CharityComms was set up in 2007 by communications directors from some of the UK’s biggest charities, several of whom are still on the board of trustees. The founding members felt there was no real home for charity communications professionals where they could share best practice, insight & innovation and network with their peers. CharityComms periodically produces very helpful reports. They provide these free of charge. You do need to register on their website, but the quality of the reports are so good, it is well worth the effort.
One of their reports, “Harnessing the talent: working with celebrities” looks at the business of dealing with Celebrities when engaging them to help with the charity. Celebrities can make a huge difference to a charity, from the simplest thing like a quote for a press release (that goes viral) to full-blown sponsorship and association. However, engaging and working with celebrities can be a tricky business. CharityComms quite rightly points out “But as those in the profession of sourcing and engaging celebrities know full well, there are many unwritten rules of engagement.”
The report, which is not very long and a very comfortable (and insightful) read, starts by looking at exactly what a celebrity is and why a charity might want to use one. It then goes on to use a set of excellent case studies to illustrate how to select and approach the right celebrity for the right job. This is seen as a crucial, one might think any celebrity will do. This is not the case. The report clearly states: “You are essentially aligning two brands, so the ideal use of a celebrity is to find somebody who has a link to your cause.”
To conclude the report, the authors provide a short reminder about the objectives of approaching a celebrity, some of the risks to avoid and a set of final tips. The fourth tip is a very good one: “Be realistic about what you are asking the celebrity to do, and manage internal expectations accordingly. As charities do not pay their celebrities fees, there will be a limit to the amount of time they can give.” Just because you have landed a big name to help, does not mean they can be taken advantage of, they are human too.
