A World That Works For Everyone

For those who haven’t yet watched it, Dan Pallotta’s TED Talk from March 2013 has now become part of nonprofit folklore.

It has been quoted, applauded, debated, and and was the impetus for organizations like the Charity Defense Council.

Dan Palotta’s description of the unique role that nonprofits play and the challenges they face is something we encounter every day with the customers and partners we work with.  At OneTenth consulting, we share his perspective Pallotta so eloquently states:

“...the things we've been taught to think about giving and about charity and about the nonprofit sector, are actually undermining the causes we love, and our profound yearning to change the world.”

Despite the increased role of CSR initiatives from our corporate counterparts and the rise of social businesses that aim to address the world’s most pressing issues, there are still those societal problems that lie in the spaces between.  They  will never catch the attention of large corporations, nor can their solutions can be monetized.  Often times, it is those causes that serve the most vulnerable in our society and it is the nonprofit sector that will need to lead the way.  But as Palotta says, we cannot “have two rulebooks...one for the nonprofit sector, and one for the rest of the economic world.”

If you work for a nonprofit, work with nonprofits, or are passionate toward a cause...any cause, I encourage you take the the time to listen to this talk and think critically about how and why you give.  And if you feel so compelled, consider making an “unrestricted” donation to a charity of your choice :)