Ice Bucket Challenge
Networked ALS Fundraising Campaign
Forgotten Trends · 2014
Archived on
Associated With
Decentralised campaign; no single creator established in the retained records - creator or operator
Defining Feature
Recorded videos of ice-water pours linked to nominations and ALS donations
Status
Historical event - The ALS Association reports $115 million raised through the 2014 campaign
Overview
The Ice Bucket Challenge asked people to film an ice-water pour and nominate others to continue the chain.
During 2014, the videos spread across social media while directing attention and donations towards ALS organisations. The action joined a visible challenge with a built-in invitation for others to participate.
The ALS Association reports receiving $115 million through the campaign. Facebook counted more than 17 million related videos from 1 June to 1 September 2014, watched by more than 440 million people.
Why It Mattered
It showed that a charity campaign could spread through participation rather than passive sharing. The action was easy to recognise, nominations created momentum and the enormous response translated a viral spectacle into funding for research, care and public education.
Campaign Participation
- Participants recorded an ice-water pour and commonly nominated others.
- Facebook measured the activity through public posts, videos and viewing.
Facebook Activity
- Facebook reported more than 17 million related videos between 1 June and 1 September 2014.
- The company reported that those videos were watched by more than 440 million people over 10 billion times.
ALS Fund Allocation
- The ALS Association reports $115 million raised in 2014.
- Its published commitments allocate campaign funds across research, care services, public education and related work.
Sources & Records
- ALS Association — Ice Bucket Challenge Funding Commitments — Reports the $115 million raised in 2014 and how funds were committed to the association’s work.
- Facebook — The Ice Bucket Challenge on Facebook — Supplies the platform’s video and viewing totals and its analysis of nomination chains.
Gallery
Credit
BBC News video still; original footage contributor not identified
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The Ice Bucket Challenge made a conspicuous act of participation central to fundraising, with filmed nominations carrying the campaign from one group of friends to another.