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

Impact

Entrusted Legacy (ETL) is a non-profit that is working to be sure that every youth has a positive role model and mentor.  We believe that most adults who work with youth, would like to fill this role, but are often unclear about how to do this.  ETL believes that one of the best ways to ensure the number of role models and mentors needed by our youth, is to prepare afterschool professionals to accept this role.

Being a role model begins through building relationships with youth that demonstrate the adult is interested in spending time with the youth, will be there for them to support them and help them make good choices, and ultimately believe in the unique possibilities the young person has.  Role models and mentors must have high standards for themselves and high expectations of those they mentor.  ETL works with partners like Southern California Edison, Consult 4 Kids and private donors to make this happen.  Recently, one person who benefited from this support commented, “I don't know if you know just how much of an impact you have had on my life (career.)  You have redirected my path, confirming to me that YOUTH DEVELOPMENT really can make an impact on our youth if we are dedicated to the systems and processes it takes to follow through with all the training you provided to me.” 

Join with us so we can continue supporting the growth and development of those who work with youth.  When we invest in one adult, the number of youth they will touch in a lifetime is exponential.

You can learn more about us by viewing our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or contacting us at support@entrustedlegacy.org  

What’s Your Point of View?

What are you passionate about?  What is it that you want to accomplish?  I saw a clever license plate the other day and it shared this message:

LV♥NLOL

After pondering the message for a while, I realized it said, “Live, Love, and Laugh Out Loud.”  I would agree with this sentiment, but I would also want to add “LAL” or Leave a Legacy.  I think it is important that each of us leave the world better than when we arrived, in other words leave a legacy that will support the realization of possibilities in our fellow humans. 

Entrusted Legacy has a passion to ensure that everyone has a positive role model and mentor.  When I reflect on my own life I think about those special people who acted as a guide for me simply by being who they were and then being willing to share that with me.  They expected nothing in return and took pleasure from being the mentor and role model that I needed.  Entrusted Legacy strives to ensure that those who are in a position to be that positive role model and mentor, those who work with youth in the space afterschool, are well prepared to take the helm.  If you don’t have time to be a mentor yourself, leave a legacy that will support both the mentor and the mentee.  Contact us at support@centrustedlegacy.org or visit our website for more information.  www.entrustedlegacy.org

Are You A Leader?

Why in the world would anyone want to be a leader?  Don’t we have enough leaders?  Don’t we have enough people “throwing their weight around?”  Don’t we have enough people who have assumed roles of responsibility and power?  I guess the answer to those questions depends upon your definition of a leader.

What is a leader?  There are a wide variety of definitions, but I like the one provided by F. John Rey who says, “A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen.”  "What Is A Leader"   For me, this hits the nail right on the head.  I believe it’s not enough to have a vision.  You must have the drive and commitment as well as the skills to make it happen.  In other words, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  Without results, your vision is just a dream.  Whether your vision is for personal success or one that is focused on the success of others, the best way to ensure that success is to see to it that everyone has an opportunity to recognize their unique potential.  John Dunne was right when he said, “No man is an island entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the whole.”  We are all in this together.

Here at Entrusted Legacy our vision is that every youth, no matter who he or she is, no matter what the circumstance of his or her birth, will have the positive role model and mentor needed to act as a guide and support system.  We believe that with the right role model and mentor, every youth can reach his or her full possibilities and will assume a rightful place of leadership for the next generation. 

We are committed to making this vision a reality, but to do so we need your help.  We believe that your leadership today will pave the way for the leaders of tomorrow, and with a nation full of leaders—people with a vision, the drive, commitment, and skills to make it happen, we are on a trajectory for sustained success as citizens of this country and the world.  Find out how you can help.  Visit our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org

No Arms, No Legs, No Worries—a You Tube Broadcast featuring Nick Vujicic

WOW!  Talk about a positive role model and mentor!  Have you had the opportunity to either see in person or view You Tube videos featuring Nick Vujicic?  To give you a little background, Nick was born with no arms or legs (although he does have a foot of sorts which he calls his chicken wing) in Australia.  He now lives in Los Angeles and makes his living as a motivational speaker, especially with young people.  His message is to dream big and never give up. 

Nick shares the challenges he had growing up.  He shares how he was depressed thinking about how he wished his life was different and that he kept asking himself the question, “Why me?”  He said he worried that he would lead a life without purpose.  However, because of the love of his family and the constant encouragement of his parents, he developed hope.  He discovered his value, his purpose and his destiny.  He shares that encouragement takes you closer to the possibilities that are within you, while discouragement takes you further away.  He also shares that if you leave a seed of doubt and discouragement in your heart, it will grow and it will continue to try and take you over and have you “die” to the possibility of yourself.

At the end of a presentation with high school students in El Centro, California he says, “I love you and you’re beautiful just the way you are!” 

If you haven’t seen Nick, please take the time to do so today. Look at yourself after watching this video see No Arms, No Legs, No Worries 

You can invest in the role models and mentors who work with youth every day in afterschool programs.  Check Entrusted Legacy out at www.entrustedlegacy.org or by contacting 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

Entrusted Legacy’s Work

Entrusted Legacy’s bottom line is to holistically train adults to be personally and professionally effective.  ETL’s efforts are focused on adults who work with youth. Developing positive role models who effectively demonstrate the capacity, character and competency to practice the advanced citizenship required in a global society, is our quest. Entrusted Legacy is committed to the notion that “it takes a village” to positively influence the choices our next generation of adults make. From pre-schoolers to young adults, we must provide opportunities for youth to prepare and practice for the real adult world.  

When youth are involved with a well-trained role model and mentor, they are being prepared to be a self-sufficient adult who can build positive relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, and practice advanced citizenship by giving back to the community. Educating youth by example makes the metamorphosis of becoming a self-reflective adult an empowering instead of an enabling process. Just as caterpillars turn into butterflies, our youth will turn into adults, and our efforts will help them to become contributing members of society—teachers, ministers, bankers, construction workers, doctors and nurses, entertainers, service-industry professionals, and certainly parents of the next generation.

With the support of Southern California Edison and Consult 4 Kids, Entrusted Legacy has provided the DowneyASPIRE program with both online and face-to-face training.  We captured this training through pictures.  

Each person has a unique contribution to make to the world and certainly people cannot be duplicated. However, this ETL system of education, complete with best practices employed to unleash the power of youth, can be endlessly replicated. For us, it is not a question of “if” you get involved, but rather a question of “how” will you get involved. Entrust your legacy to us. Volunteer your time, give financially or introduce us to others who might be interested in volunteering time, giving financially or better yet, do all three! Impact the lives of youth everywhere. The greatest education in the world without the ability to implement successfully is futile. Join us as we empower current and future citizens.

Check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or by contacting us at support@entrustedlegacy.org