Why We Can’t Kick the Ice Bucket

Few examples of social media’s power can top the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014.

Thousands of people videoed themselves being drenched by freezing water in the name of charity.

The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral so profoundly — 17 million posted videos attracting 10 billion views — that the ALS Association wants to do it every August until a cure is found.

And why wouldn’t they? While the national organization raised $8.4 million in contributions in 2013, that figure soared to $121.3 million by the end of last year, with close to another $100 million donated to local chapters.

While the origins of the Ice Bucket Challenge are attributed to multiple sources, the challenge swamped social media from mid-2013 to 2014.

The influx of money has been so great the ALS Association doesn’t quite know what to do with it all. In 2014 their annual budget jumped from $26 million to $39.2 million, increasing research grants from $7 million to $13.6 million. Community services likewise rose from $5.1 million to $14.2 million. That still left them with a whopping $116.7 million in cash on hand at year’s end from an estimated 500,000 new donors. Talk about crowd funding!

Actually, to say they don’t know what to do with the money isn’t quite accurate. The ALS Association wants to spend it on research, education, and support for patients. But they don’t want to blow it all at once.

“It’s our strategy to spend the research dollars over several years, to move the positive outcomes along the pipeline,” said Carrie Munk, ALS Association’s chief communications and marketing officer.

In practical terms, that means spending more on research that’s working while pulling the plug on other research that’s not.

The ALS Association, meanwhile, wants to keep up the momentum, announcing the launch of Ice Bucket Challenge II, with a new motto — “Transforming a moment into a movement.”

So what exactly is the challenge? Simple. Video yourself being doused with a bucket of ice water. Then shout out a challenge to three friends. They have 24 hours to either donate $100 to ALS or shower themselves with a freezing bucket of H2O.

It’s definitely for a good cause — trying to find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The disease attacks motor neurons, cells that control the muscles, making it hard to speak, swallow, or even breathe. About 30,000 people in the U.S. have ALS. Most victims die within three to four years.

What’s amazing is how quickly the challenge spread.

As charities go, the ALS Association gets top marks. They pay their executives modest salaries. Only 5 percent of its budget is goes to administrative costs. About 16 percent is budgeted for fundraising efforts. The rest goes to finding a cure and helping patients. Charity Navigator, which monitors financial accountability at thousands of U.S. charities, gives the ALS Association an overall 95 out of 100 score.

Last year, celebrities were happy to chip in time and money. But they also loved the ritual of self-embarrassment and challenging their friends. What’s amazing is how quickly it spread.

The ALS ‘”challenge” was reportedly started by Chris Kenney, a golfer in Sarasota, Florida. A friend had dunked himself and posted a Facebook challenge to Kenney and others to either do the same or donate $100 to a charity of their choice. Kenney followed suit, posting his video July 15, 2014, and naming ALS as the charity because the husband of his wife’s cousin had the disease. His wife’s cousin accepted the challenge and posted her icy dunk the next day.

Two weeks later, the challenge was picked up by Pete Frates, an well-connected former Boston College basketball star who had been diagnosed two years earlier with ALS. After Frates’ posted it, it went viral, attracting attention from national media and hundreds of celebrities.

So many famous people took the ice bath that entire websites were devoted to posting their videos. Celebrity icings became a webzine staple, with compilations and kudos. Oprah Winfrey won for the “best scream.” Bill Gates was rated best “overachiever” for designing his own bucket-dumping contraption. Comedy kudos went to Amy Shumer for pouring cold clam chowder on her head; most of the laughs went to “ice-bucket challenges gone wrong” sites.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie challenged Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who challenged Bill Gates.

The challenges became a national game. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie challenged Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who challenged Gates. Ryan Seacrest challenged Selena Gomez, who challenged James Franco. In the end, about the only celebrity who declined was President Barack Obama, citing government prohibitions. He gave a donation instead.

This summer the celebrity roster has yet to manifest. Justin Beiber was dunked two weeks ago, and Renee Zeilweger took the bucket on Tuesday.

The Boston Red Sox did a team dunk at the beginning of August to launch “Round 2.” On hand was hometown hero Frates, now wheelchair bound as his disease progresses. Frates was also on the steps of the Massachusetts State House on Monday when Gov. Charlie Baker and 300 others sloshed themselves. Baker challenged Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the Windows team took the challenge Tuesday, challenging millions of Windows user worldwide.

“We would love to see this become a summer tradition,” said Munk, the ALS official. “And from what we are seeing on social media, we are hoping it is heading in that direction.”