Some of you might know the name of blogger Dave Armano – he has a vast social network, is a regular contributor to AdAge and a frequent speaker at interactive and social media conferences.

Tonight, I watched Dave do something pretty amazing. With a short blog post and a tweet to alert the thousands folks who “listen” to him, he told a digital story. The story of Daniella and her 3 children. A story about how Daniella left her husband after years of physical abuse. And it included a photo. Just one. Of Daniella and her kids (they’re staying with Dave and his family).

Dave asked people do whatever they could financially to help them get an apartment. Enough to cover a deposit and rent for a few months.

So I pitched in and then sat back and watched others do the same thing, some folks noting how despite their challenging finances, they were still going to give, even if it was $1 or $5.

Dave’s goal was $5K.

In just over 2 hours, hundreds people have raised more than $8K for a family they don’t know and will probably never meet. Because someone they trust – a key influencer in their lives – asked them to help and made it very easy. Compare that with Tweetsgiving, a group that came out of nowhere and raised $11K in 48 hours around Thanksgiving to help expand a school in Nambia. People contributed generously and exceeded the $10K goal, but Dave’s relationship with the 200+ contributors is what has been able to drive this success in such a short timeframe.

You can see Dave’s original post here:

http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2009/01/pleas-help-us-help-daniellas-family.html

And see how Twitter is abuzz with it here:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=armano

And Dave’s use of video to say thanks:

http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2009/01/thank-you.html

Dave’s generosity and first-ever request like this shows that success in social media continues to be based on real relationships with fans and advocates. And as dads, it’s a reminder that our #1 job is to be an example to our sons and daughters, to teach them by doing the right thing, not just telling them what it is.