Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely venture. You’re often working with yourself or a small team, trying to find funding, get exposure, and make your startup the next hot company. You rely on your community for support and encouragement – but that involves giving back to the community whenever you can.

When I first met the guys at Daily Challenge I knew they were a special kind of entrepreneur – not only were they building a company from scratch, but they were doing it with a unique goal – to change the world. These social entrepreneurs are doing something that not many others are – they’re devoting their lives to a company that wants to leave a positive affect on the world around them.

I’ve watched Daily Challenge grow from the early days into the well-known network of Do-Gooders it is today, and I know that much of it is owing to the generous spirit and kind hearts of Darius and Afshin, the two founders. When they told me they were organizing Pay It Backward Day back in the spring I knew they’d be a success, and I was right. But it wasn’t just because they had a great idea to raise money for a great charity, or because they had the support of a big coffee company like Second Cup. They succeeded because they had the support of the community at large – they had volunteers working behind the scenes on logistics and promotion; they had friends, family and strangers buying coffees for the person behind them; and they had the media and online world singing their praises. The success of the first Pay It Backward Day was dependant on the community, just like the success of any startup is dependent on the support of its audience.

Looking to the next Pay It Backward Day I’m so excited and confident that the community will be there for Darius, Afshin, Daily Challenge and SickKids Hospital again – they deserve it. And if you’re an entrepreneur looking for success, remember that sometimes it’s not about what the community can do for you – it’s what you can do for the community. The team at Daily Challenge have made it their livelihood to give back – so it’s easy to see why everyone is behind them. Come out on September 30th, find out more about Daily Challenge and the amazing things they’re doing, and buy a coffee for the person behind you – your small act of kindness will result in a $5 donation to Sick Kids, and immeasurable good karma.

Erin Bury is the Community Manager at Sprouter, an online collaboration tool for entrepreneurs. She believes in the power of positive thinking, random acts of kindness – and that it only takes a small group of people to change the world.

A couple months back I was presented with an opportunity to organize a great charity event in Toronto called TwestivalTO. The first “Twestival”, or “Twitter festival”, was held in London, England this past September. The party raised money for a local charity, and was such a success that the organizers decided to do it on a global scale. On February 12th, 2009, cities all around the world held their Twestivals for charity: water (the charity of choice), with global sponsors like Amiando and TipJoy as well as organizers in cities from NYC to Paris to Toronto. Sarah Prevette and I were lucky enough to play a leading role in Toronto’s participation and the experience was something I’ll never forget.

In the end, Twestival went down on February 12th in over 120 cities around the world. The Toronto event was a huge success – nearly 600 people attended and we raised over $10,000 for charity: water. Suffice it to say that I saw, first-hand, how a great event for a great cause can move Torontonians to care for, give to, and help the people around them. When I was presented with the opportunity to get involved with Pay It Backward Day, naturally, I said yes!

You can expect some of the same magic that we saw from TwestivalTO, back again with Pay It Backward TO. I’ve managed to wrangle in a few of the magicians from Twestival (@casiestewart and @skanwar) and recruit a few more of my favourite web personalities. Toronto has pulled off events like this before (TwestivalTO for example) and I’m really hoping that with Pay It Backward Day, we can solidify this city as one of the world’s most active and kind.

See everyone there!

Oh… and here’s some of the fun that was had at TwestivalTO.

TwestivalTO > Feb 12/09 from Suresh on Vimeo.