Recently I have seen several people share their opinion about the Ice Bucket Challenge. After reading their posts, comments, or videos, I decided to speak out as a local celebrity and former fundraiser for one of the largest non-profits. This is all I will say about the subject and know I wont respond to any comments and have the right to delete any I choose. Its my page so I can do that. As someone who spent the past 3 years as part of a small fundraising team for one of the largest non-profits on the planet, I know how hard it is to raise money especially when the yearly goal is over 4 million. The need for dollars to fund programs and services only seems to grow while the available money shrinks. Coming up with new ways to bring in money is a challenge. Therefore, I applaud the young man who took action and came up with a creative way to raise awareness and money for ALS. For those who believe its just easier to throw money at an organization, I disagree. What good is it to donate if you know nothing about the organization or where the money will end up. At least do some research. For those who think buying ice and a bucket is a waste of money I say so is cooking too much food for a non-profit fundraising competition or learning to dance for an event. Weak argument. Its all a part of the engagement process. The man who created the challenge not only raises money, but he is getting people talking about ALS. He is also asking people to act. What an effective and easy marketing strategy. I think some are failing to see the bigger picture. With non-profits, if you can engage people in a fun and creative way, they usually answer the call to action, talk about the organization, most often like the company. Once they like you, a relationship is most often established which can lead to donations. Just as money is hard to find so are reliable volunteers and advocates to champion the cause. Finding someone to donate their time is just as valuable as donating their treasure. In terms of celebrity participation, Im glad to see them use their name to influence good. Usually they make headlines for getting arrested, marrying their 5th spouse, coming up with a crazy baby name, or deciding to consciously uncouple. As a local celebrity I was honored to participate. I also donated in the name of a childhood friends father who lost his battle to ALS years ago. I choose to spend most of my personal time volunteering. Every community I have lived in has given me so much, I want to help and say thank you to each one. Im a passionate volunteer. I post pictures at events to show how fun it is to volunteer and encourage others to do so. Teaching children to be civic minded at an early age is key. So instead of posting negative comments I issue this challenge: Use your time to research an organization to champion. Research shows the donor base has shifted to a younger demographic. So that means you have to engage young donors in a different way than those who are older. And stop assuming people are only dumping ice water on their heads to avoid a donation. Thats insulting and in most cases inaccurate.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:37:19 +0000
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