Sarah Ford | March 11, 2013

The way we think about charity is dead wrong

Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let’s change the way we think about changing the world.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages athttp://www.ted.com/translate

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

Workplace Fundraising + Volunteering Summit (April 2nd and 3rd, 2025)

March 26, 2025

Join us in attending this virtual summit! The America’s Charities team is joining up with other leading voices in the workplace giving space for a…

Read Article

The Time to Act is Now

March 7, 2025

The results of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are in, and the findings are, in a word, heartbreaking. This assessment serves as…

Read Article

Open Position:  Non-Profit Account Manager, Employee Assistance Funds & Scholarships (Remote – Full Time)

February 20, 2025

We are professional, agile, customer-centric and our goal is to inspire employees and organizations to support causes they care about. We help nonprofits fundraise unrestricted,…

Read Article

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock