The Great Debate: Philanthrocapitalism vs. Non-profit

In a previous post I explored the ideas of using social networks to promote non-profit charities. What is currently a hot topic in the non-profit world is how and should charities join the businesses world in a time when capitalism seems to be the only successful economic model. The book Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich are Trying to Save the World by Mathew Bishop and Michael Green is an examination of how today’s leading philanthropists are revolutionizing the non-profit world by using the concepts and techniques from venture capital finance and high technology business management and applying them to achieving philanthropic goals. Traditionally, philanthropists were people who gave money away, but a new generation of givers presently called philanthrocapitalists are redefining the way they give, more like it a business. Most of those who have earned this label are trained in the corporate world and are “using big-business-style strategies and expecting results and accountability to match”.

This new wave of giving has sparked much debate, in terms of the morality of creating a business out of philanthropic goals. The root for this type of giving, as well as questioning whether a business model will work in the non-profit sector, is completely the opposite of those in the capitalist sector. This week I have explored two blog posts that address the issue of Philanthrocapitalism in contrast to the ideals of Non-profit organizations and charities. The first post I found was on the Upleg blog that is an online giving service that combines social networking with charitable giving. I commented on the post by Jeff Crean, titled: “Philanthrocapitalism vs. Nonprofit, debate.” The second post I commented on was titled “For-Profits vs. Non-Profits” written by Sean Stannard-Stockton who is Director of Tactical Philanthropy at Ensemble Capital Management, a wealth management firm that serves philanthropists. This post is from the Tactical Philanthropy blog, which is an open space for discussion on philanthropy and a chronicle of The Second Great Wave of Philanthropy.

“Philanthrocapitalism vs. Nonprofit, debate.”

First, I would like to thank you for your post and opinion of the topic of Philanthrocapitalism. I found your post extremely helpful on a topic that is difficult to understand. I was impressed that you began your blog by giving the definitions as you found them online of the terms Philanthrocapitalism and Nonprofit. Although you did mention that there was no clear definition for the word “Philanthrocapitalism”. I felt that in order to fully understand what this term means there is more information available than you had in your post. I agree that the main motivation for these businessmen who offer their learned skills to the non-profit world is because they know it will their lower tax bill. But what I think is also important to understand is the foundation behind this idea, to create a capitalist business model for non-profit companies rather than create a way to “re-generate” what they already have.

The arguments you supplied in your post for both sides allowed the reader to really understand both of sides of the debate, without being biased by your personal opinion, I was very grateful for this. After reading what your opinion was on the debate I can see how you fall somewhere in the middle, and I agree that discriminating against individuals who are giving becomes a difficult position to be in. With the overwhelming statistics you supplied from 2007 I wonder how they will compare to 2008, in term of the economic crisis. I am unsure that non-profit without the help from “big business” will be able to survive. As the number of donations are dwindling due to budget cuts in personal finances and in governmental finances, I am beginning to think capitalism might be the only way for these organizations can survive long term to continue helping people.

“For-Profits vs. Non-Profits”

Thank you so much for your post on the ongoing debate of capitalists joining, or as some people believe, taking over the non-profit world. At the start of 2008, the United States claimed to have 1,000 billionaires and worldwide there are a total of 2,500 of them. I agree with your parts of the argument and you did make me rethink the debate in general when you described there were two different types of philanthrocapitalists. I would have to say personally I fall into the second category you described yourself in. It is hard to really take a side when both non-profits and profit organizations responsible for social change, regardless of the amount of money spent to create this change. But money does talk in some cases. The amount of charitable giving in the United States has more than doubled from $13 billion in 1996 to nearly $32 billion in 2006. So, at some point I do think that it is inevitable for these worlds, the for- profits and the non-profits, to collide.
In the book Philanthrocapitalism by Green and Bishop, I believe the authors are trying to explain by using philanthrocapitalism as an example is a way for the corporations of the future to become a trusted and active member of the world society regardless of whether it is for a product or service they produce or perform. I can’t help but think that the act of labeling the concept has caused half the argument given that this topic seems to be changing day to day. I personally think this debate opens up a space for ideas and reinforces that there are other ways to begin to solve the world’s problems. I do think that it is counter productive to speak badly of those whose who have donated their time and effort. I do see major benefits in the emergence of philanthrocapitalism but I am not sure if the definition of capitalism prompts a negative opinion of this idea. I feel that the word philanthrocapitalism begins to mean much more than adding business objectives to the world of nonprofits. I think the question isn't what can philanthropy learns from business but rather, what can philanthropy learn from itself, from business, from government?

