We did it.

In just 48 hours, 369 people gave over $10,000 during TweetsGiving – enough to build a new classroom at Mama Lucy’s school in Tanzania. Over the past few days, I have been completely overwhelmed with the power of gratitude to inspire giving.

When the campaign started just before noon on Tuesday, and when it ended, I was in tears. There are few things more beautiful than gratitude openly expressed by thousands, except perhaps those same people transforming their gratitude into a profoundly meaningful gift from one community to another.

There will be more time to review the numbers behind TweetsGiving, how many people we reached and the lessons we learned. My partner in crime, Avi, is already likely scouring Google Analytics as we speak to explore the data. For today, though, I simply want to give my own thanks. I have so much for which to be grateful.

	Dear Tweeters: I am in awe of your gratitude and giving over the last few days. I look forward to imagining what else might be possible with the power of your collaboration. Thank you, thank you, thank you.		Dear Avi, Matt, Vincent, Carrie & Dave: Over $10,000 in 48 hours? It simply would not have happened without you. I am beyond grateful for all that you’ve done, and all the sleep you lost during TweetsGiving. Kudos, congrats and thank you!
	Dear Amanda, Those designs you created for our holiday cards and gifts? They rock. I so thoroughly appreciate all the work you put in recently to make sure that each product we sell is as beautiful as the children who participate in their design. Thanks, sister sledge ;)		Dear Mama Lucy, I am so grateful for your partnership, and so proud to count you among my friends. What you’re doing is amazing; you’re making the world a better, more beautiful place for not only your students, but for me and the children I will someday have. For that, and for all you’ve taught me, thank you. You’re an inspiration.
	Dear Zoe F., I can’t believe all the hard work you’ve done on our behalf, and I am beyond grateful. Your tireless enthusiasm is inspiring, and I’m so thankful to have your passion behind our work.		Dear Emily, Thanks for single-handedly spreading the word about Epic Change in Canada. You’re a total rockstar.
	Dear Tim, The photos you took during our last trip capture the profound beauty of each child at the school. You looked through your lens beyond their circumstance to their essence and for that, and for all you’re doing to support our efforts, I am grateful.		Dear Zoe M., I am so proud of you. At 9 years old, you’re not only changing the world, it’s a better place just because you’re in it. Thanks for secretly unplugging the internet on ThanksGiving to make sure I gave you my undivided attention. You deserve it…and so much more.
	Dear Mom, What can I say? Thanks for all the sacrifices you made to make me who I am. I hope I make you proud.		Dear Ashlee, Thanks for your constant reminders to take care of myself. I may not always heed your advice, but it always makes me feel loved. I’m proud to be your big sister.
	Dear Sanjay, Thanks for putting up with me, for making me laugh, and for being the best partner a girl could ask for. I am profoundly grateful to have you on my side.		To our Partners, We could not do this without you. Your incredible legal, technical, creative and marketing services have made our success possible. Thanks so much for your continued support of our organization.

To our Earliest Donors & Volunteers,
You took leap of faith, and invested in Epic Change from the very beginning. I am so grateful for your participation in our efforts. You have made a real difference in the lives of 242 children, and many more who will walk through the doors of Shepherds Junior School. I have no words to express my gratitude, but hope the pictures below are, as they say, worth a thousand words:

1 more thing: We shipped our first holiday cards and gifts today!!! They looked beautiful. If you haven’t yet ordered yours, there’s no time like the present! Order now.

Posted: November 30th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

I loved the first line from our volunteer, Avi’s, most recent blog post, so I’ve borrowed it: If you haven’t yet been to http://tweetsgiving.org, go now, I’ll wait.

The Story

About a week ago, Avi posted these kind words about me on his blog. I was surprised to get the link and, while I was blushing on the outside, I was glowing on the inside. There’s something about unanticipated gratitude that gets you every time.

