Dan Pallotta
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Dan Pallotta | |
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Born | Daniel M. Pallotta January 21, 1961 Malden, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Alma mater | Harvard University (1983) |
Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, author, and humanitarian activist |
Website | DanPallotta.com |
Daniel M. Pallotta (born January 21, 1961) is an American entrepreneur, author, and humanitarian activist. He is best known for his involvement in multi-day charitable events with the long-distance
Early life and education
Pallotta was born in
At the age of 19, Pallotta placed second in a field of twelve candidates and became the second youngest member ever elected to the school board in his hometown of Melrose, Massachusetts.[
During Pallotta's first weekend at Harvard he participated in the human consciousness course called the Erhard Seminars Training,[citation needed] created by Werner Erhard. The training's emphasis on making a difference, goal-setting, and human understanding would play a major role later in the design of the multi-day event experiences Pallotta and his company created. In 1980, as chair of the Harvard Hunger Action Committee, Pallotta organized a speaking engagement for singer-songwriter John Denver[citation needed] (who had served on President Jimmy Carter’s Commission on World Hunger). At Denver's invitation, Pallotta attended the singer's Windstar Foundation Program for college students in Snowmass, Colorado the next summer. The program focused on issues of global sustainability. Pallotta and his 20 classmates slept in teepees in the Rockies, and were treated to a macrobiotic diet and lectures by the mathematician and philosopher Buckminster Fuller.
During the summer before Pallotta's senior year at Harvard he heard about two cyclists crossing America to raise money for cancer research.
Los Angeles
In 1985 Pallotta moved to
In 1992, after a serious bout of
Events
AIDS rides
Pallotta was aware that there was “nothing big” for the average person to do about AIDS. It was the same feeling of frustration he had at Harvard looking at the gap between world hunger and the small fundraising events designed to address it.
From 1995 to 1996 Pallotta expanded the AIDS Rides to include San Francisco, Boston,
.The model was new in that it was the first time a “thon” event came with a four-figure mandatory fundraising minimum, and was marketed on a large scale in major metropolitan media.[citation needed] Up until that time, “thon” events had welcomed people no matter how much or how little they raised. This was democratic, but not a powerful revenue model. They also used traditional grassroots marketing methods. Pallotta's combination of marketing these events to the masses, not just to cyclists, marketing them alongside the major consumer brands in full-page ads in major metropolitan papers and expanding the events nationwide, created an industry that had not existed before.[citation needed]
In nine years the AIDS Rides netted, after all expenses, $108 million – more money, raised more quickly for these causes than any events in history.[2]
Breast Cancer 3-Days
In 1998 Pallotta conceived the idea of a three-day, 75-mile walk for breast cancer. After scouting the route with three other staff, it was decided that 75 miles was too long, and the event was shortened to 60 miles and called the “Breast Cancer 3-Day.” In 1997 Pallotta brought the idea to Joanne Mazurki, the head of the Avon Cosmetics company's Breast Cancer Crusade. She brought it to Jim Preston, Avon's CEO, who signed off on the launch of the first event, which would take place in 1998 and travel from Santa Barbara to Malibu. The event was four times as successful as the first AIDS Ride, netting $4.2 million. With capital from Avon, the events were expanded to four cities in 1999, seven cities in 2000, nine cities in 2001 and thirteen cities in 2002. In five years the events netted $194 million in unrestricted dollars for the breast cancer community — more money raised more quickly for the breast cancer cause than any event in history.[2]
Out of the Darkness suicide prevention events
In 1999, after studying the issue of suicide, Pallotta realized that mortality rates from suicide approached those of breast cancer in the United States, and that suicide attempts dwarfed breast cancer diagnoses. He created an event called “Out of the Darkness” — a 26-mile walk through the night designed to bring the issue of suicide into the light. The event put suicide prevention at the table with the mega-causes, netting $1.3 million in its first year.[2]
Big Ride Across America
In 1997, Pallotta TeamWorks produced the largest cross-country bike ride in American history for the American Lung Association. 730 cyclists rode for six weeks from Seattle to Washington, D.C.[2]
