Simone's Session Notes

Music grabs public attention in a way charity emails rarely can. Nonprofits are taking notice and building campaigns around that fact.

Humanitarian organization War Child is releasing a new collaborative charity album in March 2026 featuring many popular artists like Damon Albarn, Olivia Rodrigo, and Arctic Monkeys. This project revives a strategy connecting entertainment culture and humanitarian fundraising for decades, and adapts it to modern-day cultural relevance. 

The original 1995 album raised around £1.25 million in help to support of the nonprofit’s cause, which signals the effective strategy the organization employs to tie entertainment and nonprofit communications.

When music dominates charts, it also dominates conversation. That conversation creates a cultural moment in its wake that audiences of all walks of life naturally engage with without realizing that they are also engaging with an overall message. This is a very influential tool that can reach a large audience—if done strategically. 

This visibility is why charity singles and collaborative albums continue to play an important role in nonprofit and entertainment communication.

While now considered as potentially culturally insensitive, classic charity songs like “Do They Know It’s Christmas” and “We Are the World” were wildly successful. They united people in a cause that drove real-world results and nonprofit support. 

Those campaigns demonstrated the power of celebrity and music in humanitarian relief efforts. Using the platform and talent to shine a spotlight on social issues that people would otherwise ignore or be unaware of.

Why do Music Campaigns Work? 

Entertainment PR and nonprofit PR campaigns succeed because they reduce the friction that usually occurs when raising awareness about a global issue and calling its audience to action. Instead of directly asking audiences to donate and seek out information, they both encounter the message and contribute through channels they naturally consume.

Entertainment combined with nonprofit campaigns:

• Capture attention faster than traditional fundraising appeals
• Place seemingly “distant” global crises into a relatable cultural context for Western audiences
• Transform streaming, downloads and record sales into measurable donations
• Extend awareness beyond a short-lived news cycle

Attention becomes influence, and influence becomes action.

What is War Child?

War Child is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 with the mission of supporting children affected by war and armed conflict.

Its programs focus on:

• Education access
• Mental health support
• Legal protections for vulnerable children
• Emergency services and long-term recovery efforts

From a public relations perspective, War Child’s strengths is in its integration of entertainment partnerships into its fundraising and awareness strategy. Its human-centered storytelling and clear goals make it easy for all parties­­—artists, media and audience—to engage in its mission.

Help (1995)

The original Help album, released in 1995, united British artists like Oasis, Radiohead, Paul McCartney and Blur to raise funds for children affected by the Balkan wars. It generated roughly $1 million (USD) in support, proving that charity doesn’t have to be an overt effort to have a widespread effect.

Help (1995) showed that:

• Celebrity involvement aids in media coverage
• Cultural relevance ensures lasting visibility and engagement
• Fans engage when entertainment, the artist’s values, and action align

Help (2) (2026)

The follow-up album revives the original concept for the streaming era. Featuring artists such as Grian Chatten from Fontaines D.C., Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz and Olivia Rodrigo.

The project leverages global fanbases to raise awareness for children affected by war and conflict, like the Israel-Palestine Conflict in Gaza, while employing modern music platforms to generate fundraising revenue. Artist involvement helps extend visibility and support across genres and communities while coming together to raise support for children affected by war.

In PR, charity albums provide an effective strength of using passive listening, artist alignment, and reducing fatigue to benefit a greater humanitarian effort.

• Reduces donor fatigue by embedding support though pre-established channels
• Strengthens artist branding by aligning musicians with humanitarian causes they believe in, which also benefits their personal brand
• Reflects fan engagement with measurable impact

What Does War Child’s Approach mean for Nonprofit PR?

Collaborative music campaigns demonstrate how nonprofit PR and entertainment PR can work together. Participation feels effortless yet meaningful when it aligns with preexisting cultural habits, which increases both reach and fundraising effectiveness.

War Child shows that nonprofit communication can be successful when it meets audiences inside trusted cultural spaces through clear messaging to maximize awareness and impact.

It moves with culture by turning passive listening into active support for humanitarian efforts.

When entertainment and advocacy work together, attention becomes influence, and that influence can manifest into tangible action, a lesson any modern nonprofit can learn from.

Revisiting the original Help album and the upcoming Help (2) release provides a clear example of how charity music campaigns remain a powerful tool in the intersection of nonprofit communications and entertainment PR.

For a deeper dive in the production of Help (1995), check out this documentary from War Child!