Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Twestival?
A Twestival or Twitter-Festival is a global series of events organized by volunteers around the world under short timescales via Twitter, which brings people offline for a great cause.
What is the difference between the Twestival Global and Twestival Local?
The first Twestival Global happened on 12 February 2009 with 202 cities around the world hosting events and rallying fundraising efforts around one cause, charity: water. $250k+ was raised on one day through these events and online donations which resulted in 55 wells with 17,000 people impacted in Uganda, Ethiopia, and India. Twestival Local takes the same international approach and momentum, but hopes to inspire cities to look a little closer to home and support a local cause and specific fundraising target.
I see the dates for Twestival Local are 10-13 September 2009, does this mean it is a 3-4 day event?
Not exactly. A Twestival Local should take place on one of these days - unless your city is really advantageous and wants to host more than one event. The dates for Twestival Local have been extended beyond September 12th to a Thursday to Sunday weekend. This is to accommodate the variety of events, day or evening that cities around the world would like to host for their local causes. Twestival Global will remain on one single day in the evening, but Twestival Local is more about inspiring cities to use the momentum to do something positive in their community.
We are representing a cause, are we able to start a Twestival Local?
Twestival Local is run independently from a not-for-profit and there needs to be input from the community on which cause to support. It is not ethical to accept Twestival lead organizers with the aim of supporting their own agenda, but definitely welcome everyone as team volunteers. You can put forward your cause for nomination, but there must be proof that the decision was conducted fairly.
When is the next Twestival Global and what is the cause?
The next Twestival Global will take place on 4 February 2010. The cause will be decided during the month of October 2009.
How can my charity get involved with Twestival Local?
It is fantastic that so many not-for-profits have been inspired by the first Twestival. The causes supported with Twestival Local are decided and facilitated by the city organizing teams. Contact the nearest Twestival Local directly to see if your not-for-profit can be included in the nominations.
Does every city have to select a local not-for-profit to support, or can the cause be international?
The decision of which cause to support is entirely up to individual cities; so long as they meet the Twestival guidelines and approval process. However, Twestival Local does encourage organizers to focus on ’supporting the local community’.
I am organizing a Twestival Local, can I issue charitable tax receipts?
The answer varies from country to country, so it is important to have a conversation with your selected not-for-profit. As the cause is the recipient of the event fundraising and not the organizer, there are restrictions on what they are able to issue. In some cases, tickets for events do not qualify for charitable tax receipts. Certainly a straight donation from a sponsor or donor will qualify. It is the responsibility of the Twestival Local to be clear. Twestival is not currently a registered business or not-for-profit; it is a global initiative run by volunteers and therefore not in a position to issue receipts of this nature. If you are having difficulty clarifying this, please reach out to your regional coordinator or email : info@twestival.com
Why don’t I see my city on the map for Twestival Local?
There could be a few reasons for this. Either your city does not have an official team set up to organize a Twestival Local in your city yet. If you’d like to register, please do so through the website and you’ll receive further information. It is also possible that the organizing team has not updated their blog and put the dot on the map. Currently, less than half of registered cities have done so. Instructions are under ‘organizer tools‘. We want to ensure the number of cities participating is accurate and active, therefore this may take a few days to appear.
Is there a deadline to register a new city for Twestival Local?
A Twestival does happen under somewhat short timelines to build on the online momentum. It will take at least 2 weeks to plan, organize and promote a Twestival Local, so registrations will close at the end of August. It is amazing how much can be accomplished in a short time when people come together. Honolulu raised $7000 in less than two weeks. Focus on what is important and reach out for support.
What kind of event do we need to have for Twestival Local?
It is really up to individual cities to decide what their community will support. Events range from 30-1300 participants and there have been a mix of big nightclub events, local pubs, conferences, karaoke themed, sports-related and music festivals. Try to engage the people in your city who are on Twitter to make your event special. Tweet out a call for bands, venues, suppliers. Be creative and ask for help - it is amazing how many people will come forward to support your efforts.
[...] flavoured) retarded like Tweople and Twips. One word that is becoming commonly used though is Twestival. The definition of it is: A Twestival or Twitter-Festival is a global series of events organized [...]
[...] and Twitter in particular, is how quickly and easily people can communicate. The idea behind a Twestival is to leverage this natural behavior for good. Volunteers use Twitter to organize and promote [...]