Ad Council Launches First Crowdfunding Effort with Tilt to Support Bullying Prevention Campaign

“This crowdfunding program is truly unprecedented,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “For the first time, we’re engaging the public in helping to raise funds for a campaign. In the absence of one or two national non-profit or federal government funders on bullying prevention, we needed to step outside our model to support this critical campaign and help the millions of children who sadly experience bullying each year.”

Statistics show that more than 1 in 4 children a year (13 million) experience some form of bullying at school, on the bus, and elsewhere, making it the most common form of violence young people face in this country. Research shows that bullying is a concern for parents, but not something they proactively discuss with their children until it directly impacts their child. Bystanders can play a pivotal role—in fact, when a third party intervenes, bullying is significantly more likely to end.

Actress, activist and co- founder of the Free to Be Foundation, Marlo Thomas began an anti-bullying campaign on her website on the Huffington Post and AOL, and she is a founding partner of the Ad Council’s Bullying Prevention campaign.

“Children who are bullied in America are issuing a silent scream for help. It is up to us to listen for that scream,” said Thomas. “We know this campaign is effective and it’s critical that we continue what we have started and get more parents to talk to their children about the role they play in stopping bullying.”

First launched in October 2012, Be More Than a Bystander includes PSAs and digital tools that encourage parents to “teach your kids how to be more than a bystander” through safe actions that help stop bulling, including: tell a trusted adult such as a family member, teacher or coach; help the person being bullied get away from the situation; be a friend to the person being bullied; set a good example - do not bully others; and don’t give bullying an audience.

Since the campaign’s initial launch, the PSAs have received over $80 million in donated media support. As a result, according to the Ad Council’s research, almost half (45 percent) of parents are aware of the campaign, there has been a 10 percent increase in the number of parents who say they’ve spoken to their child’s school about bullying, and the number of parents who say they have looked for bullying-related information and resources online has increased significantly (from 34% to 39%).

The PSAs developed for the campaign were created pro bono by DDB New York and include footage from Lee Hirsch’s The Bully Project. Funders for the Be More Than a Bystander campaign have included the Adobe Foundation, Free to Be Foundation and Johnson & Johnson.

To support the Be More than a Bystander campaign, visit https://stopbullying.tilt.com/national-bullying-prevention-campaign.

The Ad Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit http://www.adcouncil.org/, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.

Tilt
Tilt is a technology company based in San Francisco, CA. Founded in 2012, we make it beautifully easy for groups and communities to collect, fundraise, or pool money securely and effectively online. Tilt has passed the most stringent level of security certification available and has earned PCI Level 1 compliant status. Visit Tilt.com and make something amazing happen.

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Media Contact:
Ellyn Fisher
The Ad Council
[email protected]
212-984-1964