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Case 1 Management

The ALS Association (ALSA) saw the power of social media firsthand through the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. Over 17 million people participated in the challenge on social media, raising over $115 million for ALSA, far more than the $23 million raised the previous year. The viral nature of social media videos allowed the challenge to spread widely and engage many people beyond those directly affected by ALS. While the challenge was a huge fundraising success, ALSA leadership recognized it would not be sustainable at the same level due to many one-time donations from people with little disease awareness. The organization hopes to build on the momentum by making the challenge an annual event.

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262 views2 pages

Case 1 Management

The ALS Association (ALSA) saw the power of social media firsthand through the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. Over 17 million people participated in the challenge on social media, raising over $115 million for ALSA, far more than the $23 million raised the previous year. The viral nature of social media videos allowed the challenge to spread widely and engage many people beyond those directly affected by ALS. While the challenge was a huge fundraising success, ALSA leadership recognized it would not be sustainable at the same level due to many one-time donations from people with little disease awareness. The organization hopes to build on the momentum by making the challenge an annual event.

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BE-K.
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The Power of Social Media.

In the summer of 2014, the ALS Association (ALSA) learned first-hand about the power of social
media.66 In just a little over a month, more than 17 million people dumped buckets of ice
water over their heads, raising more than $115 million for the ALSA in what became known as
the Ice Bucket Challenge. To put that number in perspective, the organization raised just $23
million in the entire previous year. The ALSA is a nonprofit organization that supports the fight
against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and
spinal cord. Often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS affects about 20,000 people in the
United States. As this number is far lower than other diseases such as cancer, ALS researchers
do not receive as much federal funding, making ALSA’s fundraising pivotal for the fight against
the disease. In addition to supporting scientific research, the ALSA works to provide
compassionate care for ALS patients and advocates for public policies that benefit people living
with the disease. How did the ALSA convince so many people to get involved in this fundraising
success? Surprisingly, the organization had very little to do with it. The Ice Bucket Challenge was
initiated by Chris Kennedy, a professional golfer whose brother-in-law has ALS. The challenge
took off after reaching Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball player, and his friend Pat
Quinn, who both suffer from ALS. From there, the challenge became a worldwide sensation and
attracted millions of participants including influential people such as Bill Gates, Mark
Zuckerberg, and even President Barack Obama.
The Ice Bucket Challenge spread quickly due to the power of viral videos. Once challenged,
individuals recorded themselves getting a bucket of ice water dumped on them and then
challenged some friends to do the same. Videos were posted on Facebook and friends were
tagged do the challenge. If challenged, you could donate to the ALSA, or get dumped on.
However, many people ended up doing the challenge and still donating. Why were people so
willing to engage in this unpleasant experience? Carrie Munk, an ALS spokesperson, asked this
question of many participants and reported that most people said they did it because they
were asked. Interestingly, many of those friends who were asking knew little about ALS. The
movement went well beyond those who already were impacted by the disease. Barbara
Newhouse, the CEO of ALSA, did admit the organization helped catalyze the movement with
one e-mail to 60,000 on their mailing list, but otherwise it took off on its own. And thus the
organization not only had its most successful fundraiser in history, but it also built international
awareness of the disease. Can the Ice Bucket Challenge become a sustainable source of funding
for the ALSA? The organization is hoping that it can, initiating a campaign in 2015 to make it an
annual event. However, the attempt to repeat the challenge the following year did not see the
same results, raising only about 500,000 dollars in the same time frame. This was not a big
surprise for the organization. ALSA leadership knew that because of the nature of the giving,
the funding would not be sustainable at the same level. Many gave with little awareness, and
that does not usually lead to repeat donations. Brian Frederick, ALSA’s chief of staff,
acknowledged they can’t recreate the phenomenon but suggested they can build on the
momentum of the 2014 events by making it an annual event.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why is it important for the ALSA management team to understand the importance of
social media in their work?
2. Do you think the ALSA can continue to rely on the Ice Bucket Challenge to support the
organization’s fundraising efforts? Why or why not?
3. Do you think the Ice Bucket Challenge would have had the same success if the
management at ALSA initiated the challenge?
4. What can the ALSA learn from this experience to help the organization take advantage
of the power of social media in the future?

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