Fundraising Genius - the Ice Bucket Challenge

Now and then, a novel concept in fundraising reaches that elusive ‘tipping point’ and goes viral.  This was certainly the case with the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Here we take a look at the idea, and see what everyday schools and clubs in Australia can learn from its success.

When fundraisers come up with a new concept, it is a dream that it will somehow capture the imagination of a large number of people and raise both awareness and funds for our cause.  So it was with the Ice Bucket Challenge which has become a global phenomenon and a celebrity craze – In the summer of 2014, three young men living with ALS, Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and inspired people around the world to dump ice water on their heads and donate to an ALS organisation. Over 17 million people participated in the Challenge and raised $115 million for The ALS Association. 

The Ice Bucket Challenge is a fundraising initiative for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  The concept is that a person is challenged to either donate to the cause or tip a bucket of ice water over their head and film it.  Each person then challenges 3 other people to do the same.

The beauty of this idea is that, because celebrities are involved (everyone from Oprah to Bill Gates to Russell Crowe), cheques are being written AND celebrities are filming themselves stepping up to the challenge and challenging other celebs to follow suit.

The clips are going viral.  The genius is in the natural in-built growth of the concept – by each person nominating 3 others, there is no limit to how huge it can get!

Bill Gates in action (my favourite!) – although Kermit did it in the nude – impressive for a green frog.
 

How can everyday school and club fundraisers come up with a similar idea to the Ice Bucket Challenge? Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that even the best idea will go viral. You will need the magic combination of a good idea, a dash of luck, and ideally a champion to kick-start the process and build some energy and excitement.

One thing that can be learned from this success is the power of video challenges and sharing this content via social media. Just about everyone has video capacity on their smart phones, so it’s a great way to create a bit of fun and atmosphere. Even if it goes viral just within your own community, it can be a fantastic way of fundraising for groups large and small.

Written by Mandy Weidmann