The Next Generation: Kids Inspiring Change

Children today often volunteer without knowing it. For example, teachers allow students to read aloud to younger classes and parents encourage teens to help a neighbor in distress. Of course, these my seem simple, but they lay the groundwork for later commitments to long-term volunteer work. The impacts of these children who want to change the world are not only helping those in need, but the future of their own society. Children learn in practice that it is better to give than to receive and volunteering develop these ideas by teaching lesson of social equality; addressing problems they witness in childhood. While volunteering is a wonderful act, many high schools are now requiring that community service hours are mandatory to graduate. This is a debate in many states, making many wonder if this is the best way to get the younger generation involved. It may seem like a wonderful idea, but by placing a consequence on those who do not volunteer has made some worry that giving to others has lost it original purpose yet volunteering is not only changing those who need help, but also giving to those who are donating their time.


In 2007 about 28% of the population from the ages of 16-24 was involved in charitable volunteering according to the United States Bureau of Labor. There are no official statistics for those under the age of sixteen yet there are many of these children who have changed their communities and reached out. The youth have been involved in giving to the non-profit world for years. Many church groups, temples and youth groups have joined in doing projects for charity. But what is more remarkable are the children who are not involved in any groups, but who are individually inspiring change and giving to their communities. One young member for the Calabasas community was inspired by the charity Locks of Love . Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age eighteen suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. There mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by using donated ponytails to hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on individual financial needs. Moriah. at age 13, to get others involved by inviting everyone after her Bat-Mitzvah service to come to the hair salon and donate their hair with her. Moriah had gotten almost fifteen of her girl friends to come cut ten inches off their hair, and all these girls (besides me) were under the age of sixteen years old. Because of her advocacy, I was one of thirty people to donate hair in honor of Moriah to Locks of Love. What is remarkable about this is story is that Moriah is one of hundreds of young girls, who have created events in their neighborhoods for the same cause. Moriah's individual contribution allowed her to teach young girls like herself about giving to these less fortunate and in return, receiving the feeling of helping someone in need. Entertainment Tonight did a special on Moriah's efforts and can be seen here.

Moriah’s efforts reflect those who have not been required to donate time or hair to charity, but when she is in high school she might be required to do hours in order to gradate... In Maryland, it's even the law--a high-school student must log 75 hours of community service in order to graduate. The Obama president-elect’s website changed all that with the announcement–just three days after the 2008 election–that students will be “required” to “serve” and perform “community service”. Although it is great for everyone to be involved in their community it can be seen as a sad reflection on society that has to legislate or force its young people to volunteer in community service projects.

Others argue that when community service is required for graduation it sparks creativity in students and propels them to create projects that may have a profound impact on the local community. Researcher Diane Hedin indicates that the biggest problem students must overcome in school is a lack of motivation He says that "[b]oredom is probably a function of what seems to many students an unfathomable gap between the curriculum and their everyday lives...Community service [learning] provides the critical missing link for many students, an opportunity to apply academic learning to real human needs and to make the knowledge gained usable in one's thinking beyond the situation in which the learning occurred.” When students work with community leaders in public service they start to make connections that may help them later in their careers or life. Overall, according, Peggy Thoits and Lyndi Hewitt students have shown increases in positive feelings and mental health, and decreases in depression and stress.


I believe that the more the younger generation gets involved, the more change that can occur. Requirement may help spark someone’s interest in leadership position but there always be those, like Moriah, who have no laws stipulating what they can do, who will work to change the world. Volunteering promotes and helps young children who will become compassionate adults who are willing to see that they can change the world.

