Podcast Center
Video Center
Webcasts
Resource Center
Events
June 06, 2011 at 10:54 AM
In case you’ve missed it, charitable giving is going Hollywood. What was formerly just a movement among billionaires—the Bill Gates- and Warren Buffett-inspired Giving Pledge—has gone public in a very big way, signing on the likes of celebrities and stars such as Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Richard Gere and Denzel Washington.
MSNBC reported that, unlike the Buffett-Gates pledge, the Hollywood Pledge, as it’s known, doesn’t require celebs to commit to actually give anything (although many do already have their own foundations or charitable causes).
Instead, it’s an awareness-raising thing, because, according to Todd Michael Krim, the Hollywood Pledge’s mastermind, “There’s a big difference between celebrities and the billionaires who are part of the Giving Pledge. Most celebrities are not billionaires; in fact, most may not even be millionaires.”
That said, dozens of celebs have flocked to add their names to the Pledge, which helps raise awareness for their own pet charities. What the Hollywood Pledge does seek is for stars to promote philanthropic awareness and to coax their fans into contributing or volunteering.