A few days after I received Avi’s link, and inspired by his gratitude, I dreamt up TweetsGiving, and immediately shot Avi a direct message on Twitter asking if he wanted to help. He did. And, with his incredible collaboration and boundless enthusiasm, TweetsGiving was born.

We reached out and got some incredible folks involved, including word-of-mouth marketers @CarrieKerpen and @DaveKerpen at @theKBuzz and web designer Matt Blasi, and the fabulous artist who designed our TweetsGiving turkey, @VincentHunt.

Get Involved

Check out our newly launched TweetsGiving site for more details, and to watch the total fundraising grow toward our goal of $10,000. You don’t need to be on Twitter to participate, and if you donate $10 or more to TweetsGiving before noon on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, 11/27, 12pm EST), we’ll paint your message of gratitude on the next classroom at Shepherds Junior school.

Gratitude

I plan to share all the things I’m grateful for this year here on the blog tomorrow in honor of Thanksgiving, but I’m not even certain how I’ll be able to capture it all…we’ve just so much to be grateful for.

For today, I’m thankful to Avi (@MeshugAvi)and the serendipity of our collaboration. I’m not even sure how he found me, but I’m so glad he did. A Harvard grad with real chops in social media, he’s an invaluable contributor to Epic Change.

A few videos from the kids in Tanzania that will get you in the spirit of the holiday. You’ll have to tilt your head to look at the second one, but who couldn’t stand to look at the world from a fresh perspective?

Giving

As you’re getting ready for the holiday season, remember, Epic Change now has cards and gifts for sale. Each product is based on the story of a child at the school, and with each purchase, you’re adding a brick to their next classroom…so get some of your holiday shopping done today. Our first orders will ship this Friday!

Posted: November 26th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: none

We’ve been in the Epic Change workshop (read: in my living room) for weeks now, and today we’ve met a major milestone. I almost feel like we need a drum roll. If you know a percussionist, let me know.

(Excuse me for being a little punchy. It’s just a touch of sleep deprivation. But seriously, today makes it all worth it. I’m a little excited.)

Today at Epic Change, we launched our new line of cards and gifts for the holiday season…and I can’t wait to hear what you think! Their sale seeks to prove our hypothesis: compelling stories of hope are assets that people in need can use to raise the income necessary to transform their own communities. If you believe that’s possible, and want to help us prove that it is, I hope you’ll make a purchase and help us spread the word.

We’ve called our inaugural line of cards and gifts the “Shine” collection, in honor of Mama Lucy, whose name is derived from a word that means “to shine.” She does, and by purchasing Epic Change gifts and cards, you’re helping to expand her school, and shine her light into the lives of even more children.

Products include candles by West Hollywood designer Timothy Jay as well as stationery and holiday greeting cards that feature artwork by children at the school and photos by award-winning photographer Tim Llewellyn. Greeting cards and stationery will be printed on recycled stock using vegetable and soy based inks by GreenerPrinter. Each product shares the hopeful story of someone whose life will be directly impacted by its purchase.

Every purchase you make at Epic Change represents an investment in the education and future of children, like Alice, Damares, Pius, Naomi, Gideon, and many more who have the potential to change the world. Each package of cards you buy adds a brick to a new classroom, and each candle you purchase adds two bricks. A new classroom requires about 1,000 bricks.

To help us accurately forecast demand, and have your items included on our first ship date, please place your order today. The first 50 candle orders will be wrapped in a bow made from a khanga (i.e., traditional dress) donated by the mother of a student at Mama Lucy’s school.

I hope you’ll give the gift of hope this holiday season, and will share our unique catalog with your colleagues, family and friends.

Thanks so much!

Stacey

PS: Here’s a few other ways you can support Epic Change during the holidays:

* Create a gift registry to collect donations for Epic Change instead of holiday gifts.
* Give the gift of philanthropic travel by giving your loved ones the trip of a lifetime.
* Share Epic Change holiday cards & gifts on your blog or website.
* Make a donation to spread hope this holiday season.

Posted: November 18th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: none