The Virtual World And The Non Profit World: Facebook Causes

As discussed in a previous post, the non-profit community is in danger of losing donors and volunteers because of the recent economic crisis in the United States. Now non-profits and charities are looking for another outlet to raise awareness and get funds. The obvious turn is the online social networks, most notably Facebook. According to comScore, Facebook is the leading social networking site based on monthly unique visitors, having overtaken its main competitor, MySpace, in April 2008.ComScore reports that Facebook attracted 132.1 million unique visitors in June 2008, compared to MySpace, which attracted 117.6 million. With America’s population all in the same network and connected, Facebook has created a way for charities and non-profits to use their online empire to help out those in the business of philanthropy. Facebook calls this application “Causes” and it has generated a lot of opportunities and publicity for non-profit companies. It has generated a number of blogs across the web to comment on the idea of Internet based donations and fundraising. This week I commented on two blogs that focused on this issue. The first was on the Newsweek.com blog titled “Facebook-ing Philanthropy.” This blog addresses those who have used the Facebook “Causes” application and how it has helped various charities as well as the Facebook Brian Braiker who is a Newsweek web writer is the author of this post. The second post that I commented on was titled, “Nonprofits Must Embrace, Share Online Civic Space” found on the blog Inside Philanthropy. This blog focuses on nonprofit and philanthropy news and is run by the Philanthropy Journal. This particular post evaluates the amount of online networks that are available for non-profit organizations looking for new ways to promote their cause. The author of this post, Todd Cohen expresses that he believes all non-profits and charities should be taking advantage of this feature that Facebook offers.

“Facebook-ing Philanthropy” :

Thank you for your excellent post on Facebook and its connection to philanthropy with the application added called, “Causes”. I found it very helpful that you started off your post explaining how many different organizations have entered the virtual world of giving such as Breast Cancer and Darfur. As an avid user of Facebook it did shock me that he Breast Cancer Research ‘cause’ has over 2.2 million subscribers. Also, not usually included in many posts about Facebook applications, is the business motivation and growth of the company. In this time of economic crisis, I find it ironic, that the Internet based social networks seem to be in the clear, and unlike most are making money in a time when the world market is in bad shape. I feel this shows the power that the Internet has created: a virtual world almost completely separate from the real world. By adding the Facebook “Causes”, it appears to be a smart move by both Facebook and those organizations who have used this program to reach out to where to public is-- on their computers.

As a member of Facbeook, I have seen the application in use by some of my friends and other subscribers of the network. Although I am someone who feels strongly about being active in the non-profit world, I was skeptical to use this application, not fully understanding its point. As a user, it seemed useless, because I felt this was just another way for these organizations to get my information and ask for money. I strongly believe that active rather then monetary help is the most effective way to change the world’s most pressing issues. After reading your post, I did realize that for these organizations, the motivation is not purely to get donations. Discussing the support and awareness was something I had not originally thought of. Looking at Facebook “Causes” after reading your post; I did realize how much press a single organization can get on the social network. As you had mentioned the donation’s coming from Facebook subscribers is small, the connection that this program fosters might make difference. I am interested to see where Facebook “Causes” goes in the future. I have more faith in this approach after reading what you wrote that it might get more people involved, and hopefully with the publicity some will start to move out the virtual world and into the one that needs help.

“Nonprofits Must Embrace, Share Online Civic Space” :

Your post was insightful on the issue of non-profit organizations using the online social networks as an avenue for reaching out to the public. The post was helpful and I felt made the point that non-profit companies should be using applications, such as Facebook “Causes” in this time of need. I agree with your argument that social networks should be seen as a “common ground” for the non-profit organization who are trying new marketing solutions for future involvement in their causes to raise awareness and ultimately to raise money.
In the post you did mention that setting up a Facebook “Cause” can difficult to do technically. I agree. Technically it is difficult and it is not as easy as just signing up and soon everyone will see the cause. The network for Facebook is extremely large and the number of users is now over 50 million. Facebook “Causes” lets you build your own cause by choosing an organization to support, writing a short brief on why they deserve your support, and picking a category. What is also a great feature, but adds to the overwhelming amount of causes, is that average person can set up their own causes .So it doesn't have to be simply big name non-profits that advertise their causes. What I feel the problem is now on Facebook is that non-profit companies are becoming lost in a sea of charities, and the key for using this program is promoting the organization to the public. This seems to be a difficult and important piece of information that I think the non-profit companies should be aware of when they start their online venture on Facebook. Some of the most popular causes, like the ONE campaign and Save Darfur, have grown exponentially, with 9,203 and 44,506 members respectively. Others, like Net Neutrality is Bogus and Simplify have garnered only 13 and 18 members. There are over 150 causes tagged as public advocacy (one of nine categories), ranging from presidential candidates to political issues both mainstream and obscure. I am not sure the way best way to go about promoting a cause on Facebook is, but the Wild Apricot Blog, gives those who are interested “5 Easy Ways” to promote their causes on Facebook.

