By Sadie Whitelocks

PUBLISHED: 10:05 EST, 15 May 2013 | UPDATED: 10:19 EST, 15 May 2013

The old adage 'sex sells' holds true even for charity fundraising.

Los Angeles-based company Charity Angels only hires 'hot' women in a bid to get wealthy men to part with their cash at philanthropic events, from benefits at golf tournaments to black tie galas and cancer fundraisers.

Tom Eisenstadt, a co-founder of the Heart Foundation who has used the agency several times, explained to Bloomberg: 'A big part of [the girls'] appeal is they’re able to pull on these guys’ heart strings.

'They’re personable and charming and they create buzz around our event that people come back for.'

The staffing agency, which pays an average of $30 an hour, was the brainchild of 34-year-old former model Mellisa Nielsen.

Last year, its Charity Angels were hired for 143 benefits, mainly across the west coast, and bookings for 2013 are up 40per cent.

Ms Nielsen explained that all of her employees are briefed about each event in advance during one-hour training sessions, and many are passionate about the cause they are hired to sell.

'I have a former Miss Georgia who’s had a lot of family members die of cancer, so she goes to every cancer event,' Ms Nielsen explained, adding: 'I want my angels to know more about the cause than the chairs if possible . . .We’re cause ambassadors.'

Indeed, that was what attracted former model Lindsey Palumbo, 32, to the prospect of becoming a 'fundraiser-for-hire'.

'My husband has allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom, but I wanted to do something that was fulfilling, that would feed my soul,' she said.

And thanks to her enthusiasm, she recently scored a $1,500 donation at a golf fundraiser in aid of a Jewish addiction organization.

A photo gallery on the Charity Angel website shows the 'angels' wearing a range of outfits that make the most of their assets.

At golf events the women are seen wearing pink v-neck t-shirts with white short skirts or shorts while at black tie events they appear in flesh-baring cocktail dresses. 

Mr Eisenstadt, of the Heart Foundation, said that in Los Angeles beautiful women 'are a dime a dozen,' but what makes the Charity Angels team stand out is the fact that they 'look as good at the end of the party as they do at the start.'

Explaining what 'angels' are required to do on site, Ms Nielsen said: 'You need to be able to have something in common with every guest you come into contact with.

'You find a little pin on his golf visor that’s a fish, and you start talking to him about the fish. It’s not sales, it’s relationship building. Remember their name, let them tell their story.'

Her Charity Angels crew is currently made up of 36 women who are all trained in the art of face-to-face fundraising.

Ms Nielsen invested around $90,000 in the business, which she set up nine years ago, and she projects she'll make profit for the first time in 2013.

She is currently getting a certificate in fundraising and grant writing at University of California in Los Angeles.

'I fell into this for my love of giving back,' she explained. 'You have all these donors sitting in the room, you have their attention for a finite period. How do you capitalize on that?'