What is the first step in securing a celebrity endorsement for a nonprofit?

The first step in getting a celebrity agreement for your nonprofit is the same as it would be for a for-profit company—research. Specifically, you should research the celebrities you are thinking about selecting in order to match up the right person with your cause.

First of all, you want to look for someone who is passionate about your cause. After all, you’re hiring them to rouse interest in donors, and the easiest way to do that is to show them someone else is sincerely interested. Now, that doesn’t mean that the celeb has to have already worked with a similar charity, but you should look for signs that they are sympathetic to your mission.

Once you’ve contacted a representative for the celeb you’ve pinpointed, don’t be afraid to offer up information about your nonprofit’s mission. This will help them to know whether your nonprofit and their client are a good match. Note that the query is not the time to give them your page-long explanation and history. But you can include your nonprofit’s web address with your signature line to allow them to look up the information when they want.