But it’s that time again as the week begins winding up to get back into gear. We finished up the week before the holiday’s as a sponsor of an event in Toronto, a success! The event HoHoTo raised over $25,000 (We contributed 10% of the total) for the daily bread foodbank in downtown Toronto, making the event one of the largest donations this year for daily bread. I can’t reiterate enough how great of a cause supporting local food banks are no matter the time — but especially relevant today with the slugging economy.

One of the more well-known Toronto bloggers, Mark McKay (And a future fused network client, right Mark? *poke* Especially as your other host is down as I write this!) clipped together a small video that I thought everyone might like to peek at. I did happen to get a quick kind word in (I’m the nerd in the red shirt) partway through the video. Luckily, for all of us, Mark did some decent editing and removed most of my embarrassing moments. Included in the video is a thank you from some extremely cool people on the internet (How can someone be cool on the internet, anyways) like Matt Mullenwag of WordPress, Biz Stone of Twitter, Toronto mayor David Miller and Cory Doctorow, my internet hero.

I can’t even compile into words how great it is for such an awesome IT community to come together and help out, we’ll make certain that the daily bread is always in our prayers & on the top of our together charity list.

Of course there’s 1,000+ clients, the rest of the internet and only two tickets so we had to devise something really special to get to win. So we’ll make it as difficult as possible! In order to win there’s three requirements that you’ll have to satisfy. Three runners up will receive a tshirt from Threadless, so you’ll get something for your efforts even if you outright fail.

The first step: (To admitting you have a problem, I’m addicted to twitter!)
Even leaders have to be followers sometimes. So, I’m new to this whole twitter thing and with the number of hours I spend in the office answering your tickets — I don’t have time to make friends! You’ll need to “follow” me on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/DavidAndGoliath

If you’re not familiar with twitter, I won’t even begin to explain it but it’s sort of like email and blogging on speed. The sign-up process is easy enough and it’s a great way to get interconnected, less bloaty than facebook and you won’t have all of those photos to untag in the morning.

The second step:
You’ll have to say something naughty or nice about us somewhere on the web & ‘twitter’ the link to me (@Davidandgoliath your message here) You can post the ‘something nice about us’ anywhere whether it’s your blog or a hosting review site.

Sound easy enough? Well, it is. You’ve got 24 hours!
Willy Wonka even gave out more so act now!

The perks, requirements & details.
1. We’ll be picking names randomly out of a hat. Winners for the two tickets will need to find their own transportation to the event however we’re open to playing chauffeur if you’re close enough. No limos, just a hyundai so don’t get too excited. The first two winners will be selected within 24 hours.

2. Winners of the threadless shirts & other random stuff (of my choosing) can live anywhere except Antartica and will be selected after the event completes.

3. If a winner cannot be selected within 24 hours for the tickets they will be randomly dished out on twitter to the quickest responding individuals nearby.

4. You don’t have to be a client of Fused Network to win, so join in the fun!

I do forewarn you, this is an extremely long post but we’d love for you to get all the way to the bottom. We’ve got some gifts lined up for those who do.

Ongoing giving.

Last year we had our ‘giveaway’ in which clients raised just under a thousand dollars for several different charities to lend a helping hand to their efforts. This year we’ve had an opportunity land in our lap to become the largest sponsor at an event here in Toronto on behalf of the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. I can’t thank you enough (nor can the daily bread users) for helping Fused get to the size it is so that we can help make a difference.

This year you’ve donated a significant amount to the event & charity (Hey, 2.5x more than Microsoft!) and we’re looking to increase that even further. The food bank itself helps serve 80,000 people on a monthly basis (35% of which are children) and we’re just happy to play a role in that and you should be as well.

Through our ‘together’ affiliate program we’ve been raising funds all year for different charities and with the odd economic times we want to scale that up even further. The system is really simple, every time you refer a user to us you get 100% of their initial payment which you can either choose to divvy out to a charity, yourself or future services with fused. With only a few weeks left of the year, you can help make a real difference at foodbanks & charities around that need it more than ever.

If you haven’t yet signed up for our ‘together’ program you can check under affiliates within your billing panel in your client area — it’s a bit obfuscated and hidden, but it’ll give you a link to generate and forward users through. Ones who sign up through that link generate funds in your account that you divvy out as you see fit!

There’s no easier way to give than by posting some links, banners and reviews on your sites — in the end, someone gets great hosting and the more charities helped the better! As always I prefer the ones that help out with direct needs like food, clothing and shelter but some clients have even selected greenpeace, the world wildlife fund and more. It’s up to you.

We’re blessed, let’s return the favour.
(Hey, even I’ve been taught not to let the left hand know what the right is doing but together we can make such a massive difference. Social media is the new way of starting movements, so spamming you is the next best thing! :p)

So, hey, what about that winning you mentioned? We’ve got some hohoto tickets & tshirts to give away

So, as a result of Fused Network being the largest (last minute) sponsor at the event we’ve been given a bunch of tickets to the event. Although I realize it’s on extremely short notice (Planning, schmanning) we do have two tickets available to give out. The event itself is on Monday at 7 PM EST here in Downtown Toronto at the ModClub, it was planned relatively quickly and will consist of about 600 local nerds, marketing and ‘suit’ folks. You can’t find these tickets anywhere else and they’ve sold out faster than Governor Blagojevich, so here’s your only chance.

