Online Fundraising
Innovative (and Adorable) Social Fundraising Campaign Goes Global
European ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy London, came up with such a great social fundraising idea, they took it to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). And, the charity loved it.
What is it?
It’s a very simple, yet effective, Twitter campaign that’s raising awareness and funds for endangered animals. Continue reading
Ice Bucket Challenge - “Narcissism Masked as Altruism?”
The Ice Bucket Challenge is still going strong, having raised $62.5 million for the ALS Association as of August 23. Along with that, the criticism continues. Ad Age writer, Anne-Marie Kline, refers to this as “narcissism masked as altruism.”
Recent pundits include Pamela Anderson, who wants the ALS to stop using animals for research. (I understand her passion on this one.)
Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times says, “The sad news is that we seem to need a viral Internet event to stir us up.”
A Catholic archdiocese in Ohio denounced donations to the ALS Association because of the organization’s position on embryonic stem-cell research.
As far as I’m concerned, they’re all wet! Continue reading
The Ice Bucket Challenge Phenomenon - Positive for the Cause or Not?
Who could have predicted how successful and widespread the ALS Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge would be? It is a charity phenomenon that will go down in fundraising history.
It is also among the biggest viral hits in Facebook’s history! According to the Huffington Post, “2.4 million videos ‘related to the ice bucket challenge have been shared’ on the social network, and more than 28 million people have posted, commented or liked a post relating to the challenge.
As of yesterday, Wednesday, August 20, The ALS Association has received $31.5 million in donations compared to $1.9 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 20). These donations have come from existing donors and 637,527 new donors to The Association. Unbelievable.
Even though the original idea doesn’t belong to the ALS Association, the organization piggybacked on it and it took off like a rocket. Celebrities, politicians, and everyday people have jumped on the bandwagon. But, not everyone is über positive about the campaign. Continue reading
Charities - Say Thanks Quickly!
This past Wednesday marked Arizona Gives Day. Many states have initiated this type of annual, state-wide fundraising program. In Arizona, the total raised in one 24-hour period came to $1,392,292 from 13,856 unique donors. Not bad!
Even though I make all my annual charitable gifts every December, I did my part and made donations to eight select charities. Now, guess how many thanked me right away.
Just two. One quarter. 25%. Pretty poor, eh?
That’s not to say I won’t receive a letter or email from the others in the next few days. But, the ones who were out the gate first left a very positive brand impression. It tells me that they have their act together.
Plus, they expressed themselves warmly and genuinely. Here are the two I received: Continue reading
