20 Celebrities Doing Good to Benefit Nonprofit Fundraising & Missions in 2011 – Part 1

Nonprofit fundraising has been greatly impacted by the economic downturn and charities have had to look for creative ways to reach and engage supporters. With today’s infatuation with all things celebrity it makes sense charities and the famous pair up for the collective good. Plus it’s a more positive read than the usual tabloid headlines involving tiger’s blood, failed marriages and cellulite. Sometimes the good deeds get overlooked so it was refreshing to read dosomething.org list of “Top 20 Celebs Gone Good for 2011”. A few names on the list might surprise you.

20. Taylor Swift. The country darling and crossover star’s career took off last year. She donated one million dollars to charity, with five-hundred thousand dollars going to the rebuilding Nashville effort. She lent her talent to a number of charity concerts and even helped UNICEF’s Tap Project by auctioning off tap water from her home. Very creative and raising awareness to a younger generation.

19. Coldplay. English rock band Coldplay hosted a concert and comedy show called Under 1 Roof. The event raised funds for Kids Company that helps abused and neglected children.

18. Miley Cyrus. Even though she’s had her fair share of controversy in the past, the former star of Disney’s Hannah Montana helps support anti-bullying and America’s troops. This year she spent a lot of time working with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, the same charity that Marlee Matlin played for on Celebrity Apprentice. Cyrus even traveled to Haiti to help hand out hearing aids to those in need. To help get teens to prevent hearing loss, Miley got 85% of her Facebook fans to pledge to listen to their music at a lower and safer volume.

17. Daniel Radcliffe had a big year in 2011 – he saw the end of the Harry Potter franchise, he starred on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2 had the biggest box office numbers of the year. What you may not know is “his longtime involvement in the Trevor Project, an organization that offers suicide-prevention support to LGBT teens.” In fact, his appearance in PSAs and speaking events earned him their Hero Award.

16. Lea Michele. The Glee star is a PETA supporter and advocate. She has been a strong voice in banning horse-drawn carriages. Michele has tried to use her frame to shine a light on the horrible conditions these animals are forced to endure.

15. Nick Cannon. Cannon is another star who despite having a busy year still made time to give back to charity. Cannon host of America’s Got Talent, welcomed twins with wife Mariah Carey in 2011. He also produced and hosted Nickelodeon’s HALO Awards which celebrates children who help others and give back.  He hosted a three-day event for Toys for Tots, and was the face of Feeding America’s campaign Stomp Out Hunger.

14. Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert. The pair who married this year, have been very active in their own charity work. Lambert, a country music star, helps raise funds for the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation to end domestic violence. Shelton, who is also a judge on the hit talent show The Voice, also hosts charity events like concerts for victims of the Joplin, Missouri tornado.

13. Will.i.am. The Black Eyed Peas star, helped Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academics, the foundation helps encourage young people to use their musical talents for social change. He is also on the board to the Grammy foundation, which promotes music and arts education.

12. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. The pair separated this year but their biggest impact has been in human trafficking. They founded the DNA Foundation and traveled speaking to world leaders about anti-trafficking.  This past year they launched a series of PSA ads entitled Real Men Don’t Buy Girls. Also, Moore made a documentary titled Nepal’s Stolen Children.

11. Shakira. The Latin music sensation is all about education. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, who traveled to India to promote the education of girls. Also, President Obama “appointed her as advisor to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.”

We’ll continue with the list tomorrow with the top 10 remaining celebrities who made the dosomething.org list for their time or financial contribution in support of causes and their nonprofit fundraising initiatives.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.