Last week, Taylor Swift did a really great thing: she donated $1 million to the victims of flood-ravaged Louisiana. The Louisiana floods have been called America’s biggest natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, although it definitely feels like we get these “once in a lifetime” natural disasters every year now. While I’m sure that Taylor Swift wasn’t the first or only celebrity to donate to disaster relief, she was the first high-profile celebrity to announce her huge donation. It’s a good thing she announced it too, because that’s what the victims need: money. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards, the Red Cross and everyone down in Louisiana has been saying that for more than a week: they don’t need supplies, food or toys, they need money. Pres. Obama reiterated that when he toured the flood-ravaged state earlier this week too. Anyway, we’re now seeing the breakdown of how Taylor donated:
Taylor Swift vowed to donate $1 million to help victims of the floods in Louisiana that killed at least 13 people and damaged tens of thousands of homes and businesses. As a part of her $1 million total donation, Swift, 26, recently donated $50,000 to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. The nonprofit organization shared a message on Twitter and Instagram Thursday to thank the “Shake It Off” singer for her generosity.
“Today @taylorswift donated $50,000 to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank! The #laflood destroyed our warehouse but we are going to shake it off!” the caption read.
Also on Thursday, the Salvation Army thanked Swift for donating to relief efforts. “Thank you @taylorswift13 for helping us serve the #LouisianaFlood survivors by donating to our relief efforts! #DoingTheMostGood,” the Christian church and international charitable organization tweeted.
Over six trillion gallons of rain fell on the state between August 8 and 14 for what the Red Cross has called the worst natural disaster to strike the United States since Hurricane Sandy. The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank was flooded with four or more feet of water in their facility and was forced to move to a temporary location.
Are these new donations separate from her $1 million donation, or are these just part of the breakdown of the $1 million donation? It’s unclear to me. Not that it matters at a celebrity-gossip level, I just thought it would be interesting/good-deedy if Taylor was like, “You know what? I should donate more money than the $1 million I already pledged.”
Thank you @taylorswift13 for helping us serve the #LouisianaFlood survivors by donating to our relief efforts! #DoingTheMostGood
— Salvation Army USA (@SalvationArmyUS) August 26, 2016
Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN, Fame/Flynet.
Her charitable ways are the only redeeming quality about Taylor.
I will not, for once, doubt her authenticity. BRAVO.
Agreed. I’m not a fan of hers, but that food bank photo made me tear up a little. The images of the flooded out food bank warehouse were heart-breaking. Thank you, Taylor!
I will doubt everything about her, even the title of this post “Come to light” sounds like something (The Hanging) Tree Paine would write. I see the desire to rehab her image, but she can be someone who makes charitable donations, in between knifing people.
She’s a multi-tasker!
It doesn’t really redeem her for me. (Fyi, not arguing with you, just airing some thoughts.) The problem has never been that Taylor isn’t monetarily charitable, because she is very generous in that sense (so I don’t think this is for pr any more than her other donations have been; the pr is just a nice side effect for the most part). But this doesn’t change the fact that she isn’t particularly emotionally charitable, which is what many people find problematic about Taylor. Where was her spirit of generosity when Camilla Belle started dating her ex? Or when her dancers wanted to go with Katy Perry? She promptly called them thieves (one stole her man, the other her dancers).
She’s a mixed bag, like any other person, but I’d guess that her monetary charitableness also contributes to her being unable to see herself as the bad guy in her interpersonal relationships. After all, she does so many good things for people (all those donations!), how could she be a bad person? Generosity is a wonderful quality, but it doesn’t stop you from being a liar and catty or having a victim complex when people call you out on it. Taylor is all these things while also being generous. I do like when celebrities publicly donate though, because they can have influence with fans and other celebrities. So that’s a positive thought to end with lol.
I have the same “mixed bag” feelings about Taylor. This charity = redeeming quality discussion reminds me of how her fans constantly defend her songwriting with “But she writes about other things too! …She wrote that cancer song!” should anyone dare to express an unflattering opinions on her revenge/victim songs. That defense is technically true, but it is her poisoned pen pop tunes that tend to get more radio play & attention. Those songs are Taylor’s bread & butter.
