On Ice Bucket Challenges and "Raising Awareness"
I suppose I have to preface this post by stating the obvious: it is an unqualified good thing that the ALS Association has been able to raise piles of money for what they do. I suppose I also have to say that this post is not intended to diminish anyone for participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge.
I have a problem though with those participating in the challenge patting themselves on the back for "raising awareness". This is not limited for me to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge; "raising awareness" has long been considered a justifiable end within the nonprofit sector. Sit at a table all day at a community event, talk to a handful of people about your organization, then congratulate yourself and claim to your funders that you have "raised awareness".
How exactly does "raising awareness" advance your organization's mission? It might lead to more funding, as in the case of the ALS Association, but that is an exception more than a rule. Except for the recent success of the ALS Association's viral fundraiser, any fund development that takes place through "raising awareness" usually only helps keep the lights on and does not lead to any transformative mission advancement.
The fact is, "raising awareness" is nothing more than an over-hyped outcome on a logic model. It is basically meaningless unless it is a stop along the path to actually making change.
I know this is tough love for many of my friends and former colleagues in the nonprofit sector. Let's look at my point in the context of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
I have seen a great many Facebook posts over the past week with videos of people pouring ice water over their heads and congratulating themselves for "raising awareness". What kind of awareness have they raised though? That Lou Gehrig's Disease exists? That the ALS Association exists?
Do any of those people know anything more about the disease now than they did before? Do they know about symptoms or treatment options? Have they learned anything about the work that the ALS Association does for people with this disease? Has their collective consciousness of the disease or anything related to it changed in any significant way now that they're cold and soaking wet?
Raising awareness is not a significant outcome in itself. At best, it is an output. I respectfully ask that funders stop rewarding organizations for claiming that they've "raised awareness" of their organization or issues. Funders have to start asking these self-congratulatory allegedly awareness-raising organizations, "so what?"
The work these organizations do is often difficult and potentially life-changing for those served. "Raising awareness" is at best a milestone along the path to fulfilling a mission, but it can never be a final destination.
While raising money is useful and tangible, raising awareness is not. Raising money is generally not transformative, although you could argue, given the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, it will be for the ALS Association. Most of the time, though, money raised barely covers daily operating expenses. Real change happens when awareness is transformed into action. Transformative action is action that is more than just writing a check or donating online (unless it is on a massively unprecedented scale).
So while I do applaud anyone who donated money to the ALS Association, I also wonder why they felt they had to dump ice water over their heads to do so? I encourage them to take the next step: now that your "awareness" has been raised, so what?
Will you now educate yourself about Lou Gehrig's Disease and its symptoms? Will you pull a Mitch Albom and volunteer to spend time with someone with ALS? Will you get a genetic test for the disease? Will you commit to making an ongoing contribution to the ALS Association (instead of that one-time $10 donation)?
Transformative change requires real effort and real money. Raising awareness is the first step, not the last.
