Red Nose Days, UK and USA

Last week's Red Nose Day UK raised £73 million for charities. The highlight of the BBC's telethon was, of course, the long-awaited mini-sequel to Love Actually. Supported by partners like Sainsbury's, TK Maxx, BT and BBC, this fundraising effort has engaged the nation and raised more than £1 billion over the years.

For Red Nose Day USA 25 May, the cast for the mini-sequel will include Laura Linney, who didn't appear in the UK update. Social media posts like this, on Twitter, are helping to boost awareness and anticipation.

Still, Red Nose Day USA is only in its third year and getting established as a national initiative. Its Twitter account has 57,000 followers, compared with Red Nose Day UK's 790,000 Twitter followers. Similarly, Red Nose Day UK's Facebook page has 713,000 followers, while the USA's FB page has 116,000 likes. Social media marketing is vital to building the brand and being funny for money.

So the American fundraising effort must work even harder to attract its audience, explain what the day is all about and get people to participate by fundraising and donating.