Thoughts on Ted Talk with Dan Pallotta—The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong

In March, 2013, Ted Talks were held at Long Beach and one of the speakers was Dan Pallotta.  He shared his thought that the way we have been taught to think about non-profits undermines charity and “the causes we love and our profound yearning to change the world.”  Pallotta who has raised millions for breast cancer and AIDS research is considered by many as an expert.  He states that there are two rule books in play, one for non-profits and the other for for-profits.  He points out his belief that this started with the Puritans who were aggressive capitalists who were taught to feel badly about the money they made by their Calvinist beliefs.  So to do penance for making money, charity became a “place for penance” and since you can’t make money when you’re doing penance for making money, the entire notion that all of the donated money should go for the cause instead of profit (more recently translated into overhead), was born.

He points out that in his opinion non-profits suffer because they cannot offer adequate compensation to attract the brightest and the best in business to be part of the team or lead the way; they are unable to advertise and market; they are unable to take risks on new revenue generating ideas; they don’t have the time needed to ensure a return on investment; and finally they don’t have the ability to attract risk capital because there is no promise of profit.

Pallotta advocates for looking at philanthropy in a different way if we plan to tackle social causes related to health and human services in a way that will make a difference.  He believes that we can make the philanthropy “pie” bigger is we stop confusing morality with frugality.  His full Ted Talk can be viewed at: 

Dan Pallotta: "The way we think about charity is dead wrong"

At Entrusted Legacy we work to keep our overhead low and work as much as we can with a volunteer workforce.  We are committed to our mission to educate afterschool professionals to be positive role models and mentors for youth, and we humbly share that we can’t do this without you.  We believe that we can change the world, one child, mentored by a positive role model at a time.  Join with us to brighten our future and secure your legacy.  Visit us at www.entrustedlegacy.org or by emailing us at support@entrustedlegacy.org

Your Words and Thoughts Have Physical Power—Thoughts From Will Smith

The list of movies that Will Smith has starred in range from the portrayal of real people in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness to science fiction thrillers, Men In Black (1, 2, and 3) I, Robot, Independence Day, and I Am Legend, and generally likable characters in Wild, Wild West and Hancock.  He began his career as a rapper and the star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV comedy.  But perhaps he is most interesting for his candid conversations about the importance of committing “ourselves to something and making it real in the universe.”  In a collection of Will Smith interviews, captured in a single see:
Your words and thoughts have physical power - Will Smith 
Smith talks about his beliefs and world view.  He begins by saying, “I love living—you can’t fake it.” 

Will shares that it is important to believe you can accomplish the impossible.  He says that being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.  He illustrates his point by sharing how unrealistic it was to think you could walk into a room, flip a switch and have instant light—until Edison made it so.  And that it was equally unrealistic that you could shape metal in a certain way and fly—until of course the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.  He goes on to say that you don’t start out trying to build the biggest brick wall in the world, instead you start by laying the best brick as perfectly as you can and then adding another and another in the same way until you have reached your goal. 

As an obvious positive role model and mentor, Will encourages people to commit themselves to making a difference and changing someone else’s life for the better.  This commitment begins with a choice and according to Smith, there is a redemptive power in making a choice—in knowing who you are working to become and how you will get there.  We all have an opportunity to make a difference and can do something to change the world, both directly and indirectly.  We need to find a cause we believe in and then go to work.

At Entrusted Legacy our cause is simple.  We believe that every youth needs to have a positive role model and mentor that they can connect with on a regular basis.  We also believe that the afterschool space is perfect for this interaction because of the adults who have the desire to work with kids.  We encourage you to join with Entrusted Legacy to sponsor afterschool professionals as they become the mentors and role models that they would like to be and our youth deserve.  Check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or contact us a support@entrustedlegacy.org