What is also different about using Facebook “Causes” is that donations can be but not the contact information of those who donate is not available to the organization or charity who sponsors the cause. Facebook is known for being very careful with users’ privacy. I feel as a user of Facebook this is one of the best features, but for those companies who think solicitation will work on Facebook, it will not.

I do hope more organizations use the social network, Facebook for publicity, but I think the trick is knowing the best way to use to program and know its not the miracle answer for charities seeking attention.

Philanthropy In Danger: The Future of Shane’s Inspiration

There are more then 900,000 public charities in the United States, and most of these organizations are waiting anxiously to see how the incoming President elect Obama will affect them. At a time when our country is facing possibly the biggest financial crisis it has experienced charities are faced with cutting services in a time when people need the most help. David Knego, the executive director of the Curry Senior Center, who had an annual budget of $2 million dollars, which was cut 5%, said that “people in the non-profit sector are looking over their shoulder fearing what’s next.” Not since the 1973 Oil Embargo Act and the devastation of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 has our economy shown sign of cracking as it is today. Shane’s Inspiration is a revolutionary program, whose goal is to bridge the gap between special needs children and their peers and like other charities in this time of need is going to have to struggle for funds and existence. At this time of crisis, with the loss of jobs and homes, it may not seem that the “tolerance” lesson is where the little money from donations should be going. I beg to differ; in time of crisis, when anxiety is high, tolerance for others is the best lesson we can teach our youth. Although this may seem like a very simple and basic message, Shane’s Inspiration is devoted to making sure it is not lost.

Shane’s Inspiration started in 1997 to honor Shane Alexander, who was born paralyzed and lived only two weeks. The organization plans and builds universally accessible playgrounds from Southern California all the way to Sri Lanka, for children with and without disabilities. The public playgrounds are created to accommodate children with leg braces and crutches, or those who are in wheelchairs, as well as those children who have no physical limitations. These facilities provide an even playing ground. Shane's Inspiration’s message of acceptance and tolerance for children with disabilities drives this foundation that has raised has helped raise millions of dollars to develop over forty universally accessible playgrounds and has affected 2,600 children each year through transportation, education and community outreach programs.

"It's the birthright of every child to simply play at the park," says Tiffany Harris, CEO and co-founder of Shane's Inspiration . This organization runs on the platform that the playground is a child’s classroom and the earliest of life lessons are taught here: “[Children] learn to negotiate while waiting in line for the slide. They learn to communicate by playing pirates on the bridge. Most importantly—they learn to trust themselves and others by interacting physically, emotionally and socially with their peers.” All children have to learn valuable lessons and Shane’s Inspiration is making sure no child is left out because of special needs or limitations they have. The universal playgrounds not only benefits children to get along it also has been proven in studies that integrated play betters motor skills, communication skills, cerebral functions, physical strength, coordination and balance, and social skills of special needs children.

Innovative and Effective, Shane’s Inspiration has influenced others to get involved. The Friedman Charitable Foundation is funding a play structure and other elements such as a garden, and with a $500,000 contribution to Shane’s Inspiration. They are now working in conjunction to build playgrounds all over the US with the help and example of Shane’s Inspiration. The national Rotary Club has sponsored this program in the past two months as well. Because of recognition from the Rotary Club International a community in Medford, Oregon is looking to do a smaller scale program based on the playground already built. The Hoover PTO has developed a plan to build the first Boundless Playground in Oregon. Proposition 3 on the California ballot also concerns the future of Shane’s Inspiration this November. This measure authorizes the sale of $980 million in bonds to upgrade and expand children's hospitals in California. Proposition 3 would cost about $2 billion over 30 years. Backers are the state's children's hospitals who have a strong connection with Shane’s Inspiration that recently put playgrounds in Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. California voters authorized $750 million in bonds for this cause in 2004 but just under half of those bonds have yet to be sold. I believe that California voters can go either way seeing this as lost tax dollars or a real opportunity to help children in need but I myself truly believe this money is best allocated to the children.

