Many charities have effectively used celebrity ambassadors for various purposes, including fundraising and advocacy. They can be a very positive force in raising the profile of a charity, bringing in resources for the charity and connecting the charity to others who can assist with the charity’s cause.
However, some recent events have shone a spotlight on what can sometimes be the negative side of a charity being affiliated with a celebrity. Here are a couple of examples:
- Women’s charity Trevi cuts ties with Russell Brand
- Ashton Kutcher resigns from charity over his support letter for rapist Danny Masterson
In both of these cases, the celebrity’s actions outside of their charitable work caused significant controversy in the public eye, which could create a negative perception of the charity they were tied to. The celebrity either chose to resign from their work with the charity due to their behaviour or actions, or the charity was forced to cut ties with the celebrity.
Having a celebrity ambassador comes with some reputational risk for charities. Charities have had to sever ties with their celebrity ambassadors when they are involved in public scandals. Being tied to such celebrities has had negative blowback effects on charities.
Charities should ensure that they do their due diligence on all celebrities they are partnering with in order to minimize potential risk. The charities and celebrity ambassadors should clearly communicate what they each expect during the partnership. As well, the charity should ensure that the ambassador is committed to the cause and will be a good representative of the charity’s brand. In other words, do the values and image of the celebrity truly align with that of the charity?
Celebrities are people. Sometimes, they really passionately care about a cause. In other instances, they may get involved because a friend is involved or asked them to be involved and they have very limited interest in your actual cause. Or they may have other motivators, such as a desire to raise their own profile, improve their image or reputation and in some cases, benefit financially from arrangements with the charity. A celebrity can start out being purely passionate, but then their commitment over time changes and the relationship may also change in a way that may not be ideal for the charity.
Also, charities must be careful and realize that the public’s perception of a celebrity can change over time.
Furthermore, it is very important that there is transparency about the involvement of the celebrity with the charity. Are the celebrity ambassadors being compensated in any way? Are they paid for their time? Are they provided free travel and accommodation etc that has significant value? It is important that the public is not led to believe that the celebrity ambassador is volunteering and paying their own expenses if that is not the case.
While some celebrity ambassadors have been a real asset to an organization, others might not be. Relying on a celebrity to be the “face” of your organization can entail rewards but also risks. It is a good idea to really carefully consider the relationship, do extensive due diligence, and have an agreement covering the relationship and expectations. Also as time goes on, carefully consider whether changes are needed to the relationship.