470. UnCharitable: Unthink Everything You Know About Change - Dan Pallotta

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Overview

Meet Dan. He’s a humanitarian activist, entrepreneur, author and now filmmaker🎥 He’s sharing insights from UnCharitable, the new feature-length documentary directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal that exposes the dark side of philanthropy and introduces a radical new way of giving. We’re digging into how outdated ideas and overhead metrics have skewed the nonprofit sector leading to resource shortages and distrust. But it's not all doom and gloom, as new media can be a potent tool to bridge these voids, fostering understanding and facilitating change. Don’t miss this heart-to-heart with one of our favorite change-makers🫶

💡Learn

How UnCharitable is a new Manifesto for Nonprofits

Why our sector needs to think differently and dream bigger
How narratives can reshape + influence movements

Today’s Guest

Dan Pallotta, Entrepreneur, Author + Humanitarian Activist

“Do you want them to put on your gravestone I kept charity overhead low?”

— Dan Pallotta

Episode Transcript

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Episode Highlights

Nonprofit sector’s new manifesto (11:00)
Dreaming in our sector (18:00)
The power of media in our sector (23:00)
Why is now the time (30:00)
How we can prioritize new ideas in our sector (33:00)
Activation (36:00)
A powerful story of philanthropy in Dan’s life (43:00)
Dan’s One Good Thing: Nonprofits are in an economic prison. You don’t belong in prison. You deserve to be out in the wild free with your biggest ideas for a better world. (46:00)
Where to watch Uncharitable (42:50)

POWERFUL QUOTES

“Philanthropy is the market for love.” -Dan

“It’s a systemic issue. What is interesting is that the nonprofit sector has a profound inability to get pissed off.” -Dan

“We’re conscious about it. You can’t be blamed until you are conscious about it.” -Dan

“In the nonprofit sector, we didn’t realize that overhead was a bad measure. We didn’t realize that having a different set of rules that discriminate against us versus the for-profit sector was a bad idea. Now we know. If we continue to be victims of it it’s our fault.” -Dan

“We cannot do that if we can’t invest money in it. These things don’t happen for free. When you get free media it is at 3:00 in the morning.” -Dan

“Everybody is in their little silos with no vision happening. America’s foundations could lead that charge.” -Dan

“Do you want them to put on your gravestone I kept charity overhead low?” -Dan

“Get your courage up and start actively changing things in your ecosystem and the world around you, and get others to do that with you. All of us have to speak truth to power.” -Dan

“We need a new trade media for the nonprofit sector.” -Dan

“Show this movie to everyone.” -Dan

“We don’t need you to change the whole world thinks about charity. You’re going to get all this adrenaline. Change the way your world thinks about charity.” -Dan

“The movie will do the talking for you.” -Dan

“We need a new trade media for the nonprofit sector.” -Dan

“Show this movie to everyone.” -Dan