Most charitable organizations have a celebrity or two as ambassadors, why not they can open more ‘publicity doors’ than anything the organization may be able to on it’s own.
But, what happens when a celebrity ambassador gets involved in a highly visible political protest?
More often than not most charitable organizations that are working at grassroots level in the community are a-political, sure there are aspects of what some do in the community which results in them lobbying their local members of parliament, but on the whole most would generally steer clear of political debates away from their area of ‘expertise’.
So what happens when a celebrity ambassador joins in and becomes a ‘focal point’ of another ’cause’ that is highly politically charged, that has the potential to have widespread media coverage and that could result in people talking about not only the ’cause’ but, also the ‘ambassador’ and the organization they recognize them supporting.
Can this have a negative effect on the charity, is there potential for donors who may not support the ‘other’ views of the ambassador to walk away from the charity?
Is there a point when the charity must say something either to the ambassador or it’s supporters – or is it best let things be?
Whatever is or isn’t done, its important to remember every person, no matter who they are or what they do – has rights – so if anything is done, it must never on those individual rights.
Does your organization have a policy about what ambassadors can or cannot do, how do you monitor it?
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