“The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong” ~ A Must-See TED Talk with Author Dan Pallotta
I’ve been waiting years for this TED Talk!
Dan Pallotta wrote a book called Uncharitable – I wrote about it back when I first started this blog. In Uncharitable, Pallotta challenges traditional thoughts on charitable giving.
Since I began working one-on-one with charities, I’ve come to witness the challenges they face which Pallotta covers in this talk.
If we truly wish to see a change in the world, or if you’ve ever donated money to a cause, which I am sure every one of you has, then you need to give this a watch.
Pallotta seems to cover the objections that you may have (I certainly did), and overcome them with thought-provoking detail.
You can learn more about Dan’s work here.
Please share your thoughts below!
Giving Tuesday is Around the Corner ~ November 27, 2012
Giving. It’s what this time of year is all about.
We stand in line for hours to buy the hottest items, browse the internet searching for the perfect gift, and spend our last dollars trying to buy the people we love a gift to show them how much we care because somewhere along the way saying it was no longer enough.
We are a society that it is consumed with the acquiring of things. We have to have the newest season’s fashions or the latest phone. We are always trading in, upgrading, sizing up – because we want more. We want better.
Many of us stay up all night wrapping gifts year after year. We give out of obligation or from the kindness of our hearts and most often we give to those who we are close to or interact with on a regular basis. But there is a world out there that extends beyond our close circle of family and friends, and the world is in need. The world is filled with people who are depending on the kindness of others, people who may have never met them; people who are not a part of their circle. People like you and me.
Most of you are familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They are two of the days in which we spend large amounts of money in our quest to obtain more stuff, some for us to keep or give away as gifts to friends and family. Imagine if we extended our giving to reach people beyond our immediate circle. What if we added something to our shopping cart for someone we didn’t know or passed on one sale and took the money we saved and donated it to a charitable organization?
This year on Tuesday November 27, 2012 we are encouraged to give.
It is a day referred to as “Giving Tuesday” and it is an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Whether it be by donating money, preparing a healthy meal for someone who would otherwise go without, donating clothes or toiletries to a shelter or charity, spending time volunteering, or starting a fundraiser, there are numerous things that you can do allowing you to give from your heart and make someone else’s life better in some way.
The wonderful thing about making a difference is that anyone can do it. Your age, socioeconomic status, cultural, religious or political beliefs no longer really matter. What matters is that you have a desire to do something — something to make someone else’s life better simply because you care enough to give from your own heart. And in the end your life will be better too.
Join countless charities, business, families and individuals and give this coming Tuesday. No act of kindness is too small. For more ideas on what you can do visit GivingTuesday.org.
Mozilla Firefox Encourages Individuals to Make a Global Impact
There is a challenge taking place internet-wide, and it is literally going to change the world.
Many internet users are familiar with the web browser Mozilla Firefox, and according to Crowdrise, an online philanthropy site comprised of “online fundraising, crowd sourcing, social networking, contests, and other nice stuff”, Mozilla is working to raise funds to support some very important causes.
Causes for issues such as cancer, human trafficking, clean water and animal rescue are being backed my celebrities and non-celebrities all who share the desire to support the organizations they are passionate about. Mozilla is encouraging users to make an “individual action” which will result in a “global impact”.
This season people are afforded the opportunity to donate to a charity or even join that celebrity’s team. Participants are also given the chance to fundraise for their own cause and as if changing the world wasn’t enough of a perk, Firefox is collaborating with multiple teams in order to offer donors a chance to win prizes ranging autographed t-shirts and video documentaries to live chat sessions via Skype and visiting the set of a television program.
As for the challenge according to Crowdrise, the “cause” that raises the most money by January 11, 2012 will receive $25,000. To date each celebrity’s charity has already received a donation of $5,000.
This month Heidi highlighted several gifts that give back. Consider giving the gift of global impact this year. Celebrities such as Christy Turlington Burns, Zooey Deschanel and Jason Bateman are all working to support the causes they believe in and are hopeful that each of us will believe in the them too. Please take a moment and visit Crowdrise to learn more about the people and organizations that are making their mark on the world and to perhaps make your own mark too.
Call To Action ~ Join Forces with ‘Bloggers Unite for Change’
For the past five or so years – mainly since I first became a mom – I have been overwhelmed with a sense that I “need to do something more” to help make a change in the world. I recently touched on violence in the media and my thoughts on having a balance between the fear-mongering news, and being in the know and aware of what is happening around the world – and in the past I found that the more I learned, the more helpless I felt.
