This post is to everyone I met while representing Social Actions with Peter Deitz at N2Y3. So many of you were kind enough to show support for our project, and I’m writing to share our progress since N2Y3 and to invite you to become a part of what we’re building.

I hope you'll join all of the people contributing to our “$20,009 for 2009” campaign. I also hope you’ll join and subscribe to the Social Actions blog, spread the word about the Change the Web 2009 Challenge, share the reports and news we’re generating about the transformation of online philanthropy, give us your feedback on the search engine and API, and otherwise become an important part of the growing Social Actions community!

You may recall Social Actions’ promise was to build a fully functional search interface and API that would draw from 29+ social action platforms – sites like Change.org, Kiva, DonorsChoose.org, and others – to make it easy for people to find and take action on the issues they cared about.

It’s wonderful to report that the Social Actions search interface is now up and running (taking center stage on a newly designed website), and that a half dozen new applications are now available for distributing those aggregated actions across the Internet. The number of participating platforms now stands at 34 (by the end of the week we’ll be at 39!) and over 30 platforms have endorsed Social Actions’ mission statement and terms of collaboration.

In the process, our commitment to building a truly philanthropic web has only strengthened, and we can’t wait for the New Year to begin. Our goals for 2009 include:

• Increasing the number of participating platforms to over 100;
• Distributing actions far and wide with a Change the Web 2009 Challenge;
• Advocating for open standards and open source technologies;
• And reporting on the evolving online tools, best practices, and statistical trends that are transforming philanthropy and online social activism.

To support this work in a way that’s consistent with open, inclusive, peer-to-peer philanthropy, we’re staying true to our commitment to rely on revenue that doesn’t comes from advertising or commissions on the funds people are sending to causes that they care about. We’re pursuing event sponsorships, consulting services, selective grant support, and – most importantly – we’ve just launched a campaign to encourage direct donations to Social Actions.

The image of our work being made possible by thousands of individuals and organizations who find value in what we’re doing is a powerful one. Thanks for considering all of the ways to get involved: the “$20,009 for 2009” campaign, Social Actions blog, Change the Web 2009 Challenge, sharing reports and news and otherwise become an important part of the growing Social Actions community.

N2Y3 continues to be an important source of inspiration and motivation for everything we're doing. Thanks to each of you for supporting Social Actions, and sending wishes for a wonderful 2009!

Christine