Bucket Challenged

Sometimes our decisions about donating don’t even seem to be driven by values or potential impact ….but by celebrities and the entertainment value of the fundraising campaigns they endorse. Look no further than the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The feel-good campaign works like this: you film yourself throwing a bucket of ice over your head, post it to social media, and then challenge your friends to either do the same or donate £100 to the ALS Association, which works to end Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Sure, the ice-bucket brigade has raised “awareness” about ALS, and no doubt lots of money as well. But there must be a better way to accomplish the same thing without encouraging people to do a little pretend suffering—whether that means pouring a bucket of cold water over your head, or running a 10K race or taking on some other physical inconvenience—when it’s the people being helped who know all too well what real suffering is.

The ice-bucket challenge is a gentle and well-intended little game of pay-or-dare, and I admire the good humor and neighborly spirit involved. Still, I wonder about the true nature of this “challenge.” Do I prove something about myself by rising to it? Is it better to fill a bucket or ? If I wrote a cheque but told no one, would others think less of me? Absolutely not.

Here’s my CHALLENGE to you…go donate to a charity, this one or ANY charity you feel passionate about. Not because you want to dump cold water over your head and have everyone clap you on the back and ‘Like’ you; but because you WANT to….Oh, and the most important part of that challenge~DON’T tell anyone, don’t look for Thanks, just know that you helped and let that be enough. I promise you, the Blessings are the same.