The Power of a Gimmick

Recently, a friend of mine, who is very involved in the ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) awareness and fundraising community, stopped by for a visit. Over dinner, he shared that the ALS Association had just identified a gene that is linked to ALS, and the research and discovery of this gene was largely funded by the Ice Bucket Challenge campaign of 2014. What the recent discovery means is that scientists are one step closer to finding the trigger or root of the disease, bringing them just a little closer to finding a solution to ALS.

Since our conversation, I have not been able to stop thinking about how organizations fundraise. When the Ice Bucket Challenge was the “thing” in 2014, I remember thinking that this was really gimmicky. People were doing it because everyone else was, not everyone was really contributing money (even though many were donating, and giving above the suggested amount), and most of these people won’t be repeated donors.

The question that nagged at me at the time was, “Why isn’t the ALS Association trying to get people to be sustaining donors so that they may continue to receive the resources needed for ongoing research and support of the Association?”

My friend and I had a conversation at that point. From his perspective, the campaign was a tremendous success, surpassing the Associations’ wildest expectations as the challenge raised over $100 million in the United States alone. This amount, for an organization whose annual fundraising efforts garnered them about $23 million, was staggering and course changing for the challenge against ALS.

But I went back to my original wondering: isn’t it better to have sustaining donors than one-time donors? I have thought about the organizations to which I make donations, the one-time deals, the once-in-a-while donations, or the sustaining contributions. How do I make these choices? And as I teach my children to donate, how do I teach them how and to whom they should donate? My one-time deals and once-in-a-while donations are the ones where I’m asked to contribute, whether it is by a friend, co-worker, community member, or a campaign, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge. The once-in-a-while organizations sometimes come up because a recent appeal reminded me of the importance of the work they are doing. The organizations for whom I am a sustaining member are those whose missions and goals are aligned with mine, whose services have benefitted me or my family, and whose causes are ones that I am most passionate about. Those organizations have had moments when they have made extra appeals to all members because an influx of cash would really help push forth an initiative or continue to build the momentum needed to reach a goal.

And so I continue to think about my conversations with my friend. His recent news of the gene discovery was humbling for me as I had been quick to question the goals of the campaign. I had lacked the vision to understand the power of a gimmick. The conversations with my friend were enlightening as I started to reflect on why I contribute and to understand the goals of some organizations. When there is urgency in addressing an issue, both the short and long term plans are needed. Under its traditional fund-raising model, it would have taken about four years for ALS to raise the money that the Ice Bucket Challenge raised. It might have taken four years (or more) for scientists to discover the gene. The success of the campaign meant that the Association had the ability to provide funding for uninterrupted research, was successful in the scientific research, and while many people are not sustaining donors, the campaign, was successful in reaching and surpassing its monetary goals, and arguably most important, was successful in bringing awareness to ALS.

Sustaining contributions are awesome AND any contribution is great.