AIDS Vaccine Rides
In 1999, Pallotta made a personal guarantee in order to borrow $1.1 million to launch the AIDS Vaccine Rides which would provide unrestricted dollars for maverick research at the
Harvard Business School case study
In 2000, Harvard Business School did a case study on social enterprise on Pallotta's company, Pallotta TeamWorks, which continues to be taught.[2]
Pallotta TeamWorks
Pallotta built his for-profit charitable company Pallotta TeamWorks in 1994. His company employed 400 full-time people in 16 U.S. offices and was raising $169 million annually by 2002. In total, the company raised $582 million from 1994 to 2002.[8] The company charged a fixed production fee for its services. It did not do commission-based fundraising or get a "take" off of the top. One hundred percent of all donations went to lock boxes under the charities' exclusive control. The charities then reimbursed the company for its expenses on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Pallotta TeamWorks fees, in a hindsight calculation, amounted to 4.01%[11] of funds raised.[citation needed]
Pallotta was criticized for the large amounts of money Pallotta TeamWorks was making each year and the $394,500 salary he was receiving, described as "stratospheric" for the aid world.[12] His annual salary ranged from $150,000 in 1994 to approximately $425,000 in 2002. Palotta commented that "We allow people to make huge profits doing any number of things that will hurt the poor, but we want to crucify anyone who wants to make money helping them".[12]
In 2002, the company moved into an innovative headquarters that it had outfitted, The Apostrophe. A new and completely empty 47,000 square-foot "
Shut-down of Pallotta Teamworks
In 2002, the company's events netted $81 million for charity after all expenses. At the time the Breast Cancer 3-Day program was the company's largest fundraising event series. For five years the Avon Products Foundation had been the beneficiary of the events, which netted $194 million in unrestricted funds for the Foundation in just five years. In 2002, Avon informed Pallotta TeamWorks that it would no longer be associated with the company's events. Pallotta TeamWorks began negotiating with another charity to become the beneficiary of the events. During that period, Avon announced a nationwide series of multi-day breast cancer fundraising walks, each with a four-figure pledge minimum, in many of the same cities in which the 3-Days had been conducted and, in many cases, on very similar dates. As a result, the new charity with which Pallotta TeamWorks had been negotiating, fearing that the events would cannibalize one another, decided against partnering with Pallotta TeamWorks on the 3-Days. A few days after the news, on August 23, 2002, the company laid off its entire staff nationwide and closed the doors on its new headquarters. Ultimately, the Susan G. Komen Foundation hired an event company, which was founded by former Pallotta staff, and resuscitated the 3-Day Walks, continuing to produce them through 2017.[8]
Writing
In 2012 Pallotta wrote, Charity Case: How the Nonprofit Community Can Stand Up for Itself and Really Change the World, which
In 2008 Pallotta wrote, Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential. It became the best-selling title in the history of Tufts University Press. The New York Times described it as seething "with indignation at public expectations that charities be prudent, nonprofit and saintly".[12] The Stanford Social Innovation Review wrote that the book, "deserves to become the nonprofit sector’s new manifesto".[1] Former U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Gary Hart wrote that the book was, “nothing less than a revolutionary work".[16] Pallotta has given in excess of 150 speeches in 29 countries on the book as of December, 2012.[citation needed]
In 2000, Pallotta wrote, When Your Moment Comes – a Guide to Fulfilling Your Dreams, for the Jodere Group.
Current work
Pallotta founded Advertising for Humanity in 2004 as Springboard. The company helps institutional funders and philanthropists grow their most promising grantees.
In 2012 Pallotta founded the Charity Defense Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. According to their website, their mission is "to change the way people think about changing the world".[17]
Pallotta gave a talk at the 2013
In February 2016, Pallotta gave another
Affiliations
Pallotta is a member of the board of Triangle, a center for the developmentally disabled in Massachusetts, and a member of the
Awards
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (February 2013) |
- Liberty Hill Foundation Creative Vision award
- The Triangle Humanitarian of the Year award
- The Albany State University International Citizen of the Year award
- The Seven Fund's Morality of Profit Essay Prize
References
- ^ Pallotta, Charity Case, p. 223.
