---
title: 5 Takeaways from the Ice Bucket Challenge for the Planned Giving World
description: To find new legacy society members, organizations need to tap into the power of personal networks, too.
---

[PG Calc Blog ](https://blog.pgcalc.com)

# [5 Takeaways from the Ice Bucket Challenge for the Planned Giving World](https://blog.pgcalc.com/takeaways-from-the-ice-bucket-challenge-for-the-planned-giving-world)

 Written by [Melissa Roberts](https://blog.pgcalc.com/author/melissa-roberts) | Oct 4, 2014 10:00:00 AM

Raise your hand if you’ve recently participated in the ice bucket challenge. Raise your hand if you know someone who did. 

Whatever you think about dumping freezing cold water on your head as a fundraising tactic, you have to admit, it was **tremendously** **effective. **Since introducing the challenge, the ALS Association has raised over $111 million!

The ice bucket phenomenon is a powerful exercise in peer-to-peer fundraising. The gist is this: a friend nominates you to do the ice bucket challenge. You have 24 hours to either donate $100 to the ALS Association or film yourself dumping a bucket of ice water on your head and give just $10. In your film, you nominate at least two others to take the challenge. And so it spreads.

To find new legacy society members, organizations need to tap into the power of personal networks, too.  In addition to board members, existing legacy society members can be your best resource for expanding your marketing reach beyond your existing donor base.

In previous PG Calc blog posts, we’ve discussed the importance of social media to charitable organizations. We’ve also cautioned against pouring too many resources into it. And we’re not reneging on this advice; I don’t recommend you go out and try to create your charity’s own version of the ice bucket challenge. However, there are several lessons in peer-to-peer fundraising you can apply to marketing your legacy society:

The Internet was invented expressly for the purpose of facilitating person-to-person communication.The Ice Bucket Challenge highlights the incredible power of the Internet to influence action. You too can influence the actions of potential donors by following these five peer-to-peer fundraising ideas. You don’t have to soak your donor prospects to close more gifts, but more person-to-person marketing might just have you drowning in donors. 

[View full post](https://blog.pgcalc.com/takeaways-from-the-ice-bucket-challenge-for-the-planned-giving-world)

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