This TED talk by AIDS Ride founder and author Dan Pallotta recently knocked our socks off. Pallotta observes that a grave double standard exists between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He boldly challenges people in all fields to “change the way we think about changing the world.”
The call comes at a timely moment for us here at Upstream Arts. As the U.S. government wrestles with the deficit and as foundation giving decreases nationwide, we very directly feel the day-to-day impact of the rapidly shifting philanthropic landscape. We know that we must innovate new sources of funding; but perhaps there’s an even bigger shift that needs to happen – and indeed already is beginning to happen – in terms of how our society values and supports nonprofit work.
Check out Pallotta’s talk, and then let us know what you think by joining the conversation in the comments below, on Facebook, or on Twitter.