twestival local - Tweet.Meet.Give. - March 24, 2011

Twestival Houston has always searched high and low for some of our cities favorite musicians to entertain attendees at our events. We've been crazy over the last few weeks, trying to come up with the perfect lineup to play this year. We had some suggestions from the community and we gave them a listen and asked around. We've spent long days searching for contacts, waiting for emails, sending DM's, and we FINALLY have it!

Here is our lovely list of talented Houstonians who will play some acoustic sets at Twestival Houston!

Tyagaraja 8:45 - 9:15

Benjamin Wesley 8:05 - 8:35

Gretchen Schmaltz 7:25 - 7:55

Luke Lukas 6:45 - 7:15

Stay tuned for more information and videos! And remember to get your tickets too!

Hiya Houston!

Part of the great thing about Twestival is bringing our community together, so we need your help in choosing our new logo to represent our wonderful city.

We enlisted the help of local designer, Jill Nguyen, as well as assistance from The Loop Scoop's Richard Molinaro. Feel free to give them each a follow on Twitter. Jill can be found at @Edward5076 and Richard can be found at @typenerd.

Check out the album "Twestival Local 2011 Logo Options" on our Facebook page and click the "Like" button for your favorite. The winner will be selected based on your "Likes", so head on over to Facebook and get to clicking!

 Hey Houston,

Sorry we haven't posted all of the exciting news we've been working on, but we're back in the saddle now. You've probably already heard via @twesth or Twestival Houston on Facebook that we've selected a beneficiary. Our committee sifted through over 2 dozen local nonprofit nominees, and we are so proud to welcome Neighborhood Centers Inc. as our official beneficiary for Twestival Local 2011!

For more than 100 years Neighborhood Centers has been helping Houstonians by offering education, financial counseling, health and wellness, and community building. They started small, opening the first center in Second Ward in 1907 and have since expanded to 6 major centers, 58 service centers and 16 program areas throughout Houston and Harris County. They reach over 300,000 Houston-areas residents every year and continue their original mission to help individuals succeed through education, economic and social development.

The Twestival Houston Team, in collaboration with Neighborhood Centers Inc., will be updating you all more frequently as we confirm things for the event. Expect lots of family friendly things this year, including live music, workshops, arts performances, food and drinks and more!

Mark your calendars for March 24, 2011 6-10 PM. We'll be setting up shop at Neighborhood Centers newest location, Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center at 6500 Rookin, Houston, TX 77074.

If you'd like to volunteer, please stay posted to @twesth for information, or post your comments here on our blog!

- The Twestival Houston Team

Houston: We have a problem - you nominated 26 amazing charities for us to benefit...how can we decide which one to give all the proceeds to?

In case you were wondering the same thing, we wanted to share the guidelines given to us from Twestival HQ - you can see them below. We believe in openness and transparency, so we'll also share our decision-making process with you once we announce the winning charity.

Thanks again for your nominations, and for being part of Twestival Houston 2011. Together, we will make good things happen for a great cause!

***

THE ‘GIVE’ IN TWEET. MEET. GIVE.

How to Choose a Local Charity to Support

Choosing a charity is not an easy task. There are so many worthy causes that deserve the funds and awareness that Twestival Local is likely to bring. Use this as an opportunity to discover some great organizations in your local community and gain valuable fundraising skills.

Guidelines for Selecting a Twestival Local Recipient

• Twestival Local organizers must award a single nonprofit as recipient
• A nonprofit must be selected with input from the community; nominations not voting
• Recipients must be a registered / established nonprofit, based locally and their work must have a direct impact in your community
• Nonprofit recipients should pinpoint a specific use for the Twestival Local funds
• Nonprofit recipients should have a social media and online presence
• Lead organizers of Twestival Local must not work or have other objectives regarding the charitable recipient as this is a conflict of interest; they can be a general volunteer
• The nonprofit selected is informed about Twestival Local and agrees to be the recipient
• Do not select nonprofits which are overtly religious or political in nature, or organizations whose aims do not result in a tangible, measurable impact
• 100% of funds collected through ticket sales and donations from the Twestival Local must go direct to the nonprofit; this money is not to be used for event costs

The Official Vetting Process

Once a local organizing team has decided which charity they wish to support for Twestival Local 2011, the final stage of the process is to submit a form to the Twestival Global team for vetting. If cities followed the guidelines, there should not be any issue with the recipient selected as only a handful of nonprofits are ever disqualified at this point. The process takes approximately 24 hours, but can take longer depending on how quickly the organization responds to additional questions.

