If you’re like me, you probably see celebrities on TV promoting their latest causes and think to yourself, “Yeah, they’re just doing it for the publicity.”
Frankly, that’s not the case with most of them, said sports and entertainment attorney Andrew D. Morton of Handler Thayer LLP. They’re giving back – particularly the athletes – because they themselves came from underprivileged backgrounds.
In fact, there’s no more of a tax break than you or I would get just cutting a check to our favorite charity – but there’s a huge commitment of time and energy when starting a philanthropic organization, Morton said on a recent show.
“From my perspective, celebrity philanthropy is about philanthropy,” he said.
“I’m lucky enough to work with some amazing folks who are doing their best to leverage celebrity into philanthropy – to take advantage of the fact we live in a world where the general public seems to care what celebrities are eating, and what they’re wearing, and who they’re marrying, and who they’re divorcing, and who they’re cheating on.
“And maybe they care about what causes they’re going to give to.”
There’s a perception out there, Morton said, that the only way to be effective in celebrity philanthropy is to be an “A-lister” like Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, etc.
The irony, he said, is that it’s often easier to have an impact with $50,000 than $50 million. When individuals and organizations raise millions of dollars for their causes, it’s easy to become disconnected from the impact of that giving.
“I believe very strongly that the future of philanthropy is to connect people and their contributions with the impact they’re making,” he said.
In other words – to assist athletes and celebrities who want to make a smaller, but just as real, impact on their causes.
Morton said he emphasizes to his clients that philanthropy – to be effective and long-lasting – needs to be run just like any other business.
“There are plenty of examples where non-profits are doing absolutely nothing, and there are examples where, candidly, they’re making things worse,” he said.
“It is not the case that just because you’re in the non-profit sector you’re being effective and you’re doing a good thing.”
But one example of people who successfully did a good thing came a few years ago when a Miami Dolphins executive introduced Morton to local police officer Andrew Brooks. His son, Dillon, was diagnosed at age 8 with a rare form of brain cancer and eventually lost his battle with the disease.
In memory of Dillon, the Police Benevolent Association took contributions, and Morton worked with Brooks to start a 501(c)(3) that will provide support for families whose children are suffering from rare forms of cancer.
“This is a great example of how, with the Miami Dolphins’ making people aware of Dillon’s story, they were able to generate significant charitable contributions that we now can turn around and give back to the community and to those who need it,” Morton said.
If you’re interested, the Team Dillon Facebook page is online at https://www.facebook.com/dillonsdreamteam. A website is under development.
To help others like Dillon, his dad and I are participating in the upcoming Dolphins Cycling Challenge V. Check it out at https://twitter.com/ridedcc.
Click here to listen to the full interview with Andrew D. Morton of Handler Thayer LLP.
