A Golden Ticket to the next Overnight Website Challenge

Yesterday at the Engaged Philanthropy Conference I spent the day with about 300 people talking about social innovation. Most of these folks, I gathered, spend most of their days working/living it. Four standout nonprofits were there vying for the Social Entrepreneur’s Cup, which comes with a $20,000 grant from Social Venture Partners Minnesota.

Remember when Ed McMahon would show up at people’s doorstep to tell them they’d hit the jackpot? Here’s where we get to be like him, minus the big cardboard check. We sweetened the pot for the Social Entrepreneur’s Cup winner by throwing in a Golden Ticket to the next Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge, where last year, by the numbers, 120 volunteer web pros worked for 12 nonprofits in one room for 24 hours straight – for zero dollars.

And the Golden Ticket goes to … Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL), worthy winners of the 2009 Social Entrepreneur’s Cup. RREAL’s mission is to make solar energy available to people of all income levels.

Here’s hoping all three runners up for the Cup also apply for the next Challenge, they are: Admission Possible, Hearth Connection, and lastly, Apple Tree Dental, whose founder began his presentation by saying, “Some of you are probably wondering, ‘What’s this dentist doing here?’” We soon found out. He’s doing what he’s uniquely qualified to do and helping people in dire need of something he’s passionate about. He’s doing what he can.

Social Venture Partners Minnesota executive director Brad Brown challenged everyone in the room yesterday to make Minnesota the Silicon Valley of social innovation. We’ll do what we can next March by working with our friends in the interactive community to help another batch of Minnesota nonprofits move their mission forward by creating websites they couldn’t otherwise afford.

Nerdy deeds, done dirt-cheap. Like the good dentist, we’re just doing what we can – a simple something we should all aspire to.

So welcome, RREAL. Get some rest and we’ll see you at The Nerdery’s next Overnight Website Challenge.

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