The reason this process is in place is because we acknowledge that it is not always easy to identify an effective charity and we want to protect everyone working under the Twestival brand. It is also very important to ensure the relationship between local organizing team and local nonprofit is solid and leaders are clear on financial responsibilities. Final global approvals starts on January 28^th and runs until registration closes on March 10th http://twestival.com/causes

Twestival’s 100% Donation Model - What does this mean?

The great thing about Twestival Local events is that they are run by volunteers. Our heavy use of technology and social media provides us with very little overhead and all event expenses are covered or donated by sponsors. Since the inaugural Twestival, we have worked diligently to maintain a 100% donation model for Twestival. This has nothing to do with believing organizations shouldn’t invest a percentage towards good administration or salaries. Instead, our 100% model is in place to be able to be transparent about where the funds are going across the board, in any country. We have a strong message to share and this keeps that message clear to show the potential impact of funds. Twestival has global partners that cover fees which make 100% possible.

Setting the Record Straight on Charity Receipts

One of the most popular questions we get every year has to do with how people can get charitable receipts. There seems to be some misunderstanding of the legalities and realistic impact of these tax breaks. It is important to note that Twestival is independent from any nonprofits we support. In addition, Connect the Dots Foundation, which was set up as a legal body to protect Twestival does not have the capacity to distribute receipts or banking requests. It is not permitted to provide charitable tax receipts for event ticketing and even in cases where a small percentage does qualify for this, we are not a charity and therefore do not have the power.

However, this year Twestival is partnering (from Feb 15) with well known online fundraising platforms that are tied to nonprofits and if your organization is registered, this is where direct donations can indeed receive a charitable receipt. It is a great way to channel large sponsorship donations and ensure they get credit. Alternatively, what most sponsors will be looking for is some acknowledgement of where the funds have gone, so you can write them an official thank you letter. Anyone buying a ticket to an event is getting a great experience in return and we do give 100% of funds to great causes.

Responsibilities of the Charity Recipient

While Twestival Local does run independently, we are very conscious how we represent any charitable organization or brand. Twestival Local charities must agree to be named as the recipient as they could be quoted in press releases, asked to provide digital design assets and work with our fundraising partners to ensure donations are transferred safely.

How Can Our Local Nonprofit Get the Most out of the Twestival Experience?

Twestival Local is about more than just handing over a check to a charity after the event. Past recipients will tell you that Twestival offers a unique opportunity for them to widen their network and improve social media knowledge. Once nonprofits are officially approved, they will be sent a document and video with hints and tips of how to engage with their Twestival Local. Remember: Nonprofits are under no obligation to get involved beyond providing a handful of details.

Hello and welcome to Twestival Houston 2011! We are proud to announce that on March 24th, Houston will host its FOURTH Twestival - this one will benefit a local charity!

Twestival® (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good by connecting communities in real-time to highlight a great cause through a fun event. The largest global grass roots social media fundraising initiative to date, Twestival was born out of the idea that if cities were able to collaborate on an international scale, but work from a local level, it could have a spectacular impact.

Since 2009, Twestival volunteers around the world have raised close to $1.2 million for 137 non-profits. Over 200 international cities from Buenos Aires to Bangalore, Seattle to Seoul and Hong Kong to Honolulu have participated in Twestival. All events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go directly to projects.

Twestival Local 2011 is a great opportunity to bring the community together whil raising funds for a very deserving Houston-area charity to be determined by YOU! To help us pick a charity, please tweet your nomination to @twesth, or comment on this blog with your vote.

We will announce details of the venue, the entertainment line-up, sponsors and registration over the coming weeks; but if you have suggestions or would like to get involved, our contact details are below. In fact, please get in touch if you can help or advise in any way! 

For updates or to get involved, please follow us on Twitter (where else?!) at http://twitter.com/twesth and Facebook at http://facebook.com/twestivalhouston, and save the date: March 24, 2011!