The Mainstreaming of Philanthropy

These days, philanthropy seems to be everywhere you turn.

Whether it is a yellow bracelet proudly displayed on an individual’s wrist, 10 concerts being performed simultaneously around the world, or a fundraising event featured on an episode of The Apprentice, philanthropy appears to be ever growing in our mainstream culture.

Of course, much of this has to do with celebrity involvement. It is well known that active, visible leadership from well-known, well-respected individuals can play an important role in encouraging greater giving. Philanthropy is definitely the “in” thing right now among celebrities, and it doesn’t just stop there. From Outside magazine (which covers adventure sports and travel and chronicles the stunts of extreme athletes), in a feature called “Giving Large”, the magazine says, “Real adventure means making a difference.” It lists travel outfitters, gear companies, and adventure athletes who have made philanthropy a key component of their business or sporting exploits. The list includes well-known Lance Armstrong, but also includes lesser-known efforts, such as a paddling camp for teenagers with cancer started by professional kayaker Brad Ludden.

Dozens of other athletes – including the tennis star Andre Agassi, the golfer Tiger Woods, and the soccer star Mia Hamm – raise money for charities. Agassi holds one of the largest fund-raising events, the Grand Slam for Children – which has included appearances by the comedians Robin Williams and Denis Miller, the musicians Elton John and Sheryl Crow, and dozens of famous athletes. The retired basketball star Magic Johnson holds an annual dinner and auction that has helped raise $1.5 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Other athletes also bring in big money for charity. The champion cyclist and cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong’s yellow synthetic silicon rubber bracelets that bore the words “Live Strong” sparked a philanthropic marketing phenomenon. The proceeds supported the nonprofit charitable organization, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the bracelets sold out in record time. Besides the celebrity endorsement that the bracelets received (everyone from Armstrong to Lindsay Lohan was wearing one), Armstrong was able to mainstream philanthropy in a way that had not been done before. Philanthropy has traditionally been associated with the established and wealthy. With Armstrong’s bracelets costing a mere $1 a piece, any individual was able to obtain one, regardless of their socio-economic status, and feel as if they were making a difference. In addition to his bracelets, Lance Armstrong’s Ride for the Roses Weekend raised $4.5 million in the fall of 2003, for his foundation, which supports cancer research.

Another powerful example of the influence that celebrities can have on philanthropy in the U.S. as well as around the world, is the Live 8 Concerts. These concerts took place in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome, and Moscow and played to hundreds of thousands of people. Artists included Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Sting, Destiny’s Child, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Neil Young, Green Day, The Who, Pink Floyd, and Paul McCartney. A TV audience of several hundred million was watching the concerts, which took place the week before the G8 summit of leaders was scheduled to meet. Almost all of the singers involved took the opportunity to explain their reasons for performing, which was to put pressure on political leaders to tackle poverty in Africa. That day, more than 26.4 million people from around the world sent text messages in support of the Live 8 campaign to cancel the debts of the poorest countries, setting a world record.

Many national and international crises, occurring in the past few years, have also spurred major giving, and brought philanthropy and “giving back” to the forefront of many people’s minds. Americans have contributed at least $587-milliom to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, charities raised more than $2.2 billion and U.S. charities have collected nearly $1.3 billion for the tsunamis. This pace of giving is unprecedented in American history.

This is in part due to the widespread popularity and convenience of the Internet, which is helping to make giving easier than ever. Of the $439.5 million that the Red Cross raised for Katrina Relief efforts, $227 million had come in through the Internet. In addition to gifts made through the organization’s own site, the search engine Yahoo and the online retailer Amazon.com were also collecting donations to the Red Cross through their Web sites, as they did after the earthquake and tsunamis that struck South Asia last December. Yahoo had collected more than $51 million, and Amazon had collected more than $10 million. 

Philanthropy is more prevalent and mainstreamed in today’s society than ever before. It is not just for the old and wealthy anymore, but also for the young and less established- and everyone in between. It is a prime time to be involved in philanthropy- whether it be financially contributing to a cause, volunteering, or deciding on fundraising as a career choice. The philanthropy sector is growing in leaps and bounds, and it shows no sign of slowing down. From celebrities and athletes to an anonymous donor over the Internet, young and old alike, philanthropy and giving has become extremely popular over our entire mainstream culture- and it doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon.

References

1) Blum Debra E. “Outside”: Charity Efforts in the Sports World. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 17, 2005.

2) Duggan Anne. Philanthropy takes a turn to fashion with yellow LiveStrong bracelets. The Brown Daily Herald, Sports Section, September 23, 2004.

3) Hamburg, David, Langer Nancy. Have Donors Learned the Real Lessons of the Tsunamis? The Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 20, 2005.

4) Lewis Nicole, Wallace Nicole. Donations to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina Surpass $580-Million. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 15, 2005.

5) Manashil Marc Ross. Donors Should Join the Rock Stars and Focus on Africa. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, July 21, 2005.

6) Millions rock to Live 8 message. BBC News, Entertainment, Music, July 3, 2005.

7) Walker Rob. Live Strong Bracelet. “Consumed” column of the New York Times Magazine, August 29, 2004.

8) Wallace Nicole. $990-Million Raised in the U.S. for Tsunami Relief. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 17, 2005. 

9) Wolverton Brad. Lobbing Millions to Charity. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 29, 2004.

