If it’s Oct. 1, it must be time for the DonorsChoose.org’s Blogger Challenge 2008!

DonorsChoose.org is a charity that funds classroom projects in high-need public schools, using the Web to match teacher project requests with donors.

Last year, BoomTown did pretty well, raising $12,199 from 52 donors and impacting 1,940 students.

But Tomato Nation’s Sarah Bunting ran away with the overall competition by raising more than $100,000 from almost 1,100 donors, mostly by promising to dress up like a giant tomato.

In the tech arena, venture capitalist Fred Wilson beat me–despite my best efforts, including the use of BoomTown’s progeny as props in shameless videos over the course of the competition–by raising $18,538 from 92 donors.

Both Bunting and Wilson were awarded lunch with Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, the prize his company offered to the bloggers who garnered the biggest number of donors.

Since Yang was not talking to me last year, part of Yahoo’s crackerjack cave-dwelling press policy at the time, I tried but failed to capture the coveted lunch, so I could get a little time with the reluctant-to-speak exec.

But we do not give up at AllThingsD: The Yang pursuit lasted all year long. He finally relented in late May, after I cornered him onstage at the sixth D: All Things Digital conference and forced him to promise in front of an audience of more than 600 to have a lovely grilled cheese with me.

Yang’s price? That I donate $500 to DonorsChoose.org.

Thus, a deal was struck and, better yet, we ended up having a lovely dinner at John Bentley’s in Woodside two weeks ago.

Now I am back without an insane obsession, although I have my best begging tools at the ready–now both my kids can talk–and a long list of technology requests in high-need public schools.

You can click here to reach the giving page or use the widget on the lower right side of the ATD homepage or the left side of the main BoomTown page.

Time is of the essence! In the tech blogger space, Wilson is already up to his nefarious VC tricks. Worse still, the very sneaky Robert Scoble has entered the contest too.

I simply cannot get bested by a clown like Scoble, now can I?

(I mean, really, take a long gander at the frequently nude dude pictured here!)

I think I have just found my 2008 inspiration! Game on, naked boy!

Seriously, start giving until it hurts and then give more or I am in danger of being Scobleized.

Until then, here is a special video message from Yang himself, proof that determination and obnoxiousness always prevail:

We tried but failed to capture the coveted lunch with Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, which was part of the October Tech Blogger Challenge for DonorsChoose.org.

Major lunchroom snub!

Tomato Nation’s Sarah Bunting ran away with the overall competition by raising more than $100,000 from almost 1,100 donors and promising to dress up like a giant tomato (a genius move that should have occurred to us!).

In the tech arena, VC Fred Wilson bested us–despite our best efforts that included the use of BoomTown’s progeny as props in shameless videos over the course of the competition–by raising $18,538 from 92 donors.

Still, we were second in the money category with $12,199 from 52 donors, impacting 1,940 students.

According to Yahoo’s blog Yodel Anecdotal, both Bunting and Wilson will be awarded lunch with Yang (he only had to have it with Bunting, but our aggressive efforts in the tech area inspired Yahoo to offer lunch to Wilson too, pretty much because he is not us!). Why this very lively corporate blog has such a goofy name shall be a topic for another day.

To recap: DonorsChoose.org funds classroom projects in high-need public schools, using the Web to match teacher project requests with donors. (AllThingsD picked tech projects in both San Francisco and Washington, D.C.)

Besides raising funds for kids who need it, we also had hoped to win an award Yahoo is sponsoring for the blogger who garners the biggest number of donors–a free lunch with CEO Jerry Yang!

Lunch or not, we’re thrilled our hunger spurred more giving to needy kids.

So we’ll be leaving up our page there for you to keep giving. Click to go to our AllThingsD page on DonorsChoose.org here or use the thermometer on the left side of this page to give! There are still 11 projects that need funding, so give, you overpaid techies!

And, Jerry, we still aren’t done with you yet! BoomTown likes to have a bite, as you know, and we shall have our meal in the Yahoo cafeteria one way or another!

Chomp.