Ubisoft has donated £60,000 to Alzheimer’s Research UK following a successful social media campaign. Last month, Just Dance players were asked to share their dance moves on social media with the tag #JustDanceMemories. For each mention and share, Ubisoft agreed to donate £1 up to £30,000. The target was met so quickly that only one week after the campaign launched, Ubisoft doubled its donation to £60,000.
The funds will benefit the ongoing mission of Alzheimer’s Research UK towards treating dementia, with the current goal of finding a cure by 2025. The organization has been the leading dementia research charity in the UK for some time now. Speaking about the Just Dance fundraiser, Lucy Squance (director of supporter-led fundraising at Alzheimer’s Research UK) stated:
“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has got behind this campaign and helped raise such a fantastic amount for our cause. Tragically over half of us will know someone affected by dementia, yet there are no treatments to slow, stop or prevent the diseases that cause it. But through this campaign, and thanks to the support of Lynne, Ubisoft and all the people who shared on social media, we will move even closer to finding a cure for dementia.”
The overwhelming success of the campaign only a week after launching is another example of the power of fundraising through social media. Similar fundraising efforts for all types of charities have grown in popularity using video game streaming as well. While the Just Dance campaign asked people to share their dance moves for others to see, popular streamers on platforms like Twitch can also bring in large donations in short amounts of time.
This was evident on December 4 when Riot Games donated $10,000 to Rick Fox’s 24-hour Twitch charity stream for the Bahamas Relief Foundation. The stream raised over $55,000 in far less time than the Just Dance campaign, leveraging the popularity of streamers and their large audiences.
The largest single fundraising event by one person on a video game stream happened only recently this year. Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo raised nearly $1 million in less than five hours for St. Jude Children’s Research. DrLupo looks to shatter his own record soon and hit $2 million in an upcoming stream.
If you’d like to contribute to Alzheimer’s Research UK yourself, it’s actually quite simple. Ubisoft is still accepting submissions for its Just Dance cause. Just go to the official website, create a video of your own, or donate directly to the foundation.
Source: The Sixth Axis
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