And in the past, her charity donations tend to fall into the $250k range. As generous as this is, it is also fits into the standard deduction to reduce any wealthy persons’ tax exposure. A happy coincidence for Taylor’s wallet & PR. I have to wonder how much her recent donation would have been if she *wasn’t* experiencing so much backlash in the press.
i always find it problematic donating to organizations like the salvation army and the united way. but that aside, this is very generous of taylor.
I think in a case where its directly going to people that need help there is no reason to criticize them. They are obviously doing awful work but they also do some really good deeds and are part of the infrastructure to help the community.
true, they do some good work. but i still have a problem with donating to them. there are other charities or organizations who are just as devoted to and ingrained in the community that are much less problematic.
I think it’s a privilege to be able to have a problem with them. If you’re a person in need of the services, you don’t worry about it being “problematic.”
I agree, Juicy. United way is completely problematic and is pretty much anti gay. I’m not judging Taylor here as I’m sure she doesn’t know but I don’t support that “charity” at all.
Serious question – what does the Salvation Army do that’s problematic? AlleyCat above said that United Way was anti-gay. Ok. I’ll remember that. But what about the Salvation Army? Is it because they are a religious organization?
They aren’t just a religious organization – they’re a religion at to themselves. And yes, their precepts do include opposition to gay marriage. That’s the big one, from what I understand.
Personally, the “problematic” concerns are a bit problematic. I don’t agree with everything the Army believes, but as somebody who works in the public sector, they provide so many services that are just not available elsewhere. In the city I work in, SA runs the only family-friendly homeless and DV shelters. If you try to get into one of the city-run places, you can’t bring your kids – you’re expected to find a place for them or contact ACS for them, since the shelters can be so bad. SA runs the only places where you can actually keep your kids with you. The people getting the “problematic” vapors have never been in the position of needing those services, which is why they can talk about “problematic” at all.
The Salvation Army is officially and actively anti-gay.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zinnia-jones/the-salvation-armys-histo_b_4422938.html
United Way is not anti-gay. United Way is not a religiously affiliated organization. Each United Way is a separate, stand-alone 501(c)3, unlike Salvation Army and the Red Cross. Each United Way has it’s own values and priorities, some many be more conservative than others. The values and priorities of each United Way should be representative of the community it resides in. The national office, United Way Worldwide sets a few guideline to be able to use the logo/brand – one of those requirements is to follow nondiscrimination laws.
I agree, but I also think that with a donation this size, it probably makes more sense to be going through an organization with the infrastructure to handle it. I know a lot of people who are giving directly to individuals or GoFundMe campaigns, and while that’s great and useful for a $20 or $50 donation, I think if I was giving as much as her, I would want to be sure everything was being administered in the most helpful way possible.
There are other great organizations helping those in LA – I donated to AmeriCares but there are several local ones listed on Charity Navigator helping out directly.
great for her! my burning question is how much do any of the kartrashians donate to charity. hint: close your eyes and what do you see
Good for you, Taylor Swift. I applaud wealthy people who make gifts to people in need.
A charitable act should go unspoken to be truly sincere.
Do good in the world without expectation of reward or recognition.
#RIPPRince
That’s all I’m gonna say.
Doesn’t matter. Sometimes publicity inspires others and calls attention to a need.
Especially in this case. The amount of press did not correlate with how bad this disaster was. The media is just too obsessed with Trump.
Seems the organizations wanted to thank her. Either way, good job Taylor. I have aunts and many cousins living there (and presently displaced). They could us all the help anyone is willing to give.
In this case where the publicity is clearly a away to get more money for people who need it there is no need to condemn her, BTW just because Prince did a lot of private philanthropy that doesn’t mean he never did a benefit, or publicly supported a charity.
