Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/86796
"The days of red carpet philanthropy are largely over," says Trevor Neilson, 40, on a sunny Friday afternoon. It's a surprising thing to hear from the co-founder of Global Philanthropy Group, a company based in Los Angeles that has become known for advising celebrities such as Madonna, Bono and Shakira on their philanthropic activities. "That's not to say there won't be events," Neilson continues. "But a lot of people make the mistake of thinking the gala itself is philanthropy. We develop much more sophisticated, permanent strategies; it's not a one-night stand." Neilson, handsome, fit and dark-featured, has been up since 5:30 a.m. On a usual weekday, in the early morning hours, he can be spotted paddling on his surfboard in the ocean near his Pacific Palisades home, and then making lunch for his seven- and four-year-old daughters. "I was lucky to have married Maggie. She and I have a similar set of values," he says, pointing out that they both grew up in the Seattle area. Maggie was a technology executive at Amazon.com before becoming CEO and co-founder of Global Philanthropy. Since 2007, they have built an increasingly influential roster of clients comprised mostly of high-net-worth individuals, including Howard Buffett, son of Warren, and companies such as Bulgari and Kiehl's. Celebrities, while attracting the bulk of the press coverage, make up just a quarter of the enterprise. Even so, this husband-and-wife team has devised strategies for many famous faces, including Demi Moore, Ben Stiller and Tory Burch. And these campaigns can take on many forms, with some celebrities, most of whom typically hear about GPG through word of mouth, approaching the Neilsons with ideas already in mind; at other times they are given a blank slate from which to craft an initial strategy. The process can take months, but regardless of the plan, Global Philanthropy researches the issues, performs due diligence about the charities and provides analytic tools to measure the actual impact made. The Neilsons have learned from their clients as well. "Shakira is crazy smart," Maggie says. "She's able to assess an education issue from a macro level to knowing the names of the kids in the schools she funds." Similarly, longtime client John Legend often does his own research about Trevor Neilson The philanthropic adviser to Madonna and Shakira is determined to change the landscape from event-driven charities to long-lasting endeavors. BY BEE-SHYUAN CHANG Neilson Charity Case Trevor 192 BAL HARBOUR PHOTO SEAN MCCABE