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05/12/2025

Lessons from the Ice Bucket Challenge Revival

The viral phenomenon throws some cold water on assumptions associations make about engagement

A few weeks back, my 14-year-old son walked past me as I sat on the living-room couch and informed me that he was headed to the backyard to pour a bucket of ice water on his head.

"Okey-doke," I said, as dads will.

He was still a toddler when dousing yourself in ice water was a subject of such casual conversation. The ALS Association created the ICE Bucket Challenge in 2014 as a way to build awareness around the neurodegenerative disorder. On that front, mission accomplished: The quirky, social-media-ready trend earned scads of media coverage—including plenty in Associations Now—attracted tens of millions of dollars in donations, and led to some legitimate research breakthroughs.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.

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