Why 101?
Michael is the angel of remembering, and his name has a numerical value ("gematria") of 101. Hillel taught that there is no comparison between someone who studies a portion of Torah 100 times and the much better case of someone who studies that same portion 101 times (Chagiga 9b). Tzitzit have a direct connection to memory and remembering, for tzitzit are supposed to help us remember the commandments of Hashem (Bamidbar 15:39-40).
Harav Scheinberg zt"l
These tzitzit were shown to Harav Chaim Pinchus Scheinberg zt"l when he was 101 years old. He is the same tzaddik who wore over 200 tzitzit garments each day for years when he was younger — his tzitzit protected Am Yisroel like a golden cloak.
The founder of TieDyeTzitzit relates: "I went to get a brocha because I had in mind that this project would be able to link together all the different tribes in OUR Nation. We are 12 Tribes with many different shades of color even within our own camps. Tie dye represents all of Israel. Tzitzit means… I BELIEVE in Hashem, G-d, and that is ALL. It is NOT a sign that I keep all of these commandments… BUT that I BELIEVE IN G-D. The rest is up to ME and Hashem and it's not my right to tell you HOW to serve Hashem."
"Harav Scheinberg told me that these Tie Dyed Tzitzit are going to bring Moshiach — scouts honor. He understood the statement behind this project. He said that by the shomer mitzvot people wearing these Tie Dyed Tzitzit, a non-religious Jew will know that you are a cool Jew regardless of black hat, furry hat, no hat, no cap, no covering — all of which do not identify a Jew — AND kids will love these tzitzit!"
"I asked Harav Scheinberg to wear a Tie Dye Tzitzit pair. He says YES — but I would have to ask Harav Elyashiv to wear a pair as well. He also said (exact words): I am too old to enter the political arena alone! Very powerful words. (Harav Elyashiv soon after went into a coma and I was not able to talk to him.)"
"Ten minutes after the levaya of Harav Scheinberg I got a phone call on my home phone number — a number I never give out. It was on speaker since I am in a wheelchair and I needed my hands to move. It was an 04 area code in Eretz Yisrael, from north near Haifa. The person told me they are calling from Haifa and that they are a mekubal — scouts honor. The message for me was that the tzitzit that we are giving out are replacing the zechusim that Harav Scheinberg was giving to this world during his lifetime."
The math of one mitzvah
We have given out over 22,000 Tie Dye Tzitzit garments so far. When you donate $613, that pays for the production of 101 tzitzit pairs. If 101 Jews wear tzitzit in your zechus, there will be added in one year 36,865 gold coins on your side of the scale. That is what they say, at least.
One gold coin helps as well — but we need to look at the bigger picture. The revenues of returned goodness through these 101 tzitzit is 36,865 for the first year, and that can grow every year for many years. $613 can do a lot of mitzvot.