1. It hasn’t even been 24 hours, and we’ve already raised over 800 dollars! It’d be awesome if we could break $1000 raised among all the blogs on the first day – if you’ve already registered, let’s have a big fundraising push today! If you haven’t added a blog yet, there’s no better time to do it – get started!
2. Our contact form is functional! A handful of people have been having issues with their blog registrations not going through – if this has happened to you, please get in touch with us through the form, with as much information as possible (the error you received, browser, time you tried to register, your blog and charity). We usually get it sorted out without much trouble but we can’t fix it if we don’t hear from you!
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Sheana
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Sheana
Registration is live – go register now!
Happy Blogathon, everyone!
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Sheana
We’ve gotten a few inquiries about the banner/button contest being extended, and in the spirit of Blogathon – historically, we’ve been pretty flexible with when *we* get stuff done – we’re extending the banner/button contest until 11:59pm this Saturday. If you’d still like to submit, you now have a few more days in order to get them in.
For more info, on the contest, check the link above or shoot us an email.
For Blogathon signups? Check back in a few minutes!
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Heather
Do you want to participate in the Blogathon but don’t want to set up a domain and/or site to do it? Using a free blog service is the perfect alternative, especially if you only plan to use the blog for the event! A few free suggestions, taken from the forum thread, include:
~ Wordpress.com: One of the most popular sites for blog hosting, set-up is fast and easy and you can choose from a bunch of pre-made templates.
~ Blogger: The oldest and most-used blog service online, Blogger hosts literally tens of thousands of blogs via blogspot.com. Blogger also has an easy set-up with pre-made templates.
~ Livejournal.com: A socially-driven blogging/journaling site, Livejournal offers the ability to create filters, custom friends-lists and even communities.
Just remember that whatever site you use, you need to make the entries public (not locked or private) for the Blogathon!
Do you have any more suggestions? Leave them here!
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Sheana
We mentioned way back in an earlier post that we had a super secret surprise as part of our hosting move, and with sign-up tomorrow we’d like to take a minute to highlight one of the other ways that Taproot has really come out of the woodwork to support us.
This year, for anyone participating as a blogger in the Blogathon, Taproot has offered a free month of hosting for anyone who signs up for one of their hosting plans! So far, in the few weeks we’ve been them, the support has been redonkulously excellent, so we definitely vouch for them. Plus, as we mentioned earlier, they’re green and they support the work of non-profits.
If there’s anyone out there who hasn’t picked a host for their blog, or who already has hosting but is looking for a move to a more socially-conscious, attentive hosting provider, get in touch with us at thon[at]blogathon[dot]org and we’ll give you the hook-up. And no worries – if you want to take advantage of the discount they’re giving to ‘thon bloggers, you can still go ahead and register tomorrow – you can always edit your blog URL if/when you need to.
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Heather
Vancouver bloggers, heads up! If you’re participating in the Blogathon this year and would like a little extra promotion, be sure to check out Miss604, who’s rounding up fellow Vancouverites for 24 hours of local fun and encouragement.
Miss604 says:
“I have also arranged a place for all local participants to gather (Workspace in Gastown) should they wish to spend their 24-hours with others. The benefit of having people around is that it’s often easier to come up with post ideas, you could do a quick photo walk as a post, there’s encouragement from all sides, and you’ll be surrounded by others enduring the same insomnia/writing frenzy.”Once you register here at Blogathon.org tomorrow, be sure to contact Miss604 to make sure you’re updated for local get-togethers and news!
Are you planning any special meet-ups or get-togethers for the Blogathon? Let us know!
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Sheana
We at the Blogathon staff are full of love and gusto, but maybe not so much graphic design skillz, and it no doubt shows in the banners we’ve posted for folks to link to the site.
Why own up to our non-skill? Well, we know there are a ton of awesome graphic wizards who are also participating in (or supporting) the Blogathon, and we’d like to see what you’ve got! Specifically, we’d like someone to whip up a series of buttons/banners (in one coherent style, with several size options) for folks to grab from the site. Our main requirements? Well, we’d love if you could incorporate the colors we’re using this year in some way (even if they’re approximated or brighter or darker than they are here), and the font we’re using for ye olde masthead (Comic Andy, available on DaFont.com) as well as the date of the actual event (makes sense, yes?). However, if you end up trailblazin’ and we love it, we may be willing to overlook any of the above.
The winning banner/banners will get praise lavished upon them, a link both in the Blogathon site credits and on the banner page itself, and the glory of knowing they are totally, totally rad. Which you they probably know already, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to have it verified from time to time. And a bonus? The person who submits the best series of banners we get will also get hooked up with a $10 sponsorship, and technically bragging rights to the first sponsorship of the 2009 Blogathon! Not blogging? Tell us who you want your sponsorship to go to!
What’s the catch? Ah, there always is one. We’d need your banner concept by 1pm Eastern time tomorrow – just 24 hours!
Think you can come up with something snazzy in such a short period? Comment here with a link to your submission, post in the forum thread or email us at thon[at]blogathon[dot]org. Winners will be announced shortly before launch tomorrow afternoon!
