Posts from Donors Choose

IRL

IRL is short for "in real life" as if there were anything other than real life.

I am always energized when the online world connects with the real world. We had a Meetup last night for people who gave to the AVC/Gotham Gal Donors Choose 50th Birthday campaign.

379 people donated to the Donors Choose campaign. Of them, 168 signed up to attend the Meetup last night. We didn't count people on the way in, but it sure felt like most of those 168 people showed up.

And of course, many of them are regulars here at AVC. I met people for the first time who have been reading this blog for six or seven years. And I met people for the first time who are some of the most frequent commenters here. I am not going to name names because I'd leave someone out and they'd feel dissed. So I'd just like to say it was so great to meet all of you.

Many times people say to me "I feel like I know you" because of this blog and Gotham Gal's blog and all of our other online activities.  But I also feel like I know so many of you from reading your thoughts day after day after day. Making that IRL connection seals the deal and the online friendship gets stronger and better. That was the big takeaway from last night's event. Thanks to all of you who made the trip, whether it was a subway ride or a cross atlantic flight.

#Random Posts

Donors Choose Bloggers Challenge: Going For The Threepeat

For the past two years, this blog community has won the tech category of the Donors Choose Bloggers Challenge, now renamed the Social Media Challenge.

In 2007, we raised $18,538 via 92 donations, and impacted 2,549 public school students.

In 2008, we raised $17,029 via 80 donations and impacted 4,545 public school students.

I would like us to win the tech category again and I’d also like to see if we can break $20k this year.

I am going to try something new in order to make both things happen. In November, I am going to host a Meetup at a public school in lower manhattan that will include some other popular tech bloggers and also some of the public school teachers we are going to help this year. The only way you get into the Meetup is to give something to a public school teacher’s project on this community’s giving page.

This year our community’s giving page is going to be focused on NYC public school teacher projects in the most needy neighborhoods.

Of course you can give to our giving page even if you have no interest or if you can’t make the Meetup. And I’d encourage all of you to start giving right now. I kicked it off with a $100 donation and will continue to make donations as we move through the month. But I won’t win this all by myself. So I will need your help. You can click on this widget or on the banner on the right side of this blog to get started.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
#hacking education#Web/Tech