The most frequently asked question I get is “Hey – this GiveCamp thing sounds cool – how do I start one up?” I have a couple of answers to that question, and one announcement.

First, the best place to get information on how to run your own GiveCamp comes from our GiveCamp cookbook. The cookbook is basically the combined learnings of all the GiveCamp events that have come before, initially inspired by the first ever event, held in Dallas, TX in January of 2007 under the name “We Are Microsoft Charity Challenge Weekend”. The cookbook contains information about recruiting volunteers and charities, planning logistics from a location to meet to network, and more. There are also lots of tips on conducting the actual day-of event – dealing with volunteers, scheduling training, etc. Â The cookbook is currently the closest thing to a GiveCamp bible, so refer to it often when planning your event. Â If you have any feedback, please let us know by posting a comment and we’ll work to add

The next best place, especially for getting specific questions answered or getting advice from former leaders, is to use email and Twitter. Â GiveCamp uses the @givecamp Twitter account and monitors the #givecamp hashtag. Â If you want to toss out a question or observation, just tell us how excited you are about GiveCamp, Twitter is a great place to do it. If you have any questions contact us

In the past, we’ve also hosted a monthly call for all the GiveCamp organizers to get together and discuss questions, etc. I think that with the way that has been going, with so few people attending each month, we’re going to switch to just a Twitter and Email based support that we can offer around the clock rather than take up a block of time during the month to get together on a call. Â This also lets ANYONE who is monitoring the #givecamp hashtag to contribute to the conversation.