Charity Celebrity Partnerships

A charity celebrity partnerships guide that explains how to get financial and other help from celebrities, with a list of 40 celebrities who support charity work, another of celebrities' charities plus online research tools at the end, to find celebrities who give to charity.

How to Find a Charity Celebrity

Many celebrities give to charity but like any supporter, they are far more likely to respond to contact from a cause they are engaged with, so finding a celebrity with the right fit is key.

Research. Find celebrities relevant to your charity and assess their interests, values, and existing charitable affiliations. At the bottom I've included a list of celebrities that give to charity plus free research tools you can use.
Authentic Connection. Shortlist celebrities who have a genuine connection to your cause or organisation. Their passion for your work should be authentic.
Community Ties. Consider how your ideal celebrity partners are connected to your community.

How to Contact a Charity Celebrity

Personalise. Tailor your approach to each celebrity. Highlight how their involvement with your charity will align with their personal interests and values.
Leverage Networks. Use existing connections or mutual acquaintances to introduce your charity to the celebrity. You might consider circulating your shortlist of celebrities to your trustees and supporters to see if any know them, or someone close to or connected to them?

How to Contact a Celebrity Indirectly

If you can't find someone who is able to contact your celebrity directly, here are some ways you can still reach out.

Social Media: Send a respectful direct message on platforms like Twitter or Instagram.
Publicist/Agent: Reach out to their representative, explaining your charity’s work and requesting an introduction.
Charity Events: Attend events where celebrities might be present and introduce yourself.

What Are the Benefits of Charity Celebrity Partnerships?

Visibility. A celebrity can help your charity get headlines and reach new supporters.
Social Media. Many have huge a following and they could introduce your charity to their fans and followers through their social channels. However, be mindful that the interest of the people who follow them may not include supporting your charity.
Media Opportunities. A relationship with a celebrity opens up opportunities for media coverage and exposure.

What are the Risks of a Charity Celebrity Partnership?

Reputational Risk. Ensure the celebrity's public image aligns with your charity's values.
- Carry out appropriate due diligence and, at the least, Google your celebrity, including using relevant risk keywords such as 'scandal', 'abuse' or similar and don't just check page 1.
Dependency. Relying too heavily on a single celebrity can be risky if their reputation changes.
- Never rely on single relationship or income stream. If your charity celebrity results in most of your income, you need more partnerships, additional income streams or have some other plan in place, in case something goes wrong.
Time and Costs. Some celebrities may be high maintenance and some may require you to incur possibly (for you) significant costs.
- It's very easy to get carried away but make sure that not only you are very clear on the costs and you can afford these but also the benefits are significantly greater.

How to Find Celebrities That Give to Charity

You can find a list of celebrities more specific to your charity by using the prompt below. Simply add, amend or delete the options in <italics>. It'll work in pretty much any text AI system, such as ChatGPT, but I tend to use Copilot, because it provides links, or you can login and use our in-system AI bunny, if you don't have an AI account.

Please give me a list of at least 12 <music, film, Scottish> celebrities who support <sector, such as mental health> charities in the <location, such as UK, England>, together with details on the support they have provided.

Alternatively, here's a very comprehensive website of celebrity charity supporters and also an interactive map.

Search by Cause or Charity. The website Look to the Stars enables you to search 1000s of celebrities who support charities and also charities with celebrity supporters, sorted by cause.
Search by Location. An interactive UK people map, where city names are replaced by their most Wikipedia’ed resident: people born in, lived in, or connected to a place.