Going Viral… ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

In 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge generated more than $100 million in donations in a single month, a staggering amount considering the organization took in only $2.5 million for all of 2013.  How in the world did this happen?

People literally dumping ice water on themselves all over the nation; for weeks we watched challenge after challenge. Many loved the videos, and were immediately encouraged to join. Others were exasperated, but could not resist the buzz. While some but very few managed to remain indifferent to the entire campaign (my presumption they lived under a rock). With all that being said it would be ridiculous to ignore and preposterous to deny that the ALS Ice Box challenge was one of (if not the single) most successful viral campaigns we've seen in quite some time.

The science behind the Ice Bucket Challenge is honestly its simplicity. According to an article released by Forbes Magazine, ideas that are contagious share common characteristics that make them much more likely to be received, acted upon, and spread. The Ice Bucket Challenge’s mission had the right DNA to propagate. It was big, selfless and simple.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge demonstrates the power of social media to influence cause marketing on a national scale. The Challenge was a perfect storm of social media, celebrity and grass-roots philanthropy, producing hurricane-strength viral social engagement during the dog days of summer.

Unlike a hurricane, the Challenge showed how social media can be harnessed, directed and managed for a social good. According to Facebook, between June 1 and August 17, over 28 million people have joined the conversation about the Ice Bucket Challenge including posting, commenting or liking a challenge post and 2.4 million videos related to the ice bucket challenge have been shared on the social network.

Important tips for organization's to remember:

The ALS Association’s social media campaign touched upon three very important factors that other nonprofits should make sure to utilize, especially when discussing matching gifts:

1. The campaign made a direct ask.
2. The campaign got followers and non-followers to promote the organization without ALS doing anything further than the initial ask.
3. Relevant stories and photos were shared to make the cause more relatable.

Here is a list posted four months ago sorting out other top viral campaigns: