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Giving Back

An Experiment in Celebrity Philanthropy

 

By MARC POLLICK

Published: October, 2004

 

Celebrities have enormous power in our culture. They drive ad campaigns, product launches, magazine sales, event attendance, fashion trends, even political campaigns. Perhaps nowhere is their influence more critical than in charity fundraising. An A-list celebrity name on the invitation of a charity event almost guarantees attendance.

Harnessing the power of celebrity on behalf of philanthropy and doing so in a way that is authentic and meaningful is a very tricky proposition, and the path can be filled with potholes and roadblocks. Navigating that path is at the core of what the Giving Back Fund is all about. The enormous success stories of Paul Newman and his Hole in the Wall Gang Camps and Jerry Lewis and MDA are too few and far between in a culture
dominated by celebrity worship.

 

For tax reasons, PR, or reasons of the heart, most celebrities have some sort of charitable entity they either create or affiliate with. Most wealthy people do. The difference between wealthy celebrities and wealthy non-celebrities is the additional
assets the celebrity has at his or her disposal. A fan base, corporate sponsors and cause-related marketing opportunities are all available to wealthy celebrities to augment whatever they themselves contribute to charity. Unfortunately, for far too many celebs, OPM (“other people’s money”) becomes a replacement for their own.

I have never quite understood how famous wealthy people seeking to do philanthropy feel comfortable exempting themselves from contributing to a cause that carries their own name and to which they ask others to contribute—especially when the vast majority of the others they ask are much less well-off than they are. A wealthy non-celebrity seeking to do philanthropy would never dream of making such a request.

 

Nevertheless, the power of celebrity in our culture cannot be overestimated. A book selected for Oprah’s Book Club becomes an overnight best-seller. Average everyday foods with Paul Newman’s face on the package have produced more than $200 million for charity in just a few years. We want to identify with our celebrities; we want to be like our celebrities; we would like nothing better than to have their attention, if only for a moment. If Michael Jordan asked you to contribute to his cause—and it was important and authentic—would you say no to him? Would you say no to beloved stars like Michael J. Fox or Christopher Reeve?

 

I founded the Giving Back Fund seven years ago to create a vehicle by which wealth and fame could be linked together and that potent combination could be leveraged on behalf of philanthropy. The idea came to me while working with Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. I had created a foundation in his name to institutionalize his work in human rights around the world. When I made calls in Elie’s name, even to world leaders, they responded. So much so that I became determined to figure out a way to duplicate that success with other high-profile individuals.

After some market research I discovered that there was a serious absence of professional expertise within celebrity philanthropy. More often than not, a star would have their mother, brother, father or childhood friend manage their foundation or philanthropic efforts.

 

Aristotle once said: “To give away money is an easy matter and in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it, and how large, and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy matter.” Managing philanthropy in a way that has measurable impact and conforms to sometimes complicated IRS rules and regulations requires professional training and expertise much like any other profession. Charitable foundations are not vehicles for employing a family member or a friend with somebody else’s tax-deductible dollars. Or even with your own dollars. A star should ask him or herself if they would employ that same relative to invest their money, build
their house, or serve as their agent. Wealthy people generally seek to hire the best they can find in whatever area they are seeking professional expertise. One could well argue that the stakes should be even higher with one’s philanthropy since human lives could very well be saved or positively impacted by its effectiveness.

In the course of our first seven years of helping celebrities to manage philanthropy, we at the Giving Back Fund have had many successes and learned many important lessons. We have also learned just where the bodies are buried, although the pages of this fine publication are not an appropriate place for that map.

 

In the name of NFL quarterback Doug Flutie we raised millions of dollars for autism research as well as strong advocacyand support in Congress for increased federal funding in that area. We built a school for Arvydas Sabonis, a Lithuanian basketball player who found both fame and fortune as an NBA star in the U.S. We have created a unique and groundbreaking new organization, Cure Parkinson’s Program, composed
of the best and the brightest from academic medicine, biotech and drug companies. Its goal is to cure the disease within five years using a collaborative approach. By advising
celebrities, we have given voice, advocacy and a spotlight to little-known diseases such as craniosynestosis (New York Yankee catcher Jorge Posada), reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (actor Jon Seda), melanoma, and brain tumors.

 

And we have done a little of everything in between—summer camps, scholarships, youth programs, soup kitchens, lowincome housing.

We have been challenged along the way by the very forces and power we have sought to harness. On many days it is unclear if we are leading celebrities into the world of philanthropy, or they are leading us into the world of celebritydom. As mentioned, too many celebrities still feel exempted from the joy of giving their own earned income to the causes they champion. To counter that deficiency and to create role models of celebrities who really “get it,” we created 12 Reasons To Give, the world’s first annual celebrity
philanthropy calendar. The calendar honors 12 diverse and extraordinarily generous celebrities who, in addition to time and talent, have given at least $1 million to the charity of their choice. This year’s honorees are Christopher Reeve, Angelina Jolie, Andre Agassi, Sting, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Simmons, Edward Norton, Alonzo Mourning, Rosie
O’Donnell, Sarah McLachlan, David Robinson and Amy Grant. Combined, these stars with hearts of gold have contributed more than $100 million to charity.

Working with celebrities on a daily basis in pursuit of a better world can often be a double-edged sword. The same power that can cut through apathy and stir others to action can also be turned on us when we try to apply the rules and certain standards to their philanthropic quests. Celebrities don’t much like rules. The ones who do, or who can at least accept their existence, are truly special people indeed.