As a follow-up to my last post Finding the “Abundance Mentality” with Social Media, I’ve compiled several links for social good, which represent the community focus that I’ve consistently found on Twitter, where various organizations and supporters of those organizations often send out links to nonprofit web sites, fund-raising activities, or community outreach programs.

The 12 for 12K Challenge: Changing the World through Social Media is a blog that embodies the spirit of “social media for good,” with the goal “of raising a minimum of $144,000 for 12 charities over the course of 2009, with a new charity being supported every month.” (For the month of May, the 12 for 12K Challenge is raising money for The Hospice of Peel.)

This Mother’s Day weekend, I choose as my special focus, Breast Cancer Awareness and Women’s Health, to honor the memory of my own mother, who lost her battle with breast cancer, more than 24 years ago.  So many advances in detecting and treating breast cancer have occurred since my mother’s illness, but so much more still must be done, for the sake of all the women in our lives, most especially the next generation that our daughters represent.

Note: Some links apply more to Boston readers, but I include these initiatives as models of successful fund-raising and community outreach, which might work well in other locations.

Connect: Marketing in the Social Media Era

The Project 100 (a group of 100 authors) collaborated more than six months to create a not for profit, collaborative book, Connect: Marketing in the Social Media Era. According to J. Caswell, the Project 100’s coordinator, this is apparently “the first book to publish tweets [from Twitter], and one of the first to create a collaborative not for profit book.”

“The book is $19.95 plus shipping and handling. All profits will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Target is to raise $5000 for Susan G. Komen.”

Limited to 400 words each, authors in the Project 100 offer bite-sized wisdom and practical advice on social media marketing. The tweets interspersed throughout the book highlight the quotability, immediacy, and portability of Twitter’s 140 character limit messages. This book is a timely, conversational read on social media, from those in the trenches.

Boston Mammography Van

Boston’s Mammography Van, a community outreach program sponsored by the Dana Farber Organization, offers low-cost mammograms and health education to all women, with or without insurance, regardless of ability to pay. If you have health insurance, we will bill it. If you do not have insurance, we will help you apply to see if you are eligible for state insurance plans, and you can still receive your mammogram on the Van. No one is turned away due to lack of health insurance.

Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer (Monday, May 4 – Sunday, May 10, 2009)

I wish I had known about this event earlier in the week, but if you are still looking for something to do with Mom in honor of Mother’s Day, there is time tomorrow to enjoy a scrumptious dessert, at one of Boston’s many fine restaurants:

Join participating restaurants, bakeries, and cafes in Boston and the Greater Boston area during the week of May 4th through May 10th for the 10th annual Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer. 100% of the proceeds from select desserts at various establishments benefit breast cancer research and care at the Jimmy Fund ~ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer 2009 is dedicated to Lucy Fonseca, breast cancer survivor and grandmother of Four Seasons pastry chef Tim Fonseca.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Major League Baseball are “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer to help your home team hit one out of the ballpark”.

Baseball the Way It Was Meant to Be On Mother’s Day, May 10th, Salem Red Sox Go Pink

 The Salem (Va.) Red Sox, the Carolina League Advanced Class-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, will be hosting Pink in the Park Weekend from today through Sunday, May 10. The Salem Red Soxwill be collaborating with Susan G. Komen for the Cure throughout the weekend. Pink in the Park Weekend will span four games and include free pink ribbons for fans at each game, as well as pink baseball and T-Shirt giveaways. Pink in the Park Weekend is presented by Kroger.

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

The Boston Walk occurs on May 16 -17, 2009 this year. A good friend of mine has participated in Avon’s walk these last two years, in honor of my mother’s memory, another mutual friend’s mother who is a breast cancer survivor, and the many other sponsors who have shared their moving stories with her. Please consider sponsoring this fund-raising effort or the dedicated efforts of someone like my friend.

If you know of any other breast cancer awareness, support, or research initiatives, please let us all know in the comments.

Additional links for social good are always welcome, for breast cancer awareness, and other worthy causes, as I plan to make this a regular, monthly post.

Related Links:

• 10 Breast Cancer Myths from BreastCancer.org
• LifeSpy–Bloggers Who Write About Living With Cancer
• Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer: Making Sense of the Cancer Experience
• Which Social Network is the Most Generous?
• The Pollyanna Principles – Chris Brogan’s video book review