Although Shane’s Inspiration is hoping for a bright future, there is real concern for all charities. At this point in time Shane’s Inspiration has not received any significant government budget cuts, but in the next few months this could change. The foundation is in danger because their service is free with support by the Los Angeles City Council and County Board of Supervisors, Laidlaw Transit Services, and private donors. In upstate New York, the Liverpool school district had to cut their classes for special needs children because they don't have the money to keep the program running. The non-profit organizations that depend solely on donations and government funding fear that philanthropy may become a lost art. The non-profit sector is in danger of losing it resources that finance their ability to help people, but there are still those groups and individuals like Shane’s Inspiration who are not going to let this get in their way of helping others.

Non-Profit Information in the Technological Age

As I have explored in my previous posts, and keeping with the theme of my blog (people who are changing the world), I have evaluated various blogs, online magazines and websites that connect to my posts. I have added twenty new links from my exploration to my linkroll (to the right). Using the Webby and IMSA criteria for evaluating websites and blogs, I have evaluated these sites based on their content, structure, visual design, and activity.

I first explored the web for online publications that connected to non-profit organizations in general. I thought the most informative publication was The Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Newspaper of the Non-Profit World. The website is very easy to navigate and has articles on all topics that would be useful for those who are a part of a nonprofit organization as well as those who want to get involved. I found the event section very helpful because it has different ways to become involved in all cities. Another online publication was the Nonprofit Times. This is similar to the Chronicle, but I found that the amount of ads was distracting, and although there are many articles, you have to be a subscribing member to access them. The blog section of the Nonprofit Times is unsystematic and occasionally has nothing to do with the non-profit topic, which I found a bit frustrating.

These news publications are filled with articles on various topics and are great places for someone who just wants to learn about what is happening in the non–profit world, and there are websites that are geared towards those who want to get involved. I found two organizations that aim for teenagers to get involved. Yes! World was founded in 1990 by two teenagers with the goal to connect, inspire and collaborate with “young change makers to join forces for thriving, just and sustainable ways of life for all”. They have many opportunities to volunteer with groups all over the United States. Although it explains in great detail the causes for which one can volunteer, the resource links are very limited. Rustic Pathways is the most popular program for high school students to be involved with, and its website offers the opportunity to go on a group volunteer project in various countries. I have personally done one of the Rustic Pathways trips, and they are arguably the best way to get youth involved in service. The website is chalk full of pictures and trip descriptions. They have a great question and answer page as well as testimonials from parents and students who have participated. The website is set up so it is very easy to navigate. It is free to order a catalog copy of their trips in addition to simply viewing it online, which is good for parents who do not like to read off the screen. The website is very user friendly, but this website, like Yes! World, does not have many external link resources for those who might want to do more research on the different topics or countries the website offers.

VolunteerMatch.org is a great website for all ages to start looking for places to get involved. This is most popular and well known site for finding ways to volunteer online. The website is easy to navigate and allows for very specific searches along with general searches. There is a window that asks the user to create an account, which is free and takes a few minutes. By signing up for this website there is a risk that the user's inbox will be filled with junk mail from the companies that sponsor the site. Spam mail is annoying but this website service, in my opinion, is worth it because it is updated daily, which is hard to find. Serviceleader.com is a very helpful website for anyone who wants to volunteer. Although it is not a flashy or visually inviting website, it’s a great way to stay involved. ServiceLeader.org provides information on all aspects of volunteering. They also have a library that provides full-text documents for you to download. PhilanthroMedia was established for discerning donors who want to increase the impact of their giving, so this website is really more helpful for those who already donate money as opposed to those who want to be involved actively or volunteer.