I don’t agree with that stance. Especially in cases like this, where more publicity is actually helpful to the charitable cause. By giving money, Taylor is bringing more attention to the need to donate and may inspire some of her fans to do the same. If she kept her donation quiet it wouldn’t have that effect. Celebrities get so much attention and if they want to use it to promote worthy causes I can’t be mad.
@Maya
Well said! I agree with everything you said and I admire Taylor for doing this!
I think the publicizing of a celebrity’s donations raises awareness for the cause, which helps get even more donations. Win all around.
I do agree that most of the time, private philanthropy is a great thing, But publicity in cases like this is a really good thing too.
You all make excellent points and normally I would agree with you without reservation.
In this particular case, she has been repeatedly slammed in the press and is seeking to improve her tattered image.
It’s wonderful that people in need have benefited, but the motives here are not completely pure. It is naive to believe otherwise.
Sure she is using it, just like her male counterpart BF used the hospital visit in OZ this past week, but it is bringing awareness. and that will hopefully help others. 🙂
Oh please. Throughout her entire career Taylor has consistently donated millions of dollars to various charities around the country. This isn’t some new thing she’s doing now just to look like a do-gooder.
this isn’t new or unusual behaviour for Taylor. she has a long history of charitable donations and actual visitations. she should be applauded for her constant bringing publicity to the situation. there are some people who will always find fault with her no matter what. that speaks to you rather than her.
She is still a human being. Just because she’s got some not great sides to her it doesn’t mean she’s not also very into giving back. Especially since she has a long history of doing so in the past. You can still dislike her but give her credit If you want to be fair. Or you can decide to villainize her for doing something that’s going to help a lot of people. But that doesn’t really change that she’s done something good.
Sorry, M, but I totally and completely disagree. I have no love for Taylor but she has consistently donated millions to various charitable causes throughout the year. Some get big press and some come out only after she has donated. She made a donation to help Kesha in her legal battle with Luke last year and the only reason anybody knew of it was because Kesha’s mom announced it on Twitter. If this was the first time Taylor had done something like this, I would doubt her motives, but she has given very generously for a very long time b
Taylor donates consistently. Whether her image needs rehab or not. This is the ONLY thing you can’t pick at her for.
Yes, Tom does the same thing. Both of them are hyper-aware of their public image and use hospital visits and donations for good PR. Doesn’t mean either of them have great character, but it’s still a good thing for them to do,
I suspect Taylor would have donated even if her image hadn’t taken the hit that it did this summer. But her PR strategy is pretty easy to read since so much of what she presents is contrived, so naturally some of us see her using it to remind us she’s not always throwing people under the bus and playing the victim.
I agree and disagree. She does do a lot of charitable donations and I agree that, especially on this issue, publicizing it helps a lot. It’s good! However, I do agree that, with her especially, it’s donating/charity to look good instead of donating/charity to do good. And the timing of this announcement is interesting to say the least.
Whatever she may be she constantly donates to charity. Also her personal self is irrelevant for the good this act represents.
I’m not a Taylor fan, but I do know she has donated time and money consistently to charities. The families able to eat tonight don’t care if her motives are “pure”.
If she gets good publicity and good will out of this, so what? Hopefully, it will bring more attention and more people helping the people of Lousiana.
Taylor is very generous with her time (hospitals) and money (charity). It’s usually not even reported in any way. She just does it because she knows it’s the right thing to do. She’s just a person, as flawed, damaged, and beautiful as any of us. I think her giving nature comes from her heart. Put all her drama and social gaffs aside and appreciate what she has done for the victims of this under-reported disaster!
The Louisiana floods have been tragically under-reported in the press and the people of Louisiana are mad as hell about it. There was a report by NBC a few days ago stating that donations are “trickling in,” so Taylor’s $1M public pledge is huge. She not only made her own fan base aware of the tragedy but the rest of the world, too.
Is anyone 100% altruistic? Most of the celebrities making donations surely do it with tax benefits in mind. If they have smart accountants, they have a monetary goal they want to reach every year to offset their tax burden. I honestly don’t care about their motives. Also, it’s not as though Taylor fakes her way through a hospital visit just for the PR, like some celebrities allegedly do. I do get the sense that she actually cares about the causes she supports.
