1. Discover if the nonprofit already has a celebrity as a spokesperson or an honorary chairperson. If not, you may know of a celebrity who may want to become involved with the nonprofit in helping them raise funds. Yue Ling Chin is the present honorary chairperson for The National Kidney Foundation. Bryan Ivie showed his support of MADD by wearing a Mothers Against Drunk Driver’s tie at the Olympics.
   
   
2. Contact the celebrity and inquire if they have an agent.
   
   
3. Contact agents or sponsors who may represent several celebrities.
   
   In many cases, it is easier to go through the nonprofit or the sponsor because of already existing relationships. Agents or sponsors may be able gain athletes’ or celebrities’ names and likenesses at a discounted rate when involving them in nonprofit activities. In addition, the athletes have contractually committed a number of appearances to their sponsors or to their charity. One of these appearances or endorsements could be committed with the prepaid phonecard program supporting the sponsor’s or celebrity’s charity.
   
   
4. Identify the means of card distribution. Celebrities could donate their names, likenesses, and voices to prepaid phonecard programs. However if there is no means for card distribution, it is nearly impossible to implement any program or to sell phonecards.
   
   
5. Introduce the fundraiser at an event that involves a targeted audience and with the celebrity promoting the card as was seen with the Farm Aid card, Willie Nelson donated his name promoting donations to Farm Aid and receiving the Farm Aid Prepaid Phonecard as a thank you.
   
   The Reebok SportsRX Prepaid Phonecard Program was promoted through youth developmental clinics and coaches clinics as a youth team fundraiser. The targeted audience was coaches; coaches are always looking for ways, especially innovative ways, to fundraise for their programs.
   
   
6. Create licensing agreements with all interested and involved parties.

• Identify the specific details of what the athlete, celebrity, or artist will be providing such as name, likeness, voice, work of art, appearance, etc. Note: There are specific NCAA rules that govern the involvement of college athletes in fundraising opportunities for a nonprofit and charities. Ensure that the athlete’s eligibility is not jeopardized; contact the athlete’s school’s Director of Athletics and coach. There are also restrictions on how an athlete (professional or collegiate) can be pictured. The athlete cannot be seen with a particular team or school uniform; this includes even the USA uniform. Additional agreements must be sought from the USOC, sport governing body, National Football League, National Basketball Association, etc.

• Identify the specific details of what the sponsor will be providing. Will the sponsor ensure the celebrity’s involvement in the program? Will it also fund any of the celebrity’s expenses associated with the program? In addition, will it fund the card production?

• Identify the specific details of what the nonprofit will provide. Will the nonprofit provide access to the celebrity? Will the nonprofit provide promotion, public relations, public service announcements, press releases, an event, or even a direct-mail campaign to initiate the fundraiser?

• Identify the marketing agency that can design and create the entire program as well as involve all parties: the nonprofit, the sponsor, the celebrity, and the telecommunication company (as GAG did for the Athlete Collectible Series).

Many more professional and world-class celebrities, including athletes and artists, might be open to such fundraising opportunities. This might be especially true if the celebrities know that the money raised would go to a worthy cause or to the charity of their choice. Make the call and allow celebrities to participate and provide fundraising power.

Acknowledgments:
• JP Designs created the graphics for the phonecard backs.
• Worldwide Digital produced the cards.

Edited article Nelson, Ruth N. and Kelli D. Meyer. “Fundraisers Reach for the Stars.” Intele-CardNews, vol. 3, no. 4 (April 1997): 36 and 37.