To learn what the top charities are and to identify the highly regarded people who are working to change the world, there are a few websites that people will find helpful. There are some websites that have highlighted the keys players in changing the world and the key charities. On the Oprah website there is a comprehensive list of the top 10 women who are changing the world. Although these are key women, there are some who not are given a lot more attention and explanations then others. It is also set up in a slideshow format, which takes a while to load and is a little difficult to navigate. The Forbes website, although it is difficult to navigate to the top ten people who are changing the world, highlights those people who are working in labs and behind the scenes to supply aid to some of the world's most prominent problems. Charity Navigator has top 10 lists for many different things; the only problem is that when you click on the charity it does not go the charities website, rather a data page supplied by the website company itself. The everyday giving blog is one that focuses on what individual people and neighborhoods are doing to give back to their community. This blog is not done collaboratively, it is just written by one author. Although it is unclear what the authority the author has in his analysis , which is a little concerning, the blog does have links to external sites that were cited in his posts.

In previous posts, I have talked about education for children; there are many other foundations besides Inner City Arts (see first post) that are working to better education in the United States. The Extra Mile foundation and Teach for America are both foundations that are working to get better teachers in low-income areas. Both of these websites are extremely easy to understand and have many resources and external links relating to education needs in the United States. "Public Schools Inc." contains the FRONTLINE and the PBS education series. The Merrow Report and The New York Times investigate the Edison Schools and their controversial leader, Chris Whittle, through interviews with educators, administrators, and observers on both sides of the debate. This page examines whether it is possible to create schools that turn a profit. This source is well done because it gives both sides' opinions and maintains an unbiased point of view. Although this is a PBS website and TV series, there are no videos on this website, only text which makes it very dense. The information is rich and well researched, but it can at times be tedious to read.

The topic of AIDS, was something I had blogged about in my last post and found two excellent foundations that serve as a great resource to learn more about AIDS in Africa. Camfed is dedicated to fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS in rural Africa through educating girls and investing in their economic independence and leadership once they complete school. This organization is very important, provides a great history of the problem in Africa, and gives the readers various ways to donate and get involved in its organization. The other AIDS website that I found the most informative and well researched is the West Africa Aid Foundation. They educate on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Empower People Living with HIV (PLHIV). They have a clinic in Accra, Africa that is open to all people in need of medical assistance of any kind. Their studies and scientific reports are well cited, whereas on other websites, the medical aspect is lost in pictures of Africans with Aids. This website provides information on the services offered by WAAF and IHCC, their staff and the programs that are currently being run.

Along with blogging about AIDS, I had looked at celebrities endorsing charities, and some may want to find a way to get involved in this capacity. Look to the Stars is the web's number one source of celebrity charity news and information, covering what the top stars are doing to make a positive difference in the world. The site includes exclusive interviews and a database where fans can learn about their favorite stars' good deeds. Publications and websites such as Celebrity Society Magazine, Think MTV and E! Online use the information on this site for news stories. This site is updated and accurate, and what sets it apart from others like it is that it is not connected to any tabloid magazines and does not link to any on their website. Oprah's Angel Network, a public charity formed in 1998, was established to encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others. Oprah's vision is to inspire individuals to create opportunities that enable under served women and children to rise to their potential. Oprah's Angel Network initiates and supports charitable projects and provides grants to not-for-profit organizations around the globe that share in this vision. Oprah's public image and mission has helped form some great charity organizations that have been able to grow because of her fame.

Special Needs children are fighting around the world to be understood and lead lives as normal as possible, and I found a website and a blog that are working to solve this problem. Shane's Inspiration creates Universally Accessible Playgrounds and programs that integrate children of all abilities socially, physically and emotionally, fostering acceptance, friendship and understanding. The website is extremely colorful and filled with pictures of playgrounds that have been built in Los Angeles. Although each page is not filled with much content, the pictures speak very loudly about what this foundation is doing. The blog, Living Everyday Life, holds discussion about how to survive and thrive as the parent of a child with special needs. This website shares tips, ideas, and resources about inclusion and disability awareness. The blog is filled with discussions from many parents of special needs children. This blog is very active and acts a place for parents to relate. Although this is a great website for support, on the other hand its not the best website to find out more general medical information and or foundations that are working for special needs children.

Celebrities Endorsements: Are they really helping to Change the World?