Technorati Tags: philanthropy, volunteers, nonprofits, future leaders in philanthropy

Dozens of other athletes – including the tennis star Andre Agassi, the golfer Tiger Woods, and the soccer star Mia Hamm – raise money for charities. Agassi holds one of the largest fund-raising events, the Grand Slam for Children – which has included appearances by the comedians Robin Williams and Denis Miller, the musicians Elton John and Sheryl Crow, and dozens of famous athletes. The retired basketball star Magic Johnson holds an annual dinner and auction that has helped raise $1.5 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Other athletes also bring in big money for charity. The champion cyclist and cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong’s yellow synthetic silicon rubber bracelets that bore the words “Live Strong” sparked a philanthropic marketing phenomenon. The proceeds supported the nonprofit charitable organization, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the bracelets sold out in record time. Besides the celebrity endorsement that the bracelets received (everyone from Armstrong to Lindsay Lohan was wearing one), Armstrong was able to mainstream philanthropy in a way that had not been done before. Philanthropy has traditionally been associated with the established and wealthy. With Armstrong’s bracelets costing a mere $1 a piece, any individual was able to obtain one, regardless of their socio-economic status, and feel as if they were making a difference. In addition to his bracelets, Lance Armstrong’s Ride for the Roses Weekend raised $4.5 million in the fall of 2003, for his foundation, which supports cancer research.

Another powerful example of the influence that celebrities can have on philanthropy in the U.S. as well as around the world, is the Live 8 Concerts. These concerts took place in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome, and Moscow and played to hundreds of thousands of people. Artists included Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Sting, Destiny’s Child, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Neil Young, Green Day, The Who, Pink Floyd, and Paul McCartney. A TV audience of several hundred million was watching the concerts, which took place the week before the G8 summit of leaders was scheduled to meet. Almost all of the singers involved took the opportunity to explain their reasons for performing, which was to put pressure on political leaders to tackle poverty in Africa. That day, more than 26.4 million people from around the world sent text messages in support of the Live 8 campaign to cancel the debts of the poorest countries, setting a world record.

Many national and international crises, occurring in the past few years, have also spurred major giving, and brought philanthropy and “giving back” to the forefront of many people’s minds. Americans have contributed at least $587-milliom to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, charities raised more than $2.2 billion and U.S. charities have collected nearly $1.3 billion for the tsunamis. This pace of giving is unprecedented in American history.

This is in part due to the widespread popularity and convenience of the Internet, which is helping to make giving easier than ever. Of the $439.5 million that the Red Cross raised for Katrina Relief efforts, $227 million had come in through the Internet. In addition to gifts made through the organization’s own site, the search engine Yahoo and the online retailer Amazon.com were also collecting donations to the Red Cross through their Web sites, as they did after the earthquake and tsunamis that struck South Asia last December. Yahoo had collected more than $51 million, and Amazon had collected more than $10 million. 

Philanthropy is more prevalent and mainstreamed in today’s society than ever before. It is not just for the old and wealthy anymore, but also for the young and less established- and everyone in between. It is a prime time to be involved in philanthropy- whether it be financially contributing to a cause, volunteering, or deciding on fundraising as a career choice. The philanthropy sector is growing in leaps and bounds, and it shows no sign of slowing down. From celebrities and athletes to an anonymous donor over the Internet, young and old alike, philanthropy and giving has become extremely popular over our entire mainstream culture- and it doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon.

References

1) Blum Debra E. “Outside”: Charity Efforts in the Sports World. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 17, 2005.

2) Duggan Anne. Philanthropy takes a turn to fashion with yellow LiveStrong bracelets. The Brown Daily Herald, Sports Section, September 23, 2004.

3) Hamburg, David, Langer Nancy. Have Donors Learned the Real Lessons of the Tsunamis? The Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 20, 2005.

4) Lewis Nicole, Wallace Nicole. Donations to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina Surpass $580-Million. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 15, 2005.

5) Manashil Marc Ross. Donors Should Join the Rock Stars and Focus on Africa. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, July 21, 2005.

6) Millions rock to Live 8 message. BBC News, Entertainment, Music, July 3, 2005.

7) Walker Rob. Live Strong Bracelet. “Consumed” column of the New York Times Magazine, August 29, 2004.

8) Wallace Nicole. $990-Million Raised in the U.S. for Tsunami Relief. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 17, 2005. 

9) Wolverton Brad. Lobbing Millions to Charity. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 29, 2004.

Technorati Tags: philanthropy, volunteers, nonprofits, future leaders in philanthropy

Comments

[Will Schneider]

Not to mention giant gifts from people like Bill Gates and others, that get a lot of press, and raise awareness.

[Divine Tabios]

I think it's about time celebrities and others with similar pull get involved. I'm glad to see people like Angelina Jolie use her celebrity to raise awareness for educating the world's children.

[Kate Golden]

While it's becoming increasingly popular for celebrities to lend their name and voices to a cause, there are some, like Springsteen, (my personal musical hero) who have been doing so with relative quiet for years.

[Alex]

Kudos to Lance Armstrong for making cancer support "cool" with his yellow rubber bracelets. When the yellow bracelet wearing craze swept over the Greek population of my university like a wildfire of 'trendiness' I must admit I was a bit turned off by what people had created- more or less a fashion accessory. HOWEVER-what better to make trendy among youth than something thats profits go to an excellent charitable cause. Lance Armstrong managed to finagle the Lohan's of the world into leading a unprecedented showing of much needed cancer support. Well done.