Charities often get celebrities to endorse their cause. How do you even make such a contact to get the ball rolling??? - Jinx
Most likely by contacting their agent or publicist.
If you personally have a charity that you want a celeb to endorse, I would find out who their agent is (check www.whorepresents.com – no, that’s not a typo…), and call them to “make contact,” then send a letter outlining your ideas/needs. I would address the letter to the agent (not the actor), otherwise it might be seen as fanmail and chucked out.
(For more info on actors’ agents, call (323) 549-6737, 9 am to 4:45 pm (PT), Monday through Friday – they will give you the name of actors’ reps, though only 3 at a time.)
Also, it might help to find out which “causes” those celebs are interested in – as it would give you an idea of what they like to support and whether yours is similar.
Just found a few sites that might help:
This one (pdf) gives some general info on celebs and causes.
This one is a service which connects celebs to clients, though you must pay for that service.
Good luck!
The IMDb also has contact info for many celebs. Might not be accurate but it’s worth a shot.