Is It in the Stars?

Almost ready
With answers to those questions in mind, you’re getting there but you’re not quite done. There are three more important questions your organization must answer before you embark on finding a celebrity spokesperson:

• Are you a creditable organization? Can you honestly present a legitimate case for enlisting the help of a celebrity?

• Are you ready, willing and able to present your case to the celebrity? If celebrities don’t see a need, they generally will decline service.

• Can you commit the time necessary to groom and educate the celebrity spokesperson?

“You can’t just think that you can get a celebrity spokesperson and hope that person is going to be knowledgeable of your mission,” Tateel emphasizes. “You have to train them, give them briefing notes so they know the most important elements of your mission. Educating a celebrity about your organization takes time, patience and enthusiasm.

“It’s not easy to get a celebrity spokesperson,” she continues. “Sometimes it starts with developing an honorary board of advisors that includes celebrities who already have an interest in the cause. Initially, all they have to do is lend their name or give a quote for a mailing. Once you have obtained their interest at that level, then you begin to educate them slowly about the work of the organization.

“Eventually,” she says, “there may be an opportunity to involve the celebrity with an appearance or some interaction with clients or children.

“You need to emotionally connect them to the organization,” Tateel adds. “Once they are connected emotionally, then maybe they will be willing to be a spokesperson and do more for you. Organizations must understand that the most valuable commodity the celebrity has is their time. So you don’t want to ask too much of a celebrity in terms of their time if they are not connected to your organization. Start by asking for a little bit of time, and then get them emotionally invested in your cause.”