SU2C

Stand up to Cancer aims to raise funds for cancer research. The organization is a sector of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) a nonprofit charity of the entertainment industry. So Stand up to Cancer utilizes a lot of television and radio broadcasting to execute their fundraising goals. They use the entertainment industry to build public support through a lot of celebrity endorsements. They have a great advantage because of their access to public television. One of their more recent examples of using television to raise funds is the Stand Up to Cancer telethon that aired on September 5th this year. The telethon was broadcasted by major news networks such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, but also smaller channels like Fox, The Cooking Channel and ESPN news. This event raised more than $109 million dollars, which is monumental. SU2C couldn't have done it without the many celebrity endorsement and appearances. The combination of fun musical performances mixed with moving stories of patients who have been helped by SU2C kickstarted a flood of donations. This goes back to what many other nonprofits made a point of saying they often have to walk the line of harsh reality and hope. This ended up raising almost $30 million more than they had aimed for. What also makes this telethon unique was the use of many donation platforms. Instead of a phone bank staffed with celebrities, there was a "digital lounge" where starts could get in touch with donors via social media. People made donations on Twitter, Facebook, phone and various other platforms, while the celebrities made shout outs. Another way this fundraiser connected with the people at home in order to generate a lot of earned media was inviting the public to share who they stand up for. By promoting the hashtag #istandupfor, photos flooded in of everyday people stating who they were donating for. This gave donors yet another way to proclaim their support.

I think the most important takeaway from the google hangouts on fundraising in relation to my discussion topic research is that people don't want to donate to something that has no support or 0 funds. I feel like this is something I would have never thought about when attempting to fundraise. Spark Mill always makes sure there is at least some funds before going public with an open donation drive. It is also proven that people are more willing to donate when people they know or admire are asking them to. I feel the SU2C illustrates the truth of that statement through and through.


www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/31/stand-up-to-cancer-photos_n_1847367.html


www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/08/stand-up-to-cancer-gwyneth-paltrow-tom-hanks-julia-roberts_n_1866873.html