ARMY that Keeps on Giving
A Remarkable Milestone
April 7, 2020. News was circulating among the ARMY fandom about a 1 million milestone on Twitter and other social media platforms. The fandom was celebrating the momentous news. What happened that spread smiles among the faces of the ARMY? Well, it was good news indeed, for ARMY has raised $1 million solely for charity. Who wouldn’t smile with news like that?
One In An ARMY, an ARMY fan organization dedicated to charities, calculated that independent ARMY charity fundraisers have collectively raised over $1 million worldwide, almost $100 thousand of which was through One In An ARMY. Not only that, but ARMY also raised $665 thousand in the year 2020 alone. Imagine raising that amount of money for different charities around the globe in just three months!
This proves the power and sincerity of BTS’ ARMY fandom. BTS allots money for charities and campaigns such as the Love Myself campaign with UNICEF, and their fandom decided to follow their example. Leading the fandom into doing such acts of kindness is none other than the charitable ARMY fan organization itself, One In An ARMY.
Big Fandom. Big Difference.
Months after the announcement of BTS’ Love Myself campaign and the #EndViolence call, Twitter user @rwapmon tweeted to ask if ARMY were interested in working on a project related to #EndViolence, #BTSLoveMyself, or a Syrian relief project. The tweet went viral, and a group of ARMY volunteers from different parts of the world gathered together and created One In An ARMY. Since then, One In An ARMY has raised $87,005.87 as of writing. Every month, One In An ARMY highlights one charity where ARMYs can donate.
Bonus Missions
Each month, along with the charities, One In An ARMY has side activities. These are free activities for people who cannot donate, which they try to match it with the theme of the main fundraiser. The organization constantly uses Freerice, a website that lets people play games wherein for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated. On the 17th of each month, there is AnpanARMY Day. AnpanARMY Day highlights the small acts of kindness ARMY has done by sharing them through social media. One In An ARMY is also a top fundraiser for ShareTheMeal, a crowdfunding app that lets users donate to specific UN projects.
OIAA’s Impact Around The Globe
With an approximate number of 81.6 thousand followers on Twitter, One In An ARMY is considered to be one of the biggest fan organizations in the ARMY fandom. There’s no other way but up for this organization, as their future holds endless opportunities for them to grow.
One In An ARMY played a major role in achieving the $1 million donation milestone, as the organization is on the frontlines when it comes to rallying the fandom to help charities and campaigns. The organization inspires ARMY to give through micro-donations. The fan collective has shown that thousands of ARMY coming together to donate an amount as small as $1 can make a huge difference to someone’s life. The organization has been featured in different interviews and news, making non-ARMY aware of its impact. The partner organizations of One In An ARMY are more than grateful for the ARMY as they receive thousands of donations from the fandom. They are also surprised by the positivity ARMY sends, as ARMY often write uplifting notes whenever they donate. One In An ARMY teaches people that together, people can make a difference indeed.
This shows the huge heart that the ARMY fandom has. No matter what the situation is, or how difficult the planning stages of donating is, One In An ARMY continues to push through. With 25 campaigns and counting, One In An ARMY continues to innovate and create campaign projects that can help different kinds of causes — from animal welfare to environmental efforts. With the help of ARMY from different parts of the world, the organization was able to help different sectors that are in need. These small acts of kindness show that ARMY are their own superhero.
BTS and ARMY are walking together on this purple road through our acts of kindness. BTS have shown us that through music and actions, we can influence other people to perform acts of goodwill. Doing goodwill is also another way for people to start loving themselves, which is the very message BTS advocates. In a way, One In An ARMY helped people love themselves as well.
On a final note, One In An ARMY reminds us that we are all ONE in an ARMY. By putting our efforts together, we can create a huge positive impact on the world.
Like artist, like fan. One In An ARMY is living proof of that.