In my previous post, I chose to explore the program Inner-City Arts and how it is changing the lives of at risk children in the downtown Los Angeles area. There are many organizations that are committed to changing the world, like Inner-City Arts, but what many of theses organizations and non-profit charities want is to bring their causes to the attention of the public. They have to do this because unfortunately one person alone cannot change the world. In efforts to solve this problem the most unlikely of methods is used to draw the publics attention to various causes: Hollywood Superstardom. Celebrities are now promoting various charities and organizations. Inner-City Arts, for example, has used this method of reaching out to the public by honoring the star of the hit television show Friends, Lisa Kurdrow and Grey’s Anatomy star, Sarah Rameriz. Because of the media tabloids and the fascination the American public has with celebrities, charities have found that this is a great avenue to broadcast their causes to the American public. Although this may be a great way to bring important issues to Americans, is using Hollywood stars the ethical way to do so? I chose to explore other blogs that offered their insights and opinions on the trend of using fame to endorse charities/ organizations. One of the blogs I discovered was, Wired blog network. Although this is a music-based magazine that sponsors the blog, the post by Eliot Van Buskirk addressed the celebrity charity endorsement trend. This blog’s particular post was titled “Is it so bad that Bono does good?” This post tackles the idea of Bono, lead singer of the popular band U2, using his fame to bring attention to the AID’s epidemic in Africa. I commented on this blog (as seen below) because I like the way the author took many of the pros and cons of using celebrities to better the world in his argument. Another way celebrities are brining attention to the problems facing the world today is by adopting at risk children from all different parts of the world. On the families.com adoption blog, I chose to comment on the post “Celebrity Adoption-Hurting or Helping the Adoption Community?” by the blogger Shoshanna Grey. I commented on this post, (also seen below) because celebrities have made a trend, of helping children not by just making a donation, but by actually taking children in as their own.

“Is it so bad that Bono does good?”

Comment:
I would like to thank you for your detailed and in-depth post about Bono and his efforts to battle the AID’s epidemic in Africa. I found your findings very informative because of the connection that is not highly publicized between American politics and celebrities. It is often not explained how much celebrities are really involved in various causes, and I found it refreshing to know Bono, was not just a face on the campaign but politically active as well. I was wondering what you thought of the RED campaign that became very popular within the last few years that Bono actually started. Do you think it was wrong for the RED campaign to use only celebrities in their ads, because I do not think all of those celebrities, such as Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Gardner, are as committed to the cause as Bono himself. Also, although Bono had made such great efforts to help the Aids foundations, his particular campaign has turned into a trend itself. I do not think that companies such as Apple and Motorola should be turning a profit because of the AIDs epidemic in Africa on their iPods and phones. I feel this campaign for Bono’s foundation, is just trendy. By having endorsed products, the focus has moved away from actually getting people involved in the cause. You had mentioned in your post that celebrities could hurt social issues and causes rather then helping them, if they are using the cause as a publicity stunt to cover up bad behavior. I thought this was a very good point and it made me rethink about the different celebrities that have used charities as a “cover-up” for their own problems. I was also wondering what your thoughts were about celebrities who are just donating money rather then taking an active political position on various issues? It is often publicized that pictures of newborn celebrity children are sold to magazines at a high price, and these profits are then donated to charity. I am not sure if this helps the cause but it defiantly seems unethical to me when the celebrities are selling their children’s picture and donating the money. This ploy, although it has raised massive amount of money, does not seem like it is really helping the cause.
“Celebrity Adoption-helping or Hurting the Adoption Community?”

Comment:
Thank you for your post on the celebrity adoption issue. Adoption is very important, and I know in American society it may even be seen as taboo; but, with the influx of celebrities choosing to adopt children, which would otherwise grow up in bad conditions and or unhealthy environments, it is becoming more popularly accepted. Although I do think adoption is a great option, I myself do think that celebrities making adoption a trend is not always helpful. I feel theses orphans, in some cases, are being used as publicity stunt. You did mention Angelina Jolie as one of the celebrities who has adopted children, but when she adopted her first son Maddox, she did so right after her scandalous break up with her former husband Billy Bob Thorton. Secondly, Meg Ryan brought her child home years after from China after years of the  tabloids has accusing her of cheating on her ex Dennis Quaid. Maybe these celebrities had always planned on adopting, but their timing was closely connected to when the media put a spotlight on their personal lives. Also, because of the emotional connections made when adopting a child, I was wondering if you thought that growing up in the spotlight is the best thing for these adopted children? I have a close friend who is adopted and growing up she told me that she and other adopted children she knew had problems grasping who they really were. I would imagine that growing up in the public eye, for an adopted child, would only make these children more out of touch with their place in the world. I do think that with the celebrities’ help of adopting children it has become more “normal”, which I think could better the adoption community. What I find the most concerning is that it is now a trend in Hollywood and adoption should not be trendy. The children are not little dogs that you can carry around in a purse. It is a serious commitment to take care of child and all that goes with it.

