Doug, Twitter and the $25,000 Challenge

Jun 01, 2009 by Brooke McMillan

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So, what is Twitter and why are LIVESTRONG and our CEO, Doug Ulman, using it?

“Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co?workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. People write short updates, often called “tweets” of 140 characters or fewer. These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.” -Via Twitter.com

Do not be afraid. This is cool stuff and the content below is all about spreading the message of the Lance Armstrong Foundation worldwide. For those that may dabble in social networking or those that have no idea what the heck Twitter is and how and why a non-profit and its CEO would want to use it, here’s a brief explanation courtesy of the twitter website Twitter.com is below.

So why is having a lot of followers important to the Lance Armstrong Foundation? Currently, LIVESTRONG‘s Twitter Account has close to 20,000 followers. That means, that there are 20,000 people that view what is going on at the Foundation at any given time. We use the account to help recruit and assist community leaders, educate on cancer policy, offer cancer support services and build a community around our mission to make cancer a global priority. Doug uses his account to do the same and, therefore, the more followers, the more people we can potentially help and can empower.

Last week, our CEO, Doug Ulman, was contacted by a donor that made him a lofty bet. If Doug added enough followers on his Twitter account by the end of the week to reach a total of 25,000, then the LAF would receive a donation of $25,000. At the start of the challenge, Doug had approximately 10,000 people and was adding around 100 per day. Not shabby; however, he needed to add 15,000 in 3 days which is practically impossible. So, as a man that sees the impossible and laughs in it’s face, Doug started out on a 3 day campaign of Twitter fury to get that donation.

Three days of hammering away in the “Twittersphere”, help from Lance, grassroots support from TENS OF THOUSANDS of amazing supporters and many “Twelepreties” (honestly folks, I don’t make up these words) got Doug to the 25,000 follower mark and the foundation a $25,000 donation! To thank the online community for their support, the donor allowed us to poll our online community to ask them which of the following programs should receive the donation.

LIVESTRONG at School is a curriculum that helps to fundamentally change the way students think about cancer through class lessons, worksheets and more. The lessons follow a curriculum that allows students to discuss cancer in a way that is age-appropriate, hopeful, inspiring and empowering. They also provide suggestions for ways students can get involved in their own community.

LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare is a program where you can call 866.673.7205 or go online to request help dealing with your cancer experience, including counseling and referrals to local resources, help addressing financial and insurance concerns and clinical trials matching.

LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance is a coalition of organizations with the goal to improve the survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40. The Alliance is committed to promoting research and the investigation of the problem, serving as a voice for the issue and promoting effective solutions. We formed the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance with the knowledge that unity is strength – by working together we can raise awareness and effect positive change for young adults with cancer.

Close to 12,000 votes were cast from Friday through Sunday evening. The program that will receive the $25,000 donation is the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance! Whew-What a week! What an adventure! WHAT FUN!

Stay tuned for more social media excitement this week.

To follow Doug on Twitter: www.twitter.com/livestrongceo

To follow LIVESTRONG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/livestrong

To follow Lance on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lancearmstrong