A Facebook Challenge is a virtual event that runs solely on Facebook and leverages the power of social networking through ads, groups and fundraisers. This means: 

• Lower acquisition costs
• More fundraisers
• And no fundraising platform costs!

The Irish Heart Foundation launched 12 Dips in December as a Facebook Challenge test, both in terms of running a fundraising campaign at that time of year and for the Challenge concept itself. 

Here are four things to note about Irish Heart Foundation’s 12 Dips in December Challenge:

• Concept – The Challenge required supporters to take a dip in open water 12 times during the month of December. As Jordan notes, swimming is a popular activity in Ireland, and the festive season is known for its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day swims. However, the team was conscious that December is also a busy month of festive celebrations for people and access to open water would differ for supporters. So they limited the activity to ‘12 dips’ to test whether the month-long timeframe would still work for a smaller activity. 
• Resource – Unsurprisingly, managing such an event during the busy holiday season was no easy feat. The team had to manage staff considerations with holidays, competitive digital advertising, postage during the festive season, and to top it off, technical issues with the Facebook platform meant that a proportion of supporters couldn’t see donations made to their fundraisers, causing concern. As a team of four, they found that time management and scheduling in advance was key to managing the Challenge successfully, even during the festive holidays. 
• Engagement – Technical issues with donations meant that they had to concentrate their efforts on engaging the group and maintaining a positive atmosphere. By enlisting the support of Challenge Champions, reassuring supporters and communicating both privately and within the group, the team motivated supporters to fundraise and take part.
• Incentive – Irish Heart Foundation used red, branded beanie hats as their incentive which proved to be popular and effective for photos and brand awareness. The team also incorporated tote bags as a reward for fundraising and finishing the Challenge.

In addition, the team worked closely with trusted Fundraising Consultant, Tom Hickey, who supported with strategy and concept development, copy for Facebook ads, emails and messaging, and monitoring of the group and coaching on group management. 

Tom also stressed the importance of shifting the mindset of supporters to focus on the end goal, instead of instant gratification, and noted that the perceived difficulty of the Challenge has a significant impact on its success. The function of the Facebook group then, is to provide structure for supporters to achieve what they see as a difficult activity, and encourage them to fundraise.

Irish Heart Foundation’s combined efforts in acquisition and managing the group resulted in a highly engaged, positive group that supported the Irish Heart Foundation by raising an incredible €137,000.