Yes! It’s that time of the year again: it’s time for the Twitter Blanket Drive. The 2013 edition of this uniquely South African community driven responds to the needs of the poor during the winter months of the year and takes place on Saturday the 25th of May.
The Twitter Blanket Drive is the brainchild of Melanie Minnaar. It all started with one tweet that she sent out in 2010 saying “what if each person on Twitter donated a blanket”. Since then the Twitter Blanket Drive has grown into an annual national phenomena. Last year 13000 blankets were collected and donated to needy organizations.
All beneficiaries are registered Non-Profit Organizations who are registered with the Department of Social Development. Thanks to a strong social media presence in South Africa, the Twitter Blanket Drive has also expanded into neighbouring countries. In 2012 a Twitter Blanket Drive was held in Zimbabwe and was a great success.
Collection points have been set up all over the country. Events will be held on the 25th of May and most will take the form of a Tweetup. For those of you out there who are not tech savvy – a Tweetup is a real-life meeting organised on the social networking site Twitter. Twitter users meet up at the collection points, donate their blankets, and enjoy a meal or drink. Collection points are generally cafes or restaurants.
There will be various events for the Twitter Blanket Drive so keep a watchful eye on the #TBD2013 hashtag on Twitter for tweets about collection points and Tweetups. The Durban Event will be held at 12 noon at Wakaberry in Durban North and the Johannesburg and Cape Town events will start at 6 PM at Fire & Ice Hotels on the day.
So, how can you help? How can you make a difference with this social media for good campaign? Well, it’s quite easy:
- Attend a Twitter Blanket Drive Event at one of the predetermined collection points across South Africa, and donate a blanket. Voluntary event co-ordinators in each province will be releasing details on their events soon via Twitter.
- Donate money to the Twitter Blanket Drive, so that the organisation can purchase blankets.
- Become a fan of the Twitter Blanket Drive on Facebook.
- Follow the Twitter Blanket Drive on Twitter via @tbdza or @TBDAfrica.
- Provide a blanket drop off venue running up to the event.
- Help with the transport of the blankets from events to Charities.
For more information, visit the Twitter Blanket Drive Website. Corporate sponsorship packages are available. The Twitter Blanket Drive attracts a lot of national attention on social media channels during the run-up to the event and your organisation could be highlighted on the TBD social media channels and website.
There you have it. All the Info you need about the Twitter Blanket Drive. Spread the word about this awesome initiative. Share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is Caring.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Junk Mail Cares category on the Junk Mail blog.
