How much impact does a celebrity make when he or she donates their name and time to a non-profit? Here is my experience.
On February 20, at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, Will Ferrell and his friends, like Zach Galifianakis and Demetri Martin, will put on a comedy extravaganza with skits and music based on their successful "Funny or Die" Tour. They are doing it to support Pete Carroll (our founder and Board Chair) and our non-profit, A Better LA.
We expect the evening to raise a good chunk of money, which is fantastic. Those dollars will fund outreach workers in LA and programs for kids that will literally save lives and engage kids who have never been engaged before in positive activities.
But the impact goes beyond the money. It affects the entire operation of the non-profit and has already buoyed every person working behind the scenes or on the front line.
Take me for example. As the Executive Director, I experience a high when I see hope in a kid's eyes or see a scenario play out that saves lives. Like the time I watched our outreach workers operate in a way that -- according to law enforcement -- stopped a war and prevented at least several homicides and all of the destruction and chaos that goes along with senseless violence. A week later, I experienced the low of hearing about a young man being killed over nothing -- sitting in his neighborhood and being mistaken for someone else. I then felt the sensation of wondering what more I could be doing to stop violence.
I have spoken with a lot of people in the non-profit profession, and most experience what I am talking about. If you don't have the right attitude, burnout can be a real problem. You can get sucked into a cycle of feeling like you are never doing enough. If I spend the day making calls for donations, that is time away from the community where I could be making a direct impact. If I spend too much time in the community and fail at fundraising, we won't be able to implement programs. If someone loses their life, I somehow could have done something to prevent it. I know it is irrational and I quickly push all of those thoughts aside, but I know many people who get caught up in it. And my experience is much less intense than those working on the front lines every day. In other words, non-profit and community transformation work can be tough.
So, it is an incredibly uplifting feeling to now have CAA agents and staff from AEG and the Staples Center Foundation working with us to sell out the 7,000 seat Nokia Theatre. It makes fundraising so much easier when the Board of Directors and other supporters can, instead of just asking for checks, invite friends to fancy VIP parties surrounding the event. And it brings such credibility to our operation to be able to mention (at every chance I get) the Will Ferrell event. It makes everyone proud to have these really talented entertainers by our side.
And it creates a tremendous morale boost for the community workers and police officers who put so much time and emotion on the line every day. They get to see busy and famous people helping them to continue their work. It's not just a boost to morale, it seriously is a life changer.
So, to Will Ferrell and his friends, who are making such a big impact on the lives of those behind the scenes of our non-profit, and the Los Angeles community, thanks! We can't wait for February 20.
If you are going to be in LA and want to join us, visit www.abetterla.org