That might seem like the way to go, but when you’re involved in philanthropy it is encouraged to put your name on your donations. It is proven that it encourages others to donate more than anonymous donations.
No, donations need to be LOUD and PUBLIC – that approach is much, much more effective at encouraging/coercing/shaming others into donating too. (The Giving Pledge is a big example). Doing it quietly, privately allows most people to do … nothing.
Ummmm. I might be stating the obvious here but how did you know about Princes philanthropy if he didn’t tell anyone.
The mind, it boggles.
I think much of it was reported posthumously, fwiw.
Well done, Taylor !
Bravo Taylor.
She is such a nice snake.
this really had me giggling…..
Hehehe, that is a good one.
I’m glad to see that money is getting to those in LA who desperately need assistance. While I don’t like way she toots her horn to make sure everyone knows what she’s doing (and yes, I hear your arguments about increasing awareness), it’s still very easy to her to say to someone “send a mill to LA for me” and pat herself on the back for being so generous.
Know what’s harder? To refrain from airing your dirty laundry to the world and shaming others publicly in your music, your interviews and your acceptance speeches. I’d like to see her do some character-building work on that part of herself and become a better person. It’s easy to write a check or wish their famous friends a happy birthday on Insta, but a person with truly good character won’t make enemies at the rate that Taylor has over the years. She is as defined by her feuds as she is by her donations, so it’s impossible for me to believe she’s altruistic in her motives. I’m glad she donates, but there are ways of donating quietly and then bringing awareness to the disaster and keep the focus on those in need and not yourself and your donation.
In other words, it’s wonderful she donated, but I’d like to see her do it even better than she has by not being central to the publicity around it.
Selfish motives or no, it’s a good thing for her to do and hope it inspires more to do the same. This disaster hasn’t gotten the media coverage it deserves. I became aware primarily though friends’ social media posts, not mainstream news media.
I think Taylor is too much of a control freak to be the type of person to say “just send a mil for me.” She seems really detail-oriented and in control of her money and career to just throw her support behind causes she doesn’t really care about.
I agree she seems petty as hell and needs to learn how not to hold onto a grudge. That said, I just don’t see her being a fundamentally bad person. She seems to be a narcissist (what celebrities aren’t…) and has a victim-complex; she’s prickly and overly-sensitive. That said, she’s only in her mid-twenties and grew up in the spotlight with a ton of wealth and power, as well as a whole mess of criticism and scrutiny. I don’t really envy her. It would be nice if she actually lives by the motto “shake it off.” At this point in time, that song seems like more of an aspiration than a reality. I hope she grows up. Some people never do (see Madonna).
My point was, she employs people who manage her money and make sure bills are paid and donations made. I used to do this for a wealthy musician who is much lower on the celebrity totem pole and they have nothing to do with check writing. Someone else signs the checks/sends the transfer. She’ll give the ok on the amount and an accountant makes it happen.
Agree with everything you said in your second paragraph. She has a lot of growing up to do still.
Oprah says she signs all of her checks herself and she advises all rising celebrities she meets to do the same so they won’t be swindled by crooked accountants. Taylor might very well do the same thing.
That’s smart, Fanny. When you start to earn a certain level of money from heavily diversified sources, it can be really easy to lose track of how much you’re even earning. So many horror stories of artists who have been swindled by people they trusted. Taylor has a major advantage in having grown up with a financial adviser father who works with high net-worth individuals. She seems to have a good relationship with him and probably gets good advice.
She might sign checks, but it’s not typical. Celebs don’t deal with the day-to-day aspects of money and agree that any one with a lot should be reviewing their inflows and outflows on a regular basis. The reality is, most don’t. They have too much else going on to get wrapped up in the numbers. Their managers make sure the celeb is getting paid what they’re supposed to and that the bills get paid so business flows smoothly. That’s the reality of those in the entertainment world. In my case, I was working for a singer’s manager doing a their business/tour accounting. There are agencies that only do business management for multiple clients. My friend worked for one of those in Nashville.
