Celebrities can be a mixed blessing for any charity. Recruit the wrong person as a fundraiser or patron, and you could be in for some serious bad headlines. And if a dodgy celeb decides to attach themselves to you, your brand could be tarnished and other potential supporters could be put off.

I would imagine, for example, that the NSPCC’s fundraisers gritted their teeth when they learnt of Jade Goody’s attempt to run the London Marathon for them. And I dread to think what they felt when she collapsed half-way through.

But celebs can also transform a charity’s fundraising for the better. A fantastic example of this, I hear, was a ‘charity auction’ held two nights ago at Coutts bank on the Strand. Run by the Funding Network, this event involved a host of celebrities giving presentations on causes dear to their hearts. Jon Snow, Nick Hornby, Jonathan Pryce, and Richard Stilgoe all put on their fundraising hats, and a phenomenal amount of money was raised from the audience, who bid only to out-do each other.

Only a night later, Elton John hosted his annual White Tie and Tiara Ball, which apparently raked in the usual squillions of pounds for the Elton John Aids Foundation. Fantastic stuff.
 

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Disclosure: Fred Mulder, a founder and chairman of the Funding Network, has given money to Intelligent Giving
 

 

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