How to Get Celebrities Involved in Your Cause

View a recording of a live video discussion on how top organizations persuade celebrities to promote their missions.

The Guests:

Spike Mendelsohn is a celebrity chef whose restaurants include Good Stuff Eatery; We, the Pizza; and Béarnaise. He’s been on numerous TV shows, including as a contestant in Bravo’s Top Chef, and has helped out charities such as CARE, Horton’s Kids, D.C. Central Kitchen. He is the author of The Good Stuff Cookbook.

Stephanie Chen is the policy communications manager at CARE, the global poverty-fighting group. She works on CARE’s Learning Tours program, an effort to educate members of Congress and other decision makers about international development through CARE-sponsored travel.

Tamar Cohen Simpson is the director of celebrity relations and partnerships for the U.S. Fund for Unicef. She spent seven years at ID Public Relations as a senior publicist in the talent department representing some of the most famous names in Hollywood.

Colleen Wormsley is a marketing associate at DoSomething.org. She manages public relations and helps secure celebrity support for DoSomething.org’s national cause campaigns that encourage young people to take action on causes they’re passionate about.

The Moderator:

Cody Switzer is web editor at The Chronicle of Philanthropy, where he oversees all online and social media efforts. He also writes about nonprofit social media, technology, and marketing.