Charities

Charities are also known as non profit organisations and must be totally charitable, meaning a charity cannot be beneficial for some people but is actually providing a greater profit and benefit for the founders.  Examples of benefits that charities should provide include; preventing poverty, advance in education opportunities, health, religion, amateur sports, arts, environmental protection and animal welfare.  People feel very strongly about some of these and will therefore set up charities in order to spread the message and make the problems know to the public.

There are national charities such as Oxfam, Cancer research and the RSCPA which advertise across TV, radio and magazines.  The Lance Armstrong foundation is a very well known charity in support of cancer research and sports the much seen yellow silicone ‘Livestrong’ wrist band.  These yellow wristbands even become a fashion accessory among youngsters.  They may or may not have known of its relevance and significance, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter.  The yellow band was being bought, the charity was getting money and the brand awareness was being spread. 

This Livestrong brand was developed by Lance Armstrong, a road cyclist who won seven consecutive tour de France after surviving testicular cancer, a truly incredible feat.  Being such a well known celebrity helped spread this charity and may be the reason as to why so many other celebrities and high authoritative figures supported the charity.  And when figures in the public eye get involved, things spread.  This may be something for other charities to take note of and try and encourage.