Viral campaigns like Ice Bucket Challenge hurt other charities

If you are unaware of the impact supporter-led campaigns, such as Ice Bucket Challenge and #NoMakeUpSelfie, had in 2014 then you must have been living under a rock. The unmistakable images were on every Facebook timeline, raised millions upon millions in a matter of weeks and generally bought priceless publicity and awareness for the charities they were associated with.

Good for them. But what impact did they have on the charities who didn’t benefit?

‘We need the next Ice Bucket Challenge’

Everyone saw these campaigns – including charity directors and chief executives with their hands on the purse strings. And, in many cases these campaigns have hurt more than helped.

For the past 12 months the mantra “We need to do the next Ice Bucket Challenge” has been bandied about in meetings between senior managers and their heads of digital. These otherwise amazing campaigns are rare and while they attract huge new audiences are in danger of replacing the important day-to-day work we do. It’s also placing unrealistic expectations on the digital teams’ shoulders. It is a bit like quitting your job and pinning your financial hopes on buying lottery tickets.

Boring work matters

The boring work is crucial. Web projects make it easier for visitors to donate; regular email campaigns inspire existing supporters to get more involved; and improving the quality of social media content shows existing donors where their money goes.

This work is important right now and can lead to a sustainable increase in online donations and support. It is also needed to truly engage any new supporters that turned up if a charity created the next viral phenomenon. Without this everyday work, a campaign would never reach its full potential.

What we actually need

I’m not against big online fundraising campaigns – they raise millions and show the public the potential of digital work like nothing else can.

What we need is to use them as a springboard to educate those at senior management level about what everyday digital success really looks like. This includes conversions from website visitor to email subscriber, online donations from those committed to the cause (not just the campaign) and improved online reach of charity messages. If their understanding is limited to headlines such as “£8m raised in a week”, expectations will continue to be unrealistic, understanding will be virtually nil and supporters’ experiences will be the worse for it.

Senior managers need to understand that overnight successes like #NoMakeUpSelfie and Ice Bucket Challenge really are 10 years in the making. In order to succeed, charities need to start by creating an internal culture that makes the next viral campaign possible. How many charities can say they really invest in empowering their supporters to plan and run their own similar grassroots campaigns? By this I mean investing in staff time, showcasing similar campaigns, or running creative events to come up with new ideas.

Let’s show senior managers the potential of digital and give existing dedicated charity supporters the great online experience they really deserve.

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