April 26, 2007 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Marc Sirkin’s charity wasn’t one of the beneficiaries of the television show American Idol’s effort this week to raise money for children living in extreme poverty.
But on his npMarketing Blog, Mr. Sirkin, the chief marketing officer at the International Rescue Committee in New York, writes that the show is a good thing for his organization.
Mr. Sirkin writes he could view the television show in one of two ways. The first way would be to lament the fact that American Idol isn’t directing money to his organization.
But, he wries, “My way celebrates abundance and places a bet that this could be a tide that raises all boats. I don’t have the stats at my fingertips, but I am sure I read recently that international aid giving is very low in comparison to other types of charities.”
Some critics believe reality television shows that try to raise money for charities are exploitative.
In this case, Mr. Sirkin sees the effort of the county’s most popular show as an opportunity to raise awareness about and money for a cause that does not get enough attention.
Charity Navigator President Trent Stamp also offers an opinion on the show on his blog, Trent Stamp’s Take
Mr. Stamp says the show was unwatchable, self serving, and exploitative.
But he still believes it was a good thing.
“These charities didn’t have the tens of millions of dollars yesterday morning that they do today,” Mr. Stamp writes. “That’s enough for me. They’ll spend it well, and good work will be done. Yes, the ends justify the means. This time.”
Do you agree? Was television’s “Idol Gives Back” episode good for charities? Or does it fall into the category of exploitative television? Click on the comments link just below this posting to share your thoughts.
See a clip from the episode below:
