My new Chronicle of Higher Education column is out this week. This time I look at American Idol, specifically the "Idol Gives Back" episode. What lessons did it teach us about philanthropy?

Here's a bit:

I'll let you in on a little secret but you have to promise not to tell anyone: I'm a huge fan of American Idol.

I've watched the show from the start. My wife heard about this acerbic Brit named Simon Cowell and wanted to check him out. So I tuned in out of curiosity and haven't missed an episode since. Tuesday and Wednesday nights are sacred in our household -- even my daughters, ages 6 and 5, are hooked. (My 3-year-old son couldn't care less.)

My colleagues know about my affliction, though they don't suffer it well. I try my best to engage them in Idol chitchat, but they have never heard of Clay, fantasia, Kelly, Taylor, or even Sanjaya. (Well, some of them have heard of Sanjaya.) My director of development will wave his hand and shoo me out of his office at the mere mention of theme nights or voting results. Others smile and nod, waiting for me to stop. It's so hard to dish when no one else knows the dishees.

It's all such pablum to some people, especially those who dismiss every reality show as garbage. But a recent Idol episode revealed a soul beneath the glitzy facade, and made me think about the challenges we face as educational fund raisers.

Every Tuesday, millions of people call to vote for their favorite performers, hoping they will return to croon the following week. Each vote tosses a few pennies into the Idol bank, which already swells with corporate sponsorships. When upwards of 30 million people vote each week, the piggy bank grows substantially. With all of those pennies rolling around, the producers thought it was time to share the wealth.

Enter "Idol Gives Back," a star-studded, confetti-soaked, two-night extravaganza with a mission of raising money for charity. The money would support children's aid and related causes in Africa and here in the United States. Idol promised to dedicate a portion of its voting haul to such charities and exhorted major corporations to join in. A record 70 million votes were cast. Companies lined up to contribute, as did celebrities. Americans called in pledges. All told, the effort raised more than $70-million.

Was it a publicity gimmick? Sure. A counterattack to quell the anti-Idol establishment? Probably. A shameless attempt to woo new viewers? Maybe.

But it worked.

Read the rest here.