The business/financial parts are a full-time job in and of themselves and others take care of these things for them. Taylor’s father may oversee the financial aspects of her career, so she’s got someone she trusts looking over everything. That would make sense.
I hope she oversees and signs her own checks, and given that her family works in finance, I doubt she has anything to worry about. BUT crooked accountants who prey on rich celebrities are all over the place, and there are way too many financially ignorant people out there who are all too willing to just hand the keys to someone else.
This was how Bernie Madoff got away with it for so long– anyone who actually read his monthly “statements” would see that something was fishy, but nobody did. They just assumed that their accountant was doing a good job and didn’t ask questions… when in fact even the accountant was not bothering to check the statements.
I don’t mind that she’s prickly..
I get why celebs pay professionals to manage their business affairs, but they then need an independent auditor to ensure that their finances are being managed well.
The creative people I know don’t have a head for business or for managing their money. They don’t enjoy dealing with it. They tend to be pretty short sighted until they get into a bind and realize they need to plan ahead. There are exceptions to the rule but in general, it doesn’t seem to be the way they are wired.
Well said as usual, Bonzo.
?
She donated to Nashville as well when we got the floods in Tn.
Perhaps Taylor has also made donations to any number of charities without it becoming public. That is the whole problem with private donations though isn’t it.
I’m being sensible again, sorry!
She’s also notorious for showing up at a bajillion children’s cancer and leukemia wards with her guitar with no warning or publicity. It just shows up on youtube when people whip out their phones. Plus she ponied up for Kesha when things were looking so depressing for her. I don’t own any of her music and she certainly has flaws but she isn’t a bandwagoner when it comes to charity and doesn’t post much of it on her media accounts.
Yes. I posted above about this. She does truly and for real show up at hospitals with her guitar (but no PR), not just once in a while, but more than you’d think. She is quite an enigma, what with her social/intimacy/boundary dysfunction and her generous and kind spirit. That stuff with Kanye (and so many others) is so crazy, it’s no wonder people don’t believe it when told of her charitable side, but it’s there, all right. (Source: a family story, photo, and video footage)
Do not donate to the red cross. There is a facebook post by Beth Yancey Houghton giving an account of what goes by the wayside when dealing with their policies and red tape. Other accounts tell of victims not getting medicine for their babies. It’s sickening because to me, infants have immediate needs to be taken care of.
The LOCAL people know what they need and what to give. If you can find her page and post please share it on your facebook page.
There is another page that locates people that you can adopt so the money/items go directly to them. Some of them have pictures.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1387362201292254?tsid=0.29930766206234694&source=typeahead
Just search Louisiana flood pages and you’ll get what the national media is NOT covering.
So much of the real help is coming from the actual victims.
I talk to local people that have so many family and friends there. Babies need not just diapers but baby medicine that they are not getting. The Cajun navy (anyone with a boat even if they don’t have a house anymore) are getting infections from all the work their doing in that nasty water.
The real work is local and I find from victim word of mouth that the local churches and community outreach is where the actual help is getting to the people.
Don’t take my word for it, look up any Facebook page dedicated to this and you’ll get to know exactly how the nation needs to help.
Whatever. I still think she’s fake. At least she’s a generous liar.
I live 30 minutes from Baton Rouge. I was beyond lucky not to flood where I’m at. Places literary 10 minutes from my home look like a bomb has gone off. I’ve been through dozens of hurricanes, including Katrina, during my 36 years, but have never seen destruction like this. So regardless of anything else she may do, it’s much appreciated in these dark, dark times of my state.
Unbelievable that posters on here are complaining about the organizations she gave the money too. At this point I am sure people who are receiving the help are’t asking which organization they are getting it from. Donate to which organization you want but don’t dispute about where others donate to.
Tay is really trying hard, that’s for sure. I wonder if all is well in Tiddlestown?
One can hope not!
Probably not.
If I was worth $200 mill, I’d be giving generous donations too. It’s probably the same amount as a handful of rides on her private jet (fuel from jets is a contributing factor to climate change).
