

The campaign was initiated and supported by our online community.

Thanks to all for sharing you insights.

[Wendy Kloiber @learningashland]

Not entering this round of the Kanter Great Book Giveaway - because I bought a copy of Twitterville already. My library will get it when I'm through:-). Also, still busy learning this from you and others.

It does crack me up that you compare his research on Ancient Fundraising Beginnings from July 07 to sociology/paleontology! Really, how are us newbies going to catch up?

cheers,

W.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1269387988]

Dear Beth --

Wish you where here for Gnomedex and the Voluntweetup kicking it off! I would *very much* appreciate a copy of Twitterville and would be truly honored if @shelisrael would sign it! On another note, Kathy Gill's @uwtwtrbook presentations were wonderful! She really inspired her students! Several NPO initiatives were in the group. The next generation of thought leaders is on its way.

Hoping to meet you F-to-F one of these days! Warmly, Jeris aka @dakini_3
Seattle Social Media Profiles Heart of Matter Blog
dakini_3@hotmail.com

[Peter Morris]

Hi Beth,

I'm not an expert in these things (the book would come in useful!) but this tweet by @twestival doesn't on the face of it look like it is trying to raise money. It is creating an exciting buzz, telling us people around the world are signing up for this and, by the end of a short tweet, I think I want to get involved too!

http://twitter.com/twestival/status/3387918915

[Ric Dragon]

Looking forward to this book.

[Nelly Yusupova]

Hello Beth,

You do such awesome work!!! I would love a signed copy of the book.

Nelly.

[Steven hall]

Hi Beth,

I just learned about you literally about 2 minutes ago when I read your post on "Listening Literacy for Non-Profits". I work for one that happens to be in the entertainment industry and is looking to find new ways to raise funds for some of our outreach projects. Saw a mention of your book and would really like to read it. I read we're supposed to post a screenshot link of a great tweet, but haven't seen one other than yours!

cheers,
@stevenmhall for @dsmusicals