The Fandom Gives Back

The Fandom Gives Back (also known as Fandom Gives Back or FGB) was a fandom auction organized within the Twilight fandom by ninapolitan, lolashoes, and tby789 in 2009."The Twilight Fandom Gives Back," Sarah Elizabeth, CNN iReport. Posted on November 16, 2009. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. In its first two years, the auction raised funds in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation; funds were also raised for Autism Speaks in 2011.Fandom Gives Back Retrieved on March 13, 2018. The auction was expected to return in 2012 as well as 2015 to again raise funds for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, but doesn't appear to have actually launched either year."The Fandom Gives Back Fundraiser Details," Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Posted on November 1, 2015. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. The original three auctions were timed to coincide with the releases of the Twilight movies.
Twilight actor Peter Facinelli's public support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation has been cited as the reason for the organization's selection as the primary recipient of FGB's fundraising efforts."The Twilight Fandom Gives Back," Kim Palacios, HollywoodNews.com. Posted on June 29, 2010. Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
According to the official Fandom Gives Back page on the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation website, over $235,000 was raised for the organization through the FGB auctions. This amount is about $20,000 less than the total donations reported on the FGB Blogspot account; this discrepancy may reflect the difference between pledged donations and actual submitted donations.The Fandom Gives Back Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
==Origins==
The organizers of the auction introduced the project by posting their mission statement on October 18, 2009:Mission Statement Posted on October 18, 2009. Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
In a follow-up post published October 24, 2009, the organizers described themselves further:
"The ladies behind this endeavor, would be three moms. Three friends that are spread literally across the country. Three Twilight fans and three aspiring writers that have found a second family thanks to Stephenie Meyer's creation. On Twitter we're Ninapolitan, tby789 & Lolashoes. In real life we're a teacher, a counselor and a scientist and we're all moms, wives, friends and fans."Who we are and why Alex's Lemonade Stand? Posted on October 24, 2009. Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
The auctions were hosted the FGB website; while the domain has since seemingly lapsed, archival snapshots are available via the Wayback Machine. Winning bidders made their donations directly to the recipient organization's website and were then responsible for forwarding proof of donation to the auction offeror(s).Official Twilight Fan Fic Author Auction Posted on October 26, 2009. Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
===Responses to the mission statement===
Comments on the initial mission statement post in 2009 appear to have been entirely positive:
==2009==
Bidding opened on November 15, 2009, and over $12,000 was raised by the morning of the second day."The Twilight Fandom Gives Back," Sarah Elizabeth, CNN iReport. Posted on November 16, 2009. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. The auction concluded on November 20, 2009 - the same day The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second installment in the Twilight franchise, was released in the United States.
===Items offered===
A variety of items were offered for the 2009 auction, including memorabilia signed by the cast of The Twilight Saga: New Moon and a meet-and-greet with Twilight actor Jackson Rathbone's band, 100 Monkeys."The Twilight Fandom Gives Back," Kim Palacios, HollywoodNews.com. Posted on June 29, 2010. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. Fanfiction authors, fanart creators, and podcasters also contributed items for the auction.Official Twilight Fan Fic Author Auction Posted on October 26, 2009. Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
===Results===
In 2009, Fandom Gives Back reported raising $87,640 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.Fandom Gives Back Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
==2010==
On March 26, 2010, the organizers of Fandom Gives Back announced the auction would return June 26 - July 2.Fandom Gives Back: Eclipse General Information Posted on March 26, 2010. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third installment in the franchise, was released in the United States on June 24, 2010.
A long list of Twilight fansites signed on as affiliates of the auction.
===Items offered===
Once again, a variety of items were offered, generally falling into three categories: memorabilia; crafts, art, and artistic services; and writing (original and fic).
===Results===
In 2010, Fandom Gives Back reported raising $147,537 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.Fandom Gives Back Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
===Haiti relief efforts===
On January 14, 2010, Fandom Gives Back shared a fundraising call from MsKathy to support relief efforts after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.MsKathy leads the charge for Authors for Haiti Posted on January 14, 2010. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. FGB also hosted an auction of a print by Team6Pack; the winning bidder was expected to donate their pledged amount to the charity of their choice, so long as the organization "ha[d] funds benefiting the relief efforts in Haiti."Print Auction for Haiti Posted on January 22, 2010. Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
==2011==
In 2011, Fandom Gives Back did not organize an auction - instead, authors were invited to contribute stories to a compilation, which was distributed to anyone who donated at least $5 to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation."Fandom Gives Back (aka Sometimes We're Nice People)," Twitarded. Posted on November 2, 2011. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. Both fanfiction and original works were eligible for inclusion. The organizers set a goal of $15,000 for the 2011 fundraising campaign, hoping to bring the total amount raised by Fandom Gives Back for Alex's Lemonade Stand to $250,000.FGB:BD1/ Participating Authors! Posted on October 23, 2011. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. All works were due by November 19, 2012 - the day after The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 was released in the United States.
===Results===
In 2011, Fandom Gives Back reported raising $19,820 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.Fandom Gives Back Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
===FGB: Spotlight Autism===
Throughout the month of April 2011, Fandom Gives Back raised funds for Autism Speaks; ultimately $3,659 was reported to have been raised in 2011 for the organization.Fandom Gives Back Retrieved on March 13, 2018.
==2012==
On January 1, 2012, the Fandom Gives Back blog updated with a notice to check back in November for the final auction in support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.Mission Statement Posted on January 1, 2012. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. Presumably, this auction would have been organized in conjunction with the release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 that November - but there doesn't seem to be any indication of a 2012 auction in the archived snapshots of the FGB website.
==2015==
On October 6, 2015, the FGB Blogspot account was updated with a post promising more details on a revival of Fandom Gives Back for the auction's tenth anniversary.Tenth Anniversary FGB Posted on October 6, 2015. Retrieved on March 13, 2018. On Twitter, FGB organizer Nina indicated that the 2015 auction wouldn't offer stories written for the event - "just straight donations or bids on signed books/whatever."Tweet from @ninabocci on October 6, 2015. No further update appears to have been posted on the FGB Blogspot account, and the FGB Twitter account appears to have been inactive since October 8, 2015.
==References==
Category:2000s
Category:2010s
Category:Activism
Category:TwilightCategory:Charity Auctions
Category:2009 Events
Category:2010 Events
Category:2011 Events