You can read more about the event here: HoHoTo

Of course there’s 1,000+ clients and only two tickets so we had to devise something really special to get to win. So we’ll make it as difficult as possible! In order to win there’s three requirements that you’ll have to satisfy. Three runners up will receive a tshirt from Threadless, so you’ll get something for your efforts. There are of course some simple rules and regulations.

Check out the post here for more information: HoHoTo: Win some tickets and gear!

In total, we ended up netting $664.38 to give away. The majority of our clients opted into providing it to the Salvation Army, which I certainly have no qualms with! In total there were 4 different organizations selected. While I do think this year was a success, I initially expected a tad bit more (given our monthly new sales revenue trend) but failed to take into account the holidays!

During the holidays the internet slows to a crawl — our sales included. While our operation doesn’t rely on them all that much — our months before were 3x-5x the amount! Next year, we’ll have this in November instead

Overall, it was a success. Helping those in need — even in smaller amounts — is still helping those in need. Thank you to all who contributed & expected some more thorough updates soon!

1. David, are you insane?

Not quite, albeit I suspect I’ve had bouts of it in the past! As they say though, genius is one stroke away from insanity.

In fact, I consider just a small sliver of what we could be out there doing. This program is no different than our ‘Fused Together‘ affiliate program which offers funds to charities instead of handing it off to affiliates.

2. What if it exceeds your expectations?

Oh, would that not be a gorgeous outpouring of compassion?
I am absolutely hoping & praying it exceeds every one of my expectations! To have the opportunity to give selflessly & not take advantage of it would be a loss. This is a win-win situation for both our clients and ourselves.

3. How can you afford to give away an entire months’ revenue?

I’ve been smart enough to diversify my revenue streams & since the inception of Fused all of our needs have been graciously taken care of. I wholeheartedly welcome everyone to partake in the biggest holiday giveaway, you won’t regret it and neither will I!

4. So, who do you want to help David?

Personally, I’d love to see the majority donated towards causes that help the poor & orphans out. It’s a cause that will always be there but even just a little helps. I know I wasn’t raised with a silver spoon by any means, but despite being ‘poor’ by American standards during the majority of my life I’ve never gone without food, clothes or a roof over my head.

Countless people do go without those basic necessities & we should do everything within our capacity (or even outside of it) to meet those needs. If only compassion replaced wars.

5. I can’t think of a charity, who should I pick?

I’ve always liked The Salvation Army or the Child’s Play Charity, myself. The Governments’ Charities and Giving site offers a search engine to find Canadian Charities.

Here’s an excellent site called Charity Navigator that allows you to search & find charities easily.

6. What if I don’t need web hosting?

Well you could always tell a friend, co-worker or enemy about our Biggest Giveaway Ever. You could also just directly give to the charity of your choice and tell us all about it.

Give generously whether it’s through us or not.

Additional questions will be added as they arrive.

You know us though, normal was on one of the pages we tore out of our dictionaries.

We like to do things differently.
So let’s get started. To celebrate the upcoming holidays we’re giving everything away!

During the month of December, Fused Network will be donating 100% of our new-signup revenue to the charity of your choice. In order to take advantage of the offer all you have to do is sign-up & you’ll be given the opportunity to enter your favorite charity in the ‘Charity’ field.

Read more about it on our Biggest Holiday Giveaway page.

Total contributed so far: $589.74
Tally updated last on Wednesday, December 13th at 9:15 AM EST

The Salvation Army

Mission & Goals:

“The Salvation Army is one of the world’s largest providers of social aid, with expenditures including operating costs of $2.6 billion in 2004, helping more than 32 million people in the US alone. In addition to community centers and disaster relief, the organization does work in refugee camps, especially among displaced people in Africa. The Salvation Army has received an A- rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy.”

The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.

Official Site: The Salvation Army (Canada)

Total being donated so far: $348.73
Total contributing to Salvation Army: 5
Tally updated on Wednesday, 13th of December, 9:15 AM EST

The donation comes from a sign-up performed before the Biggest Giveaway Ever post was on our site. I’m personally quite in-tune with both The Salvation Army’s message and core values though. I see them feeding the homeless daily here in Toronto and to me, that means something.

Doctors Without Borders

Mission Statement:

“Doctors Without Borders, USA awards grants for emergency and medical relief projects to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) affiliates for overseas operations. MSF is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries. MSF was founded in 1971 to both provide emergency medical assistance and bear witness publicly to the plight of the people it assists. In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF provides health care, rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centers for malnourished children, and offers mental health care.”

Official Site: Doctors Without Borders
Charity Navigator: Doctors Without Borders

Total being donated so far: $159.81
Total contributing to Doctors Without Borders: 2
Tally updated on Wednesday, 10th of December at 11:47 AM EST

Our first contribution to Doctors Without Borders comes from a new client in Germany:

“Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontiers, my husband is a pediatrician and my father is a linguist, sometimes translator, living in Southeast Asia. Both have had close contact with the organization and can attest to the challenging and amazing work that this organization does.” – Natalie

Alzheimer Society of Canada

Alzheimer Society of Canada

Mission:
“The Alzheimer Society provides support, information and education to people with Alzheimer’s disease, families, physicians and health-care providers. The Alzheimer Society arranges or refers people to support groups that provide a safe place to share information, thoughts, feelings and experiences. We help people find programs and services they need, such as day and respite programs, home support and help with the difficult transition to long-term care.”

Official Site: Alzheimer Society of Canada

Alzheimer Society of Canada: $80.60
Total contributions so far: 1
Tally updated on Wednesday, 6th of December, 3:38 PM EST