This is a really nice thing she did, what happened in LA is horrible and those people need help. Taylor sent money to help, the fact that anyone faults that shows how petty, little and mean we are as a society and the people doing it really need to look in the mirror because wow. I also hope that your attitude isn’t given if you’re even in need.
+1
+2
Linda, I don’t know if you are referencing my post but I make no bones about bringing awareness about organizations that do NOT put donation money to good use.
I’m close by the effected areas and the only reason that my husband was out there in wading boots and I haven’t been is because I have a newborn; but I have done my part in my own way. I will continue to do my part in bringing awareness.
I had no idea how ineffectual certain organizations were but I was glad I was informed so that I could research how BEST to help the victims in the way that THEY want to be helped.
Criticism of an ineffectual organization is warranted when other local communities and the actual victims are doing a better job at it.
I don’t criticize people for unknowingly donating to the Red Cross but if they get a hint that the need to be more informed and don’t care anyway, then I find it selfish.
Again I urge people to do their own research through the local social media.
Also, I don’t fault Taylor Swift for donating. She is bringing awareness to the area and I applaud that. I just wish that people would look more closely at what is actually happening in the area.
I would suggest using Charity Navigator to research the effectivness of organizations, primarily their admin costs. United Way has a large overhead, which is why I don’t donate to them. Direct Relief is based in my home town and I’ve volunteered in the past, primarily in their warehouse when a shipment is going out. They are one of the largest and most effective international non profits in the world; their operational costs are a fraction of most. Do your research first.
Im not saying that saying that Taylor didnt do a great, generous thing. But lets also not forget that she made like 70 MILLION dollars last year. Giving one million, or, Im sorry, one million AND fifty thousand dollars, when you’ve made 70 million dollars, is the equivalent of someone who makes 60,000 a year donating about $850 to charity. Not to MENTION the fact that the $68,999,950 Taylor was left with, is MUCH easier to live off of than the $59,150 that the average person would be left with. And guess what? I make $60,000 a year and I donate significantly more than $850 a year to certain charities. I, LIKE TAYLOR, have no children or dependents so I am able to do so. My point is, yes it was nice of Taylor but frankly I think she could do a LOT better than that.
Ikr? She should have given it all away to this one cause. Otherwise it means nothing.
It’s true that statistics show that the rich are not as generous as the low & middle classes who give away a larger percentage of their income. A million to a someone that is worth 50 – 200 times more than that doesn’t impact their lifestyle at all. They dont feel it at all. But giving away 5k/yr for a family of 4 living on 75k/yr means they’re choosing to adjust their standard of living to help people more needy than themselves.
It’s great when anyone gives, but those who give sacrifically and quietly have my deepest respect.
@Bonzo I’ve heard that before. The people with the least give the most. I think it’s because they know what it’s like to need.
it is also unlikely that this will be Taylor’s only charitable contribution this year. she doesn’t owe you or anyone an explanation of where and how much she donates. she has a long history of donating large amounts.
Good for Taylor. I would like to see her retweet one of Tom’s UNICEF tweets. She doesn’t even have to comment. He has 3.06m followers, she has 80.7m.
Notice gossip cops still did not correct/deny the first fighting that US weekly reported is this mean is true? Are her teams telling us something? Or they are playing game with the tabloids to keep the attention on herself?
I do not like the woman but I am not going to criticize her for giving large sums of money to those desperately in need. I will not question the timing because the flooding just happened, now is the time to give, not later. I will not question the publicity; the crisis needs all the attention it can get and on this particular donation to the food bank, the announcement came from the Food Bank. I will not criticize the amount in comparison to her earnings or possible assets – $50,000 is a lot of money. $1 million is a lot of money, sure, she could probably afford to give more but she is under no obligation to give a single cent and I also have no clue about any other charitable giving she may do. I do wonder why so many others have not given and why, if this one person is to be questioned as to her motives and ability to give more, others, especially those who have not given, are not receiving the same level of scrutiny.