There’s one thing I’ve always loved about the SEO community — we’re all raging misfits. Everyone’s just a little bit off, a little bit weird, and a little bit more quirky than your average bear.
It’s true. If you ask around, we all have a story about how we got started in this industry. Something happened, our lives took a weird turn, we fell down the rabbit hole and we lucked upon one of the best jobs in the world. We get to do what we love every day and we get to support ourselves doing it. You can’t ask for much more than that. I think it’s that entrepreneurial, kick butt spirit that’s also blessed us with some really big hearts.
I don’t know a kinder industry. I don’t know an industry where people are so willing to lay it all on the table to help someone else. And yet I see it all the time in SEO. People sharing what should be secrets, people throwing one another clients, people inconveniencing themselves to help someone they barely know. And we don’t just help our own, we help others too. Mostly notably through the IM Charity parties.
The first IM Charity party kicked off at SES NY on April 9, 2007. Since that time, SEOs have come together to donate more than $100,000.
Stop.
Read that number again. It deserves to be noticed.
Together, we have raised more than $100,000 to benefit charities like Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Hospital, LiveStrong and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We kick ass each time we come out and we’re getting ready to do it again.
The next IM Charity party will be held alongside Search Engine Strategies NY on March 23.
Be there. At Heartland Brewery in NYC. All proceeds will go the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. With your donation, you get to enjoy an open bar from 8pm-midnight, to hang out with some of this industry’s biggest hearts and greatest minds, and help support kids with cancer. There’s no excuse to not show your support.
- If you’re going to be at SES NY, buy a ticket now.
- If you’re not going to be at SES NY, donate what you can.
Or, if you feel compelled to do more, to acknowledge how lucky you are, and to help improve the quality of life of sick kids, become a sponsor. There are a bunch of different levels, but a $500 sponsorship is equal to 10 attendees. We’re very lucky to make a good living doing what we do; it’s our turn to give back.
I challenge you to take a note from some of our industry’s most giving, like the fellas at Best of the Web and the great gang led by Jim Boykin at We Build Pages. Though they do it quietly,both BOTW and WBP have donated more than $10,000 each this year alone. In fact, We Build Pages is probably closer to $20,000. That kind of generosity is mind blowing, especially in these times. It’s a great testament to both of these organizations.
Like I said, the next IM Charity party will be held on March 23 at the Heartland Brewery in New York City. I’ll be there. Rhea will be there. Rae will be there. We’ll all be supporting an amazing cause.
Will you?
