Shine on, you crazy Beacon. Shine on.

To take our minds off the second blizzard in a week currently bearing down on us here in the DC area, let’s think about happier things. Like Austin Texas, & South by Southwest Interactive. And, ya know, the sun.

With hundreds of panels and what seems like miles of convention center to cover at sxsw interactive, it has been challenging for folks working in the non profit sector to find a place where you can easily meet up with peers, unwind your brain, or just share all the cool stuff you’re absorbing with other people who “get it”.

At SXSW 2009, with the help of our partners and colleagues, we planted The Beacon: Lounge with a Conscience at the Austin Convention Center, hoping to give nonprofit professionals and the socially conscious community a place of their own. And our little seedling flourished. More than 500 people hung out at the Beacon last year, enjoying the comfy couches, the free wi-fi, the daily coffee and snacks, and the company of their peers.

This year, we’re excited to watch the Beacon grow bigger and better than ever with the rockin’ events we’ve planned:

• Morning coffee with panelists from “Will Kiva Kill Your Non Profit”.
• A daily social media rockstar interview/broadcast by Mark Horvath of Invisible People.
• A gallery of Mike Rohde’s beloved Sketchnotes.
• SoapBox lunches and talks for a cause.
• Afternoon acoustic concerts, including local & virtual musicians, sponsored by BlackBaud, befitting Sweet Relief, Musicians Fund.
• And of course, a place for you to hang your hat, rest your feet and catch your breath.

So if you want to get your good on at SxSW, there’s no better place for it than The Beacon: Lounge with a Conscience. Check out The Beacon Blog for the latest update and follow us @thebeaconsxsw.

And just for a thrill, check out the blurb sxsw wrote about us today. We’re downright giggly about it. (ok, I am).