Celebrity Charity

Dear Victorious,

It seems to be a trend these days to have celebrities endorse charities, speak on their behalf or even start charities of their own. What do you make of this? Are "celebrity charities" more effective? How should Christians regard them?

Lee F. - Argyle, TX

Dear Lee,

I don't know if "celebrity charities" are more effective than any others. I suppose the definition of effectiveness might be relevant. All things considered, it appears that society does regard celebrity endorsements for charities worthwhile in at least on aspect --- fund raising. I've read in The Chronicle of Philanthropy (http://www.philanthropy.com/) that non-profits are better able to compete for charity dollars when they have celebrities endorsing them, speaking for them, etc. Of course the charities that are started by and/or named after the celebrities have that advantage as well.

If we look at the Clinton Foundation or the Lance Armstrong Foundation, they seem to be magnets for money. In fact, non-profit observers might say that charities like this seem to succeed at whatever they try to do. But I suppose the power is really in the infatuation that our culture has with celebrities. We somehow think that they are better people (than we are). And we seek to be affiliated with better people.

Few people donate money based on the effectiveness of the charity. Rather they donate money based on the cause(s) that the charity supposedly addresses and/or the brand of that specific charity. The president of the Red Cross, for example, spoke recently of how strong the "Red Cross brand" is in modern culture. So we're really giving to a perceived need or to a perceived addressing of that need. Neither needs to be verifiable in order for most people to give.

Are charities with celebrity affiliations more effective? I doubt it. Christians need to remember that the money in our possession belongs to God. We don't have any right to spend any of it without His express permission. So if we feel we should be giving money to a charity, that desire should be expressed in prayer first. God must direct our charity dollars as much as He does any of our other spending. And I'm pretty sure that God won't be influenced by celebrities. (Neither should we!)