Art: Helping Downtown LA Become A Better Place

Downtown Los Angeles is growing, but what is happening to the children who still live in low-income housing and who know the street gangs better than they know who the first president of the United States was? Although this has been a prevalent problem in downtown for over twenty years, there are inspirational people who are dedicated to getting these children off the streets --with art.

In 1989, funding cuts eliminated art instruction from the Los Angeles Public schools, It included cutting 20% of teachers and making the maximum students in one classroom to one teacher for over 40 students. The budget was cut by Prop 98 in 1989, the total budget from 80 million to 50 million dollars for public school education throughout Los Angeles.

Bob Bates, the co-founder and Artistic Director of Inner City Arts, was an artist living in Downtown Los Angeles when these budget cuts were made, and witnessed the amount of violence on the streets of downtown. Along with Irwin Jaeger, a local businessman and entrepreneur, Bob worked to restore arts education to the children in and around Los Angeles' skid row area.

The organization has created a program where schools in the Unified Public School District are bused in to the facilities right off skid row, to have art education. The facilities include classes in the visual arts, dance, digital animation, music and drama. Most of the children that are bused into the inner-city arts program range in age from7 to 17. It has catered to over 150,000 students to date and now 42 public schools in the area attend the program. According to reports, these students are the largest group in the country who are at risk for dropping out of high school. The racial backgrounds of the majority of the students are Latino who have very poor English language skills. More than half of the students live in walking distance from the Inner City Arts campus, which is a block west of skid row. It is estimated that over one-third of the children are classified as homeless. Inner City Arts creates an “oasis” for these children removing them from the streets and giving them culture and a safe place to express themselves.

Bob Bates, founder, is a firm believer that the arts are important but it has also been shown in other studies just how important art is to a child and their success of excelling in school. Inner City Arts has been a subject of a study at the University of California, Los Angeles for the past five years. This study revealed that children who attend Inner City Art perform better on standardized tests in language, reading and math than those students who did not attend. These results became widely published, and interest peaked across the country. New York City public school systems (along with the rest of the United States) had to cut art classes because of the federal law, “No Child Left Behind.” This law led public school across the nation to cut funding in many subject areas to spend more time in math and English. With Inner City Arts as a model, the program “ Learning Through Art” was created and funded by the Guggenheim Museum. This program brings artists and instructors to the public schools in New York City for free after-school art classes. A study was also done on this program in 2005, and the results showed that these New York City kids, like those from Inner City Arts, achieved higher scores in critical thinking, through description, hypothesizing and reasoning. There is no clear reason why art education has this effect on other subjects, but Cynthia Harnisch, executive director of Inner-City Arts, "There is no bad art. There are no bad feelings. In art there are no mistakes or wrong answers. Only endless opportunities to experience the success of creating something from the heart."

The first time I went to Inner City Arts, it was clear to me that art does create a difference to these children. When walking into the campus that is fenced with barbed wire and homeless people walking the street, it truly is an “oasis”. From the moment a car pulls into the parking lot which is covered in art, the culture and artistic expression is tangible and the purest form of an art gallery. In this sad and depressing neighborhood nothing but smiles fill the halls, the rooms, theater, offices, and art studios. The amount of creativity, dedication and pride each student takes in their art project, play, dance or new song they have learned, made me believe change for these at risks kids is possible. Free form expression is giving these kids a fighting chance against statistics and previous generations before them, failed to meet, they will succeed. One child at Inner city Art, a fourth grader who is considered homeless and lives below the poverty line said, “Being at Inner City Arts is the best and most important thing in my life.” As a personal connection to this organization and resident of downtown Los Angeles, I can honestly say I have seen this community grow and Inner City Arts is one of the reasons the Los Angeles Downtown area is able to become a metropolitan center again.