Iced Lightning
Yes, it could happen for you. But it probably won’t, and no, you can’t make it happen. There’s no formula, and no matter how hard you try you can’t make something go viral. In fact, the harder you try, the more likely you are to fail.
The unprecedented success of the movement does beg a few questions, of course. Will the ALS Association be able to retain those ice-bucket givers and convert them to regular donors? Or are they too adrenaline-motivated to go into the usual new-donor stream? How did they give? What kind of data was collected? How does an organization handle a huge and sudden spike in giving (aside from the obvious, “Why, happily, thank you very much”)? Where does the organization go from here? Can it replicate the giving surge with a campaign of its own making? (Probably not.) Or does it just thank its lucky stars and recognize this for the fluke that it was?
But there is one overarching takeaway from this for the fundraising community: People are passionate. They’re also quirky, and they enjoy feeling like a part of something that’s making a difference. Get them engaged, and they’ll take a bucket of ice water to the head for you. And maybe even write a check.
And if the awareness and monetary gains of the Ice Bucket Challenge are the results of “frivolous,” then I say, “Yay for frivolous!” I say let’s be frivolous. Let’s continue to be frivolous for ALS, and let’s find new ways to be frivolous for some of the thousands of other incredible organizations out there doing such vital work for so many important causes.
