We all know superstar actress Scarlett Johansson is worth a lot, but who knew she would draw so much fundraising money for a simple date?
Earlier this month a British charity auction, raising money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, put a date with the actress up for grabs. During the live auction event, two wealthy men in the audience got into a bidding war.
It turns out a date with Scarlett Johansson, who did not attend the event, was the most expensive auction item of the night – earning the fundraiser almost $41,000!!
Who was the lucky man to win a night with the Hollywood superstar? Non other than Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who actually agreed to share the evening with fellow bidder Harry Becher. They split it down the middle, with each guy ponying up $20,000.
Celebrities have always been able to pull down exorbitant amounts of money for fundraisers – no matter the cause – but it continues to be an increasing trend as Non-Profit organizations find more creative ways of leveraging their start power.
The New York Times recently had an article on this very topic, “For Charity, Bidding for Access to Stars — Even a Hug“:
“(From NYTimes.com) Oct 18th 2011 – Stars and stellar brands have become a major presence in the philanthropic world, and demand for access to them or something extraordinary seems to be growing…
…A couple of hours with Paul McCartney and other musicians while they prepare for a concert ($130,000, to benefit a community environmental program). A day with former President Bill Clinton ($124,000, to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital). A tennis lesson from Andre Agassi ($100,000, to benefit the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.) …Read More.“
Following are a few other examples of notable purchases for time with celebrities:
- VIP Admittance to Kim Kardashian’s 31st Birthday party, including 5 minutes of her time sold for $5,000 – Read More
- Lunch with Warren Buffet for the 2011 Auction = $2.63 million!!! Read More
- Round of golf with Tiger Woods, (pre scandal) = $200,000 Read More
- Dinner with Toby Keith sold twice for $51,000 each Read More
What connections can you harness for truly one-of-a-kind auction items?
{{cta(‘ace6904c-d5a9-4f23-afcc-36e09cf0f71e’)}}
