Even though she is a bobcat, Kristen “KJ” Pertner is still a dear friend of mine and she has nominated me for the Ice Bucket Challenge. .
I have been following this phenomenon for the past few weeks and have been looking at it from a marketing perspective since that is the focus of my MBA studies. I am hopeful to be able to research consumer behavior in the non-profit sector. I am interested in looking into why donors choose the organizations they do for their charitable giving.
Because I want to increase my knowledge of non-profit marketing I have been reading a lot about this, articles both for and against it. Here is my personal take based on what I have learned and some questions I don’t have answers to, but hope to:
1. It’s wasteful. To offset the amount of water used, I have chosen to skip a shower. Shun will love that.
2. Though the challenge has raised a great deal of money for the organization, will the ALSA be able to sustain the numbers or have a plan in place to generate future revenue from this burst of donations? How will the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge affect future campaigns?
3. Are people actually learning about ALSA, or other organizations that are being supported by donations inspired by the challenge? Is there a metric in place for measuring the awareness built from this? I will be interested in learning more about this.
4. Funding cannibalism is an issue. (I’m NOT talking about funding cannibalistic activities like a people potluck. I mean the notion that people on average are limited in how much they can donate to charity, if someone donates $100 to the ALSA, he or she will likely donate less to other charities or not at all. Don’t worry Girl Scouts, I’ll still but Thin Mints.) Before you donate anywhere, please look at your financial situation to see if you are even able to donate at all. If you are worried about your favorite cause will take a hit, don’t donate to the ALSA and donate to a cause of your choice instead. Don’t forget to tell people why you have chosen that cause. If you can’t give money, see if you can volunteer your time. If you’d be interested in volunteering with the NMSS, let me know and I can connect you to the right people.
5. Why must the attention be placed on the donor and not the ones who actually benefit from this money raised? As someone with a neurodegenerative disorder, I would benefit, so this is a moot point. It’s allowed to be all about me and you people know I love a spotlight.
6. Why can’t people just donate in silence? The Ice Bucket Challenge isn’t just about money. It’s about building awareness of the cause you support. To break through the noise of other marketing images and communications we see on a daily basis, both commercial and non-profit, organizations need to make a little noise.
7. People are tired of the videos. Yeah. I get that. The celebrity ones are quite annoying, but Dave Grohl’s was hilarious of course. If you’re a Foo Fighter or Stephen King fan, you’ll love it. Oh, and the guy who plays a Hans Solo on Stargate…Patrick Stewart. His was nice.
I will not be nominating anyone, because I feel as if everyone I know has been nominated, but I will encourage others to take the time to learn more about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS. If you choose to donate to the ALSA, I will say that any scientific breakthroughs on neurodegenerative diseases like ALS will help researchers studying MS and others like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. I am thankful to my friends and family who have already taken this challenge and in the process not only talked about ALS, but about MS as well. You didn’t need to take that extra step, but you did and I am truly honored and humbled by your altruism.
ALS Association
Jill's National MS Society Fundraising Page
ALS Association
Jill's National MS Society Fundraising Page