- ^ a b c d e f g Grossman and Kind. "Pallotta TeamWorks."
- ^ Harvard Business Review. Search: Pallotta. http://hbr.org/search/pallotta/.
- ^ Meghdadi.
- ^ Pallotta, Uncharitable, p. 189.
- ^ Today Show, 1983.
- ^ Pallotta, When Your Moment Comes.
- ^ a b c Pallotta, Uncharitable.
- ^ PallottaTeamWorks, "Record of Impact: Detailed Financials."
- ^ Social Enterprise Summit & World Forum Address.
- ^ "Pallotta Teamworks | Financial Info".
- ^ a b c Kristoff. "The Sin of Doing Good Deeds".
- ^ a b PallottaTeamWorks, "About Apostrophe".
- ^ Los Feliz Arts, "homepage".
- ^ Kennedy endorsement in Pallotta, Charity Case, front cover.
- ^ Hart endorsement in Pallotta, Uncharitable, front cover.
- ^ Charity Defense Council – Our Mission. http://charitydefensecouncil.org/ourmission.php Archived 2013-03-04 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "The way we think about charity is dead wrong".
- ^ "The dream we haven't dared to dream".
- ^ Triangle, leadership. http://www.triangle-inc.org/index.php/leadership/.
- ^ Project Reason: Advisory Board. http://www.project-reason.org/about/advisory_board/ Archived 2013-10-20 at the Wayback Machine.
Bibliography
- Advertising for Humanity. advertisingforhumanity.com. Advertising for Humanity, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013.
- Architecture Week. "AIACC 2002 Design Awards." architectureweek.com. Architecture Week, 9, October, 2002. Web. 14, January 2013.
- Charity Defense Council. charitydefensecouncil.org. Charity Defense Council, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013.
- Grossman, A., and Liz Kind. “Pallotta TeamWorks.” Harvard Business School paper no. N1–302–089, April 12, 2002. http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/302089-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business Review. "hbr.org." Harvard Business Review, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013.
- Kristof, Nicholas D. “The Sin in Doing Good Deeds”, New York Times, 24 December 2008.
- Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts. "homepage." Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013. http://losfelizarts.org/
- Meghdadi, A. Interview with Dan Pallotta. December 2012.
- Pallotta, D. M. Interview with Bryant Gumbel. Today Show. NBC, New York. 1983. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inMsVsTmx6k&list=UU0CDaTu0tY4Vb5geqvNfqqA&index=10
- Pallotta, D. M. Address at Social Enterprise Summit & World Forum. San Francisco, CA. 30, April 2010.
- Pallotta, D. M. Charity Case. San Francisco, CA.: Josey-Bass. 2012. http://www.charitycasebook.com
- Pallotta, D. M. Uncharitable. Medford, Mass.: Tufts University Press. 2008. http://www.uncharitable.net
- Pallotta, D. M. When Your Moment Comes – a Guide to Fulfilling Your Dream. San Diego, CA.: Jodere Group. 2001.
- Pallotta TeamWorks. "Record of Impact: Detailed Financial Disclosure." pallottateamworks.com. Pallotta TeamWorks, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013. http://www.pallottateamworks.com/financial_detailed.php
- Pallotta TeamWorks. "About Apostrophe." pallottateamworks.com. Pallotta TeamWorks, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013. http://www.pallottateamworks.com/about_apostrophe.php
- Project Reason. "Advisory Board." project-reason.org Project Reason, n.d. Web. 14, January 2013. http://www.project-reason.org/about/advisory_board/ Archived 2013-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Technology Entertainment Design (TED). "TED2013: Program Guide." Technology Entertainment Design (TED), 2013. Web. 3, February, 2013. http://conferences.ted.com/TED2013/program/guide.php
- Triangle-inc. "Leadership." triangle-inc.org. Triangle-inc., n.d. Web. 14, January 2013. http://www.triangle-inc.org/index.php/leadership/