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Jen
Before I start listing the charities being spotlighted, I wanted to let all y’all know about Network for Good. About the best description I can give is that they’re a clearinghouse of charities and volunteer ops. You can find charities for just about every cause there is and their mission is to make it easy for people to donate. I’ve been using them for my charitable giving for almost 3 years now and I recommend them highly.
OK… for those who don’t know, I’m a pastor’s wife. My online name “khouria” is the Antiochian Orthodox title for the priest’s wife. I’m not Orthodox but I feel that I should have a title because most of the time, people are not entirely sure how to refer to me or what to call me. (I’m a fan of “just plain Jen”.) In my khouria duties, I tend to get involved in ministry situations and the ones I really enjoy are the times when I can empower people in ways that improve their living situations. I’ve done prison ministry (which I actually enjoy), I’ve taught ESL classes, and I’ve worked with elementary school kids on their reading. Along this theme, here are some charities that empower people:
[+] The Heifer Project: They give livestock (everything from cows to ducks to water buffalos) to people in impoverished areas of the world. In giving them this livestock, they teach them how to care for them, how to earn a living from the milk/wool/eggs, and how to breed them. Any offspring are in turn donated to another person as a “passing of the gift”. Donations of animals make excellent gifts. For example, my sister-in-law has a mortal fear of goats (thanks to my husband reading her “Heidi” with a really bad German accent — just don’t ask!) so we gave her shares of a goat as a college graduation present.
My mother-in-law routinely gives trees and bees in honor of people on their birthdays and I gave my co-workers shares of a heifer one year for Christmas as a joke because we deal with so much cattle.[+] Kiva.Org: Have you ever wanted to invest in a small business or enterprise but didn’t think your money could make a difference? Think again! Kiva.Org is a micro-lending group that loans out money to people around the world in $25 increments. You can loan money to a dressmaker in Lebanon, a farmer in Tanzania, a teacher in Central Asia, a taxi-cab driver in Peru… All these people are part of some kind of credit union of sorts in their country that works with them on managing their money and setting goals. Once your original $25 is repaid, you can either ask for it back or re-loan it. I’ve made 8 Kiva loans in the last two years and 3 of them are my original $25. They even have gift certificates that you can give to people as presents so they can choose to whom they loan the money.
[+] Modest Needs: We’ve all had those months where money is tight and I know that’s happening more and more with the world economy looking bad. We’ve also all had those unexpected bills which take a chunk out of our monthly budget and create worry about whether or not we can afford groceries or heat in the winter. Modest Needs provides grants to take care of those times when something unexpected arises or when money is just too tight for comfort. I haven’t had to use them personally but I do know people who have and I’m thankful that such a resource exists.
[+] Feeding America: This is the largest food bank network in the nation. (All the “Second Harvest Food Banks” are under them.) They have an interactive map that gives you hunger statistics for each state as well as food bank locations. This would be really good if you want to blog for your local food bank but need to find out web addresses and contact information. One of the challenges on “The Biggest Loser” last season involved the contestants working at a food bank in Los Angeles and it turns out that one of the contestants had actually used her local food bank when she was a single mother so it hit home especially hard for her.
So… those are a couple charities that empower people. The next theme for spotlights is “Medical Issues”. If you have a suggestion for a charity that falls under that theme, please email me (charity[at]blogathon[dot]org) or pm me on the Blogathon forums.
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Jen
Jack at AICR (Association for International Cancer Research) has also offered to help out any potential bloggers that want to work with him. Here’s what he has to say:
The Association for International Cancer Research funds cutting edge research into the causes of cancer. In the past 29 years, we have supported a large variety of projects in all corners of the world. We currently have more than 233 projects underway.
Our Scientific Advisory Committee sits twice a year to evaluate project proposals from some of the world’s top scientists. After intense scrutiny we then award grants to those projects that meet our strict criteria.
We’ve had at least one person blogging for AICR every year that I’ve blogged and they’re a good option for any international bloggers or anyone who wants to work with a charity that deals with cancer in general.
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Jen
Today, we have three charities: First Book, Open Books, and RAINN. Each of these three charities have a person who has graciously offered to work with anyone who wants to blog for them. Email me (khouria.jen at gmail dot com) if you are interested.
From Katie @ First Book:
First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities across the U.S. and Canada. Just $2.00 places a brand new book and can help spark a lifetime of learning for a child in need.
From Stacy at Open Books (who is a fellow Blogathonner by the way):
Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. We enrich lives through reading, writing, and the ENDLESS power of used books.
Since its founding in 2006, Open Books has:
- Matched more than 200 students from some of Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods with their own adult Reading Buddy mentors
- Provided more than 5,000 hours of one-on-one reading time to students at 10 schools across the city
- Hosted creative writing workshops for more than 1,500 students, including ESL and developmentally disabled groups
- Saved more than 150,000 pounds (75 tons) of used books from landfill and put them towards literacy instead
- Activated a corps of more than 2,000 volunteers to promote literacy at events and programs citywideFrom Chelsea @ RAINN:
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization and was named one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth magazine. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) in partnership with over 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country. The hotline has helped more than 1.2 million people since its start in 1994. In SUmmer of 2006, RAINN launched the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, the first secure web-based crisis hotline providing live and anonymous support, 24/7. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. For more information about RAINN, please visit rainn.org.
Have a lovely day y’all. Feel free to email me for contact information or if you have questions.