Eventually, this helplessness led me where I am right now – my space in a world of 7 billion people, where I am blessed with the ability to share and help bring awareness to some of the most dire circumstances and tragic events that are occurring worldwide.
There are so many amazing activists out there, pounding the pavement and starting organizations to get their message out and speak for those who do not have opportunity to have their voices heard. Without activists like some of the amazing people we’ve featured such as Jeremy Gilley, Jacqueline Novogratz, and Christy Turlington Burns, there would be much less of a chance for change and a better quality of life for all.
But where do the rest of us fit in? How can we help? That is why I am posting today.
I would like to announce a Call To Action for bloggers to join forces and unite to initiate change not only online – but in our own communities and those around us. Many of us are already doing Social Good by writing about issues that need attention, and there are some great resources available to help us do this, including Bloggers Without Borders.
We’ve taken this in a different direction and are creating a community where we can learn from each other, campaign together, pool our resources, and put focus on where it is needed, both locally and globally. Equally important – a space where charities can easily connect with bloggers to help raise awareness.
Bloggers Unite For Change is this community.
If you are a blogger (of any topic!) please contact Heidi at theconsciousperspective@gmail.com to join in and learn more.
Thank you!
(source)
Organization Spotlight ~ Every Mother Counts
It is estimated that every 90 seconds a woman dies giving birth taking away her chance to be there for every milestone and treasured moment in her child’s life. (source)
Both Heidi and I experienced “Major” complications during our deliveries, and we agree that although we were terrified the very moment things went wrong, we felt equally at ease being surrounded by nurses and doctors who were providing quality medial care that we were lucky enough to have access to. As a result of these experiences, we were compelled to put the Organization Spotlight on Every Mother Counts, founded by former Supermodel and advocate Christy Turlington Burns.
Christy’s birth complications from her first pregnancy inspired her, when pregnant for a second time, to visit a remote village where mothers had to walk miles to obtain clean water – their only opportunity to receive prenatal and postnatal care. These two experiences were instrumental in her decision to learn about maternal health.
Through her documentary No Woman No Cry, Christy was able to bring to the forefront an epidemic impacting hundreds of thousands of women each year by sharing the stories of at risk pregnant women in several regions, including the United States. In the film she shes light on the fact that this epidemic is not limited to third world countries. Her work continues through advocacy and education by herself and the countless individuals and organizations inspired by her cause.
Various issues including extreme poverty, lack of quality healthcare, complications following childbirth, challenges within the healthcare system, and policies related to healthcare and a lack in family planning and reproductive health services all contribute to this astounding rate of maternal deaths. More astounding is the fact that 90% of these deaths are preventable.
As a mother it’s difficult to fathom not being there to help my child navigate a world so different than the world she knew when she was growing in my womb. To think of all of the mothers who do not have this opportunity is heart-breaking.
Christy shares the one commonality between all mothers; that experience is “birth”. By using it as a catalyst to bring people together she seeks to facilitate a “health moment” to ensure that mothers throughout the world survive the childbirth experience.
There are several ways we can help ensure that more mothers have the opportunity to not only give birth to their children but also raise them. To find out more visit Every Mother Counts – Take Action.
Uncharitable ~ Changing Our Thoughts To Improve The Non-Profit Sector
While researching details on Canadian charitable organizations, I discovered (a little late in the game!,) a book titled “Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential,” by author Dan Pallotta. “Uncharitable” discusses the fact that our societal ideals regarding charities are outdated, and that our apprehension to allow non-profits to put money into advertising, wages, etc. is actually hindering the overall success of the non-profit sector.
I have spent some time reading about the book and the concepts it brings forth, and caught up on many interviews with Pallotta. I was truly impressed with questions and ideas raised by him, and it left me with a feeling that there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to charitable giving. Pallotta says that we tend to have “two rule books,” one for non-profits, and one for everything else.
Some of the ideas that I found particularly thought-provoking were regarding advertising, and wages. In an interview I watched, Pallotta brought up the fact that “we don’t like to see our donations spent on paid advertising,” and used the Superbowl as an example. The cost would be high for an ad such as this, however, the audience it would reach would be massive and could help the charity bring it’s cause to a new level.
In regards to new graduates and compensation, he discusses the fact that many of the most qualified young professionals are much less inclined to work for a not-for-profit with wages that can’t compete with other for-profit employment opportunities. Another fact that I am sure cannot be denied.
I wouldn’t normally discuss a book before reading it, but I was compelled to when the ideas struck a chord within me. There are two sides to every story, and though I never had questioned these ideals before, I look forward to reading this book and catching up on the latest happenings with Pallotta. To view videos and learn more about the author, click here
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