To find a comedian for a charity fundraiser, you should be looking for clean comedians who are experienced at performing for non-profit organizations, for example someone like Shaun Eli.

It is absolutely appropriate to have a comedian perform at a benefit. Laughing is probably exactly what your attendees need. Shaun Eli's guide How to Hire a Comedian can help you plan and structure your event.

I don't know about icebreaker, because that's different from what I do, but having a comedian perform at a non-profit gala is a great idea.

The cost of hiring a comedian for a charity event depends on where, when, for whom, and how many. Your best bet is to ask. You can probably find people to work for free, but in this case you will get what you pay for. Comedians make their living from performing. The person who mops the floor in your office gets paid. The electrician who fixes your wiring gets paid. The comedian performing at your gala does that for a living and should also be paid.

Whether hiring a comedian is worth it for a small fundraiser depends on your budget. Keep in mind what you're spending on food. Nobody's there for the food. They might show up because you're having a comedian. If you expect 100 or more attendees, you should easily be able to make this work.

Most comedians offer discounted rates for non-profits, compared to their corporate rate. They may not accept less than a comedy club pays, because comedy clubs don't pay that well.

To make sure the comedian doesn't offend anyone given your cause, you should absolutely discuss it with them before you hire them. A comedian like Shaun Eli specifically mentions this as something you need to think about when planning your event, not five minutes before the comedian takes the stage.

They should be able to. I've lost a close relative to cancer, I'm a frequent contributor to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and I'm sensitive to not offending people. I'm Shaun Eli, and I'm happy to answer your questions.

To brief a comedian on a sensitive topic before a fundraiser, make sure to discuss it with them. Tell them all your concerns, and ask them what questions they have. Asking what questions they have, rather than asking IF they have any questions, is more likely to have them volunteer what concerns they might have.

A solo comedian? Maybe 45 minutes (I can go longer). If the comedy is the main event of the gala then consider having 2-3 comedians, and a 90 minute show.

A comedian can probably also host your auction or fundraiser program, but it depends on the comedian. I can. Some comics don't want to, and frankly some may not be particularly good at it. Shaun is a good event host, and while he is not a trained auctioneer, he has done a more than decent job when he's been asked to auction items at an event.

There are a few issues here. The speeches may (sorry) bore people, so the comedian may want a short break before the performance. Or, after a comedy performance, the speeches may seem especially boring. And whether to have it before or after the auction? If you need people present for the auction, and you think they might leave after the performance, you'll have to take that into consideration. Discuss this with the comedian in advance.

Ask every single question that concerns you. Ask if they're clean. Then ask them what clean means. Ask if they understand what the event is for, and what might offend attendees. I wrote a long piece about how to hire a comedian.

I'm Shaun Eli, I'm experienced at performing for non-profit fundraising events, and I have colleagues I can bring who are also similarly-experienced. If I'm not available I can recommend some hilarious colleagues.