So, yeah. About this whole Lady Gaga foundation thing. Look, we’ve all seen the story by now, so let’s just cut to the blockquote from the New York Post and then I’ll throw in my two cents below …
The pop superstar’s fledgling Born This Way Foundation spent $429,682 on outreach with its wildly popular “Born to Be Brave” 23-event US bus tour, but the effort dimmed in comparison with what Gaga’s coterie of consultants pulled down, according to the charity’s 2012 filing.
The nonprofit — which took in $2.65 million in revenue — paid out a staggering $406,552 for legal fees, $300,000 for “strategic development” and $150,000 for “philanthropic consulting,” the latest filings show.
Fees added to the hefty expenses. They included $348,000 for the bus-tour production; $77,923 for travel; $62,836 for stage production; $60,000 for research; $58,678 for publicity; $50,000 for social-media development; and $47,825 for meeting and event coordination.
Total expenses came to $1.85 million.
Among all that, the foundation paid out a single $5,000 grant.
All right, so let’s talk about this:
#1 Just because the foundation isn’t terribly efficient, doesn’t mean it’s completely useless. Yes, the entire thing could definitely be retooled to be more streamlined and have a clearer goal and have greater results. There’s something there that can be pulled out and pushed further. It’s just that right now, they’re not doing it.
#2 Non-profits, charities and the like do have administrative fees, let’s jut get that out of the way. Always check to make sure that the ones you support don’t just spend the money wisely, but they spend the money efficiently.
#3 Don’t f*cking raise awareness without actually doing something to support it … people are aware of tons of stuff, but they don’t know what to do about it. Tell people what they can do now for other people, and then offer them the chance to actually do it. Be active in your charity work, and offer people the opportunity to be active. Otherwise, “awareness” is what awful people tell themselves when they want to pretend they did something without doing anything.
#4 Doing something for the community doesn’t necessarily mean changing the world. It’s small shit. Volunteer some time at a soup kitchen. Start a program within your community. Hand out condoms at a college or university. Just do something. If you keeping telling yourself you’re going to do something, but never do, you’re standing in your own way.