The Ice Bucket Challenge is still going strong, having raised $62.5 million for the ALS Association as of August 23. Along with that, the criticism continues. Ad Age writer, Anne-Marie Kline, refers to this as “narcissism masked as altruism.”
Recent pundits include Pamela Anderson, who wants the ALS to stop using animals for research. (I understand her passion on this one.)
Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times says, “The sad news is that we seem to need a viral Internet event to stir us up.”
A Catholic archdiocese in Ohio denounced donations to the ALS Association because of the organization’s position on embryonic stem-cell research.
As far as I’m concerned, they’re all wet!
As someone who has worked extensively in non-profit marketing during my career, I applaud the ALS Association for its creativity and marketing savvy. As in the business world, organizations that develop “spreadable” innovative ideas are often rewarded. So, why not non-profits?
Critics in the nonprofit sector worry that the ALS campaign isn’t changing the nature of fundraising. Even in my state, 38% of polled non-profit officials claimed that the ALS campaign is a gimmick or a short-term “feel good” for donors. Then why are so many non-profit leaders wishing they had thought of it first?
There’s no IRS requirement that charities must raise funds from donors who truly care about their missions. That would eliminate many of their dinner, ball, and golf tournament participants who do not continue their support past these events. Are the critics saying that we should somehow create a hierarchy of donors and honor only those who are totally committed to the cause? (Oops, they’ve already done that.)
The world has changed, yet the nonprofit sector has dragged its heels into the new Millennium. Many still do not invest enough, or at all, in leadership development, competitive salaries, marketing, technology and innovation– all of which contribute to increased revenue. It’s a myopic attitude criticized by people like Dan Pallotta, author of Uncharitable – How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential and Charity Case: How the Nonprofit Community Can Stand Up For Itself and Really Change the World.
“The public wants charities to spend as little as possible on overhead,” says Pallotta in an interview on his Amazon book page. “The public doesn’t like to see charities paying high executive salaries. The public wants every gala dinner and walk-a-thon to send one hundred percent of the money donated back to the cause. What the public doesn’t realize is that low overhead is not a path to the end of world hunger or a cure for cancer. It’s the opposite.”
“Only allowing charities access to the lowest-cost talent is not a strategic plan for alleviating human suffering,” he continues. “Demanding home runs on every charitable fundraising endeavor discourages innovation and keeps charities small and in fear. The very things the public has been taught are good and ethical–low overhead, low executive pay, funneling all donations to the cause–are practices that are killing us.”
I couldn’t agree more. As for the Ice Bucket Challenge, I say take the money from wherever it comes! ALS is a nasty disease that affected my husband’s aunt and millions of other families. It is a horrid way to die.
So, come on. Make your charitable donations as a result of trendy social media dares, fundraising events, or any other motives you choose. Just keep doing it.
Do you think the Ice Bucket Challenge is “narcissism masked as altruism”?
BONUS: According to Facebook and reported by marketing reporter, Susan Krashinsky of Canada’s The Globe & Mail, the top countries by participation in the ice bucket challenge are:
1. United States
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. Canada
5. Mexico
6. Brazil
7. Germany
8. Philippines
9. Puerto Rico
10. India
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