5 Fundraisers That Went Viral
Fundraisers are a great way to raise money for a specific cause. We love learning about catchy ideas and organizations that have gone above and beyond to create a buzz for their cause. Over the years, there have been some very big movements to show support for all different types of causes and events. Some of these fundraisers have even gone viral due to the popularity of the movement.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “going viral,” the examples below will give you a great indication on just what it means for a campaign to be so successful that it goes viral. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest and most influential campaigns and fundraisers in our modern, digital history.
Ice Bucket Challenge
The Ice Bucket Challenge started in the year 2003. The challenge consists of a person pouring a bucket of ice water over their head, with someone videotaping the event for proof and to capture the hilarious results. At the beginning of the video, they state who challenged them. After they get the water dumped on them, they will then challenge someone else. The catch? Anyone who didn’t do the challenge would have to donate money towards the ALS Association and research efforts for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Even though most people opted to do the challenge and dump water ice water on themselves, the campaign was a huge success. The movement ended up raising over a million dollars for the ALS Association.
Movember
Every November, men participate in “No Shave November,” or, as it’s more commonly known, “Movember,” which is ‘mustache’ and ‘November’ put together. The phenomenon was started to raise awareness for cancer and other health issues related to men. The movement was started in Australia in the early 2000’s and has since gone viral, with excitement and anticipation spreading throughout the world every year as November approaches. It is officially run by the Movember Foundation and raises several million dollars every year.
No Makeup Selfie
One of the most recent viral fundraisers to capture everyone’s attention is the movement known as #NoMakeupSelfie. Thousands of people, including major celebrities, post selfies without wearing makeup on their respective social media networks. In doing this, it is the hope that the beauty from within is showcased just as much as the beauty brought on by cosmetics. The cause was started by a company called No Makeup Selfie for Cancer Awareness. After the first wave went viral, participants were able to raise millions of dollars for the campaign.
Without Shoes
#WithoutShoes is part of the One by One campaign started by TOMS, a popular and purpose-conscious shoe company. This campaign challenges people to realize how easy it is to take something as simple as shoes for granted. The rule of the campaign is pretty simple: anyone who participated would do all their daily activities without wearing shoes. The movement went viral over social media, and was especially popular on Instagram. Every time someone participated, TOMS would donate a pair of shoes to impoverished children. A staple of the company’s own mission, TOMS has been able to donate hundreds of thousands of shoes from this campaign alone.
Boston Strong
Boston Strong was a movement that started after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. Two college students started the cause to raise money for The One Fund, which is a charity that was helping the victims of the bombing at the time. The Boston Strong movement sold t-shirts with #BostonStrong written on them, the hashtag was used everywhere from social media campaigns and posts, and was even mentioned on the news when referring to showing support for the city. Over the course of the campaign, they were able to raise over one million dollars to help the victims.
This article originally appeared on PatrickReedEnterprises.com.
