An unabashed call to free charity from its ideological and economic constraints
Uncharitable is an unorthodox call to arms, inviting us to think beyond nonprofit ideology and bring economic freedom to the causes we love. Author Dan Pallotta argues that nonprofit ideology is a religious edifice that acts as a strict regulatory mechanism on natural economic law, thereby putting the nonprofit sector at an extreme disadvantage vis-à-vis the for-profit sector. In other words, the very system long cherished as the hallmark of American compassion undermines itself. This irrational system, Pallotta explains, has its roots in 400-year-old Puritan ethics that banished self-interest from the realm of charity.
Today, nonprofit ideology creates an economic apartheid that acts against charity’s self-interest. While the for-profit sector is permitted to use all the tools of capitalism to advance the sale of consumer goods, the nonprofit sector is prohibited from using any of them to fight hunger or disease. Capitalism is blamed for creating the inequities in our society, but charity, by its own ideology, is prohibited from using capitalism’s tools to rectify them, creating the most extreme injustice. By ridding ourselves of these obsolete ideas, Pallotta theorizes, we can dramatically accelerate progress on the most urgent social issues of our time. Pallotta has written an important, provocative, timely, and accessible book that seeks to remedy this wrong and that will forever change the way you think about “charity.”
“Dan Pallotta has written the clearest and most articulate critique I have read of the system of values that our charities and other nonprofit organizations are supposed to follow. He explains in graphic detail how these values undercut what charities are trying to do and prevent them from accomplishing all that they might. Not everyone may agree with his position, but the nonprofit world will surely benefit from a vigorous discussion of his arguments.”—Derek Bok, former President of Harvard University
“What scales would our nonprofit organizations have to achieve to eradicate the great social problems that confront us, and how do our traditions and beliefs about charity stand in their way? Dan Pallotta has elevated the questions we need to be asking. His book provocatively challenges traditional views of how charities should operate and provides a thought-provoking alternative. Many will disagree with his approach, but the bottom line is that Pallotta has been successful in helping important charities.”—Dr. David Ho, 1997 Time Magazine Man of the Year and Director, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center
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DAN PALLOTTA was the founder, owner, and Chief Executive Officer of Pallotta TeamWorks. He created the AIDS Rides and the Breast Cancer 3-Days charity events, netting an astounding $305 million for these two causes in eight years. His work has been the subject of cover and feature stories in many of the nation’s most prominent news media. Currently, Dan lives with his partner and their three children in California.
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