Thursday, August 21, 2014

Four Lessons Brands Can Learn From the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Four Lessons Brands Can Learn From the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: But, there are four characteristics of this trend that put it above the rest. In fact, this ice bucket challenge has four important lessons for brands. So, marketeers, take note:

Macmillan: We did not hijack #icebucketchallenge

Macmillan: We did not hijack #icebucketchallenge: Macmillan has hit back against accusations on social media that it has hijacked #icebucketchallenge, saying the craze has been raising money for cancer charities in New Zealand since July.

The challenge has peaked in publicity in the last week as celebrities in the US continue to nominate each other, while showing off their famous friends, to pour iced water over themselves and donate money to American charity ALS Association.

Ice-Bucket Torrent Reaches $8.6-Million in a Day and Douses Ex-President – Philanthropy Today - Blogs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Ice-Bucket Torrent Reaches $8.6-Million in a Day and Douses Ex-President – Philanthropy Today - Blogs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Ice-Bucket Torrent Reaches $8.6-Million in a Day and Douses Ex-President

The flood of “ice-bucket challenge” donations to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease reached a new crest Wednesday as the ALS Association reported taking in $8.6-million over a 24-hour period, Time writes.

How to Create an Ice Bucket-type Challenge for Your Nonprofit: A Formula for Success - Clairification

How to Create an Ice Bucket-type Challenge for Your Nonprofit: A Formula for Success - Clairification: re you wringing your hands because your boss or board wants you to come up with a viral social campaign to rival the “Ice Bucket Challenge?” Oy!

I was first introduced to this phenomenon one evening as I was watching the Jimmy Fallon show on t.v. Jimmy, some of his crew and his band all dumped buckets of ice water on their heads; then challenged the New York Jets to do so as well (Jimmy had been challenged by Justin Timberlake). I had no idea why they were doing it or what the “Ice Bucket Challenge” was about.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Who Makes Better Funding Choices: Crowds or Experts?

Who Makes Better Funding Choices: Crowds or Experts?: Crowdfunded projects perform as well as expert-funded ones, study finds, but the 'art' of raising money from crowds may be slightly different

Ice Bucket Challenge Still Going Strong: $31.5 Million in Donations to The ALS Association - The ALS Association

Ice Bucket Challenge Still Going Strong: $31.5 Million in Donations to The ALS Association - The ALS Association: Ice Bucket Challenge Still Going Strong: $31.5 Million in Donations to The ALS Association

Washington, D.C. (August 20, 2014) — As of 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.

Everybody's Talking About the Ice-Bucket Challenge - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Everybody's Talking About the Ice-Bucket Challenge - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The ice-bucket challenge, which is raising big sums for the ALS Association, has been many things to many people: viral sensation, philanthropic case study, ego-driven frivolity, even an excuse to pillory Justin Bieber, who took the challenge but reportedly left out the ice.

A Drop In the Ice Bucket: Good for the Cause, Bad for the Drought

A Drop In the Ice Bucket: Good for the Cause, Bad for the Drought: o put the waste this campaign has caused into simple terms, let’s just assume everyone is using a five gallon bucket. Now multiply that number by the more than 1.2 million videos shared on Facebook since June 1. Based on that assumption (5 x 1,200,000), over 6 million gallons of water have been poured out in the name of Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The average American household uses 320 gallons per day, which means that based on this estimation, nearly 19,000 homes’ daily water usage has been wasted. And that’s not even taking into account that videos posted online often depict multiple people, sometimes even entire sororities or fraternities, taking part in the ice bucket challenge, often using more than one bucket per video.

Rangers’ Levine Creates Fantasy Sports Platform For Charity � CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Rangers’ Levine Creates Fantasy Sports Platform For Charity � CBS Dallas / Fort Worth: Texas Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine is hoping to capitalize on that market — for charity.

Levine has launched a fantasy sports platform called Meaningful Wins, which allows participants to play for charity rather than for profit.

The AFP Blog-The Icekbucketchalleng

The AFP Blog: Obviously, the campaign is a success, but at the same time let’s not make more of this than it is. We’re not seeing a fundamental change in the nature of fundraising—it’s a clever use of social media. The challenge is like sponsoring a friend—we do it because of the connection, not necessarily the cause.

I’ll Take My Fundraising Cannibalism On the Rocks | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

I’ll Take My Fundraising Cannibalism On the Rocks | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits: s of yesterday, the high visibility ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ had produced $15.6 million from existing donors, plus 307,598 new donors for The ALS Association.

The campaign designed to build awareness and support research for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, goes like this: People make a video of themselves or a friend dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads, post it on Facebook, Instagram or other social media sites, and then challenge friends to do the same.

The cold, hard truth about the ice bucket challenge - Quartz

The key problem is funding cannibalism. That $3 million in donations doesn’t appear out of a vacuum. Because
people on average are limited in how much they’re willing to donate to
good causes, if someone donates $100 to the ALS Association, he or she
will likely donate less to other charities.  



The cold, hard truth about the ice bucket challenge - Quartz

Smart wristbands aim to increase charity giving

Smart wristbands aim to increase charity giving: A new wristband that will enable people to make faster donations with just a tap of a smartphone, is being tested by several leading charities.

National learning disabilities charity Hft and premature baby charity Bliss have already employed the new fundraising technology, with more charities due to start using the bands in the coming months.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Nonprofit Shares Data About Troubled Teens With Researchers - Technology - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Nonprofit Shares Data About Troubled Teens With Researchers - Technology - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Nonprofit Shares Data About Troubled Teens With Researchers

By Nicole Wallace

Researchers are gaining access to enormous amounts of data about teenagers who are struggling with depression, bullying, and other problems, thanks to Crisis Text Line, which has been operating for a year.

How the ice bucket challenge can boost Chinese philanthropy - Quartz

How the ice bucket challenge can boost Chinese philanthropy - Quartz: This morning, Chinese billionaire and internet entrepreneur Zhou Hongyi, the founder of search portal Qihoo, stood in front of a group of his employees and dumped a bucket of ice water over his head—all in the name of eradicating the disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Email Is Still the Best Thing on the Internet - The Atlantic

Email Is Still the Best Thing on the Internet - The Atlantic: All these people are trying to kill email.

"E-mail is dead, or at least that’s what Silicon Valley is banking on," wrote Businessweek tech reporter Ashlee Vance.

There's the co-founder of Asana, the work softwarePublish Post startup. Email has "become a counter-productivity tool,” Justin Rosenstein likes to say.