September 05, 2007
Charity Gets 15 Minutes of Fame
A young charity got a taste of the Oprah-effect yesterday.
During an appearance by former President Bill Clinton on the Oprah Winfrey Show to promote his new book on philanthropy, the daytime diva interviewed Matt and Jessica Flannery as an example of antipoverty pioneers.
The couple founded Kiva, a group that connects wealthy donors to entrepreneurs in impoverished areas abroad. (Read The Chronicle‘s profile of Kiva.)
On his blog, Mr. Flannery describes in detail the “surreal” opportunity to reach millions of people — and the anxiety of appearing in front of such a large audience.
After getting make-up applied — “our faces were speckle free and mostly monochrome” — the couple sat in the front row for the taping, he writes. About 45 minutes into the show, Ms. Winfrey quizzed them about their work.
“Since that time, I’ve replayed the answers in my head, second guessing every word. I’ll probably never get the chance to address that many people again in my life. Thinking about it too much can drive you crazy,” he writes.
In all though, the show was a huge step for Kiva, he writes, including a chance to schmooze with Mr. Clinton afterwards.
Kiva’s 15 minutes of fame was applauded by many bloggers. However, at least one Kiva supporter questioned the appearance.
Josh Brown, a graphic designer, writes on his blog.
that it’s ironic that Mr. Clinton praised Kiva while during his presidency he backed policies that, in Mr. Brown’s opinion, contributed to global “economic instability,” the very problem the charity is trying to fix.
What do you think? Will Kiva’s appearance or Mr. Clinton’s book enlist new donors, volunteers, or nonprofit workers to charitable causes? Should a charity consider the Clinton administration’s policies before agreeing to appear with the former president? Share your thoughts by clicking on the comments link below.
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Not only does the “15 minutes of fame” headline sound harsh… it also doesn’t sound correct.
How you checked out the list of press coverage Kiva has received? And this isn’t exactly the type of group that actively seeks media like other groups.
http://www.kiva.org/about/press/
That sure is a productive 15 minutes!!
— Steve Froehlich Sep 5, 06:02 PM #
...it is not completely correct to describe Kiva as an organization that “connects wealthy donors to entrepreneurs in impoverished areas abroad.” It certainly does do this, but more importantly, & more accurately, it allows the street philanthropist, the $25 donor, to also connect as an investor in making a meaningful social investment.
— jenny yancey Sep 5, 06:40 PM #
thanks for the link. i agree with steve. kiva has definitely gotten more than 15 minutes of fame. you should see how fast they’re growing and their contributions in such a short time. oprah is but a small step in their growth or “fame” if you want to call it that.
and i don’t blame kiva for going on the show with oprah. i don’t even blame clinton for going on there. perhaps he’s had a change of heart. and as my friends like to remind me, sometimes anything is better than nothing. i just find it odd that clinton asked oprah (not the other way around) to be on her show the day his book came out. i fear that he is more concerned with trying to sell books than helping resolve the systemic problems caused by the big corporations that he helped launch with NAFTA.
but i also fear that i give to kiva to appease my lack of action in my life.
so whose worse off?
i like clinton. i just think it was a bit underhanded for him to be on the show in that fashion. but i find it just as underhanded for oprah to act like she’s “green” because she uses a cloth bag at the grocery store.
i just think we need to think deeper. and kiva is doing just that and so i applaud them.
but thanks for linking to my thoughts. much appreciated.
— josh Sep 6, 11:53 AM #
It’s heartening to hear Bill Clinton promoting people making individual decisions about what would be the best use for their “social net” dollars.
In his previous life, as U.S. president, he and Hillary were all about letting politicians and bureaucrats make those decisions for us.
I’m not sure the Clinton leopard has changed his spots, but he’s done an effective dye job, for the time being, anyway.
— Sam Davis Sep 6, 01:17 PM #
For a nonprofit to associate itself with someone so thoroughly devoid of honor, whose personal philanthropic profile, until recently, consisted of itemizing the donation of his used underwear, simply to benefit from his celebrity status, is nothing less than prostitution.
— Jeff Steele Sep 7, 01:01 PM #