Celebrity Philanthropy - Page 3, PR or Passion?

There is one key question we are asked time and time and again at Innovaid – ‘What is the real motivation behind Celebrity Philanthropy?’ Are they just doing it for publicity? Do they really care or is it all just for a photo op and brand enhancement?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to scratch the surface of most celebrity philanthropy and see the depth of what they are doing behind it.

Here are some key tips for you to spot whether a celeb has passion for a cause or is looking for page 3 presence:

• Consistency - is there consistency in their pattern of behavior, have they exhibited a steadfast adherence to the same principles, course and form in regards to their philanthropy?
• Depth - depth can be described as a dimension taken through an object (perhaps subject); downward from an upper surface, horizontally inward from an outer surface, or from top to bottom of something regarded as one of several layers - is there depth to their philanthropy?
• Synergy - the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements or contributions - do daily actions contribute to their philanthropic agenda?
• Long term - is it a once off or continuing contribution to a single or related group of philanthropic causes?
• Knowledge - an acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigations - does the individual exhibit a thorough knowledge of their chosen cause?

Answer yes, to any of these elements and I think you can be confident your celebrity is after more than a page three presence.

They are exhibiting a passion and a commitment to the cause, always a good sign, and, something we at Innovaid strive towards in assisting our clients in setting up their own foundations!

Setting up a Foundation

At Innovaid Advisory Services we have developed a unique approach to giving - creating ‘tailor-made’ Foundations for corporate businesses, high net worth individuals and celebrities in India. 

Innovaid streamlines the process of establishing a Foundation, and, will assist in developing a carefully thought out and well planned strategy.

With a strong strategy to forming the basis of your ‘Foundation’ it can provide the perfect vehicle to ensuring that company responsibilities are being met on the CSR front, whilst also providing positive spins-offs in terms of public relations, customer loyalty and employee engagement. As an individual, creating your own Foundation offers you a greater degree of control as to where and how your legacy is spent.

‘So many companies opt to distribute funds to NGO’s in India, this is often done sporadically, with no long term partnership or strategy behind it. The beauty of having your own Foundation is that you can further build and enhance your company brand whilst having complete control of the social initiatives you invest in.’ Says, Emily Harrison, Innovaid Advisory Services, Founder & Director.

Who is Innovaid?

Innovaid was conceptualized by Emily Harrison, a young Australian woman who wanted to revolutionize the way that celebrities, HNWI’s, Companies and international Foundations ‘made a difference’ in India.

Emily grew up on a cattle station in rural New South Wales and spent 10 years working in grassroots community development in Outback Australia, specializing in rural and remote communities. Living and working in tiny communities (population 100 – 4000) all her life, she worked in Local and State Government, helping these small communities get better access to services that their small populations could not sustain (health, education, sport & recreation, arts, disability, aged care).

She first came to India in 2007, leading a team of volunteers doing community development work in a village on the outskirts of Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Living with a local family and working on a variety of projects at the local school, with village youth and women, she soon fell in love with India and decided to make it her home.

It was during this time that the concept of Innovaid first took shape. Emily had met a celebrity talent manager in Sydney prior to her move to Ooty, who had outlined the need of some of his high profile TV and music stars, to have guidance and advice in undertaking their philanthropy in developing countries.

Encouraged and supported by a young entrepreneur from Coimbatore, Emily made the commitment to move to Mumbai and start her own business. With no business experience and having never lived in a city before in her life, Innovaid was developed in a very organic way – putting one foot in front of the other.

Emily Harrison of Innovaid Advisory Services

With the generosity and support of many Mumbaiker’s, Innovaid Advisory Services Pvt Ltd was registered in May 2009 as a private limited company to help celebrities and high net worth individuals make a significant impact with their philanthropy and to provide people with a simple and trustworthy mechanism to invest in social projects. In these early days, high profile clients such as the Rajasthan Royals and The Steve Waugh Foundation, gave Emily the faith that the service was indeed needed and the business evolved to present a range of products and services to meet their needs in this area.

With corporate social responsibility emerging as a sophisticated tool to help companies become more sustainable, Innovaid extended its reach into this area to support companies in managing their foundations and devising and implementing holistic CSR strategy, and today is sought after by many medium size enterprises in helping them to set up Foundations and strategise their CSR.

Innovaid continues to grow and aims to deliver a holistic range of services in this sphere to make a marked difference to those affected by social issues in India.