The Harlem Shake Charity Shake Off
Howard Lake | 26 February 2013 | Blogs
Several UK charities are making the most of new Internet meme the Harlem Shake to spread some fun and raise funds at the same time.
Kirsty Marrins, whose Google Analytics for charities report we featured yesterday, started collecting these charity Harlem Shake videos. Since at least one of the videos was created in response to the offer of a donation, she came up with the idea to raise more funds.
@rnli @macmillancancer I'm thinking people vote by texting a donation to the charity that they think 'shakes' better…
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— Kirsty Marrins (@LondonKirsty) February 26, 2013
The #HarlemShakeCharityDanceOff was born. Charities assembled their text-to-give numbers and the voting has opened.
Here is Kirsty's account of the unusual competition.
And the lesson for other charities? While you don't have to – and shouldn't try to – get involved in every new Internet fad, these odd, daft fascinations can offer charity staff a chance to show themselves in a different light (ie. having fun), perhaps reach a different audience, and try to raise funds in an unusual and even hip way.
And if you want to see another charity making the most of this opportunity, albeit in a more serious way, have a look at The Worst Harlem Shake Ever from the Dutch Parkinsons Society (via @osocio):
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.