The Sun, Mirror and the Mail, not to mention Radio 5 (who interviewed me today) have all got very hot under the collar about Barnardo's paying a minor celebrity Binky Felstead (sic) to back a retail campaign. So why all the fuss? Staff get paid, actors and after dinner speakers get paid - you need them under contract to ensure they turn up and do what the say they will. I have intimate knowledge (and the scars) of relying on celebs goodwill when they say they will turn up on a wet Friday night in Shepperton and then get a better offer. By having a contract everyone knows where they are. If the celebrity then choses to donate back their fee that is a win-win but if they don't?
Good practice dictates that we fundraisers ask people to do stuff for free all the time. It's called volunteering. However if that person is the right "face" or has the right skill set and is only mildly committed how much better to be safe than sorry. Or perhaps I really am getting too grumpy even for these pages. Have you ever paid a celebrity? If not why not?
ITV running a poll on the question - but the wrong question..."SHOULD celebrities be paid? Hey ho!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.itv.com/news/2015-02-16/barnardos-paid-made-in-chelsea-star-3k-for-instagram-promotion/
Storm in a teacup. They have the budget so why not? We have to pay everyone else from graphic designers, printers, TV, radio and newspapers ( unless community service ads). Good luck to them and grab all the free publicity they are giving you
ReplyDeleteTo an extent you're right but then why are the press - and even some fundraisers getting so hot under the collar?
ReplyDelete