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Old 08-17-2014, 11:56 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eyeye View Post
I was just told about the ice bucket challenge last night by my adult kids...since then I have seen it pop up a lot. I'm also perplexed. What does pouring ice water on your head have to do with ALS? I mean, kudos for making money. But...it just doesn't make any sense to me.

I like the points made...what's so challenging about dumping ice water on your head in summer...and if I am going to donate, I'm happy to skip the ice bucket.
It's no different than when they have "shave your head for cancer" or grow a beard for this and that...this is nothing new. They're just giving it a spin to make it popular on social media, which IMO is essential today. It apparently worked. I just don't get the cynicism here.
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Old 08-17-2014, 11:59 AM
 
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Originally Posted by apexgds View Post
But what awareness has it raised? Do they know anything more about the disease than before they dumped a bucket of water on themselves? We've heard and read the acronym hundreds of times in the past few days, but beyond that, what has been discussed about it? Many of these people participating still know very little about it. Just that it's cause du jour.
They raised 5.5 million dollars, vs the same period last year when they raised 32 thousand dollars. No more justification than that is needed, IMO. So what if it's the cause du jour? At least people are doing something to help, whether it seems silly or they just want attention or not. What does it even matter what their motivation is, as long as something constructive is the end result?

AIDS was the "cause du jour" for quite some time too. Now it's not so much, but it doesn't matter because the money they raised when it was the cause du jour was enough for scientists to make great strides in combating it.

Last edited by ocnjgirl; 08-17-2014 at 12:25 PM..
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Old 08-17-2014, 12:22 PM
 
Location: Former LI'er Now Rehoboth Beach, DE
13,034 posts, read 17,902,857 times
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Let's start this way. Just plugging in numbers here. A cause in this case ABC charity, takes in 5 million per year through a variety of fundraising efforts which include direct mailing, a walk a thon, and a dance a thon. All of these require an "expense" on the part of the ABC charity, be it office costs, accounting, manpower, etc.

Now along comes the Ice Bucket Challenge and it is all essentially expense free. Do they get all the $$people who call in to $, certainly not but what ever they get has a zero cost to obtain and what ever they get is more than they started with.

The receipt/pledge ratio is similar to all the tv telethons where people pledge $$ and then don't deliver.

Regardless the charity is still ahead of the game either way.

Now your other point regarding social media is one that hits at the very center of social media. The ability to be published to as many as you want, not only instantly but also simultaneously.
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Old 08-17-2014, 12:32 PM
 
Location: southern kansas
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Originally Posted by ocnjgirl View Post
Per TIME magazine, the ALS foundation has collected 5.5 million in the period from July 29 to now (since the challenge began). In the same period last year, before the challenge, they raised $32,000.
Doesn't ALS come under heading of Muscular Distrophy? Hasn't there been a major telethon every year for the past 30 to 40 years to raise funds for diseases related to MD? I have always assumed that at least a portion of those telethon funds were given to the ALS Foundation. But I haven't watched any of those telethons for many years, so I guess it's possible they are no longer giving to that organization (but I doubt it). Forgive me, but I'm skeptical the ALS Foundation only raised $32K last year.
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Old 08-17-2014, 01:00 PM
 
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Like I said in the OP, I think the original intentions were very good. My problem is that I am positive some of these people I know on social media are not having ALS even pass their mind when they are participating in this and are either doing this for the "likes" or, albeit more rare but that friend who told me that makes it so I can't ignore it, so that they don't have to donate money.
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Old 08-17-2014, 01:02 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ocnjgirl View Post
They raised 5.5 million dollars, vs the same period last year when they raised 32 thousand dollars.
And every time I read an article, those numbers are different, which leads me to question the accuracy, as I mentioned before.
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Old 08-17-2014, 01:25 PM
 
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Originally Posted by catdad7x View Post
Doesn't ALS come under heading of Muscular Distrophy? Hasn't there been a major telethon every year for the past 30 to 40 years to raise funds for diseases related to MD? I have always assumed that at least a portion of those telethon funds were given to the ALS Foundation. But I haven't watched any of those telethons for many years, so I guess it's possible they are no longer giving to that organization (but I doubt it). Forgive me, but I'm skeptical the ALS Foundation only raised $32K last year.
Muscular Dystophy is not the same disease as ALS. MD strikes kids, most of whom are born with it, while ALS affects adults, and quite randomly. MD afffects the muscles of the body, ALS affects the central nervous system (probably more similar to Multiple Sclerosis than MD)

They didn't raise $32,000 over the whole year. As I said, they raised $32,000 in the time period between July 29 and August 16 last year. This year with the challenge they raised 5.5 million in the same couple week period.

Last edited by ocnjgirl; 08-17-2014 at 01:36 PM..
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Old 08-17-2014, 01:35 PM
 
50,096 posts, read 35,727,051 times
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Originally Posted by apexgds View Post
And every time I read an article, those numbers are different, which leads me to question the accuracy, as I mentioned before.
Regardless, it's quite obvious that they raised much more money than before the challenge, what difference do the exact numbers make? It's like you guys feel like something is being put over on you somehow because they are doing this fundraising stunt. Why would anyone be offended by it?
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Old 08-17-2014, 03:08 PM
 
Location: southern kansas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ocnjgirl View Post
Muscular Dystophy is not the same disease as ALS. MD strikes kids, most of whom are born with it, while ALS affects adults, and quite randomly. MD afffects the muscles of the body, ALS affects the central nervous system (probably more similar to Multiple Sclerosis than MD)

They didn't raise $32,000 over the whole year. As I said, they raised $32,000 in the time period between July 29 and August 16 last year. This year with the challenge they raised 5.5 million in the same couple week period.
Yes, I know that. I may have worded my post badly, but the point I was trying to make was ALS is lumped in (at least it used to be) with MD as far as the MD Telethons were concerned. I remember seeing ALS patients being on stage and various segments they showed about ALS during the telethons. So I assumed funds were being directed in that direction as well.
Glad they raised more than 32k, btw.
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Old 08-17-2014, 04:40 PM
 
6,129 posts, read 6,771,465 times
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Originally Posted by David910 View Post
Like I said in the OP, I think the original intentions were very good. My problem is that I am positive some of these people I know on social media are not having ALS even pass their mind when they are participating in this and are either doing this for the "likes" or, albeit more rare but that friend who told me that makes it so I can't ignore it, so that they don't have to donate money.

But, so what?

More people are talking about the disease. More people are donating money. If to get that level of success, some folks get to ride the bandwagon for attention... then... so?

I mean there are a thousand silly viral trends. Some are harmless but annoying (duckface selfies) some are dangerous (the fire challenge), some are amusing (cat videos, Vines), etc. Rarely are they about anything but vanity and/or entertainment. This particular viral trend is actually for a cause. It's managing to do some good.

In other words... all those people you are annoyed by would just be doing something else for attention if it wasn't this. It's not the campaign's fault. At least they have a way to get attention that has a positive by-product. That's life. There is no perfection. Got to take the bad with the good and all that.
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