Don’t Send Your Board Dan Pallotta’s Brilliant Video

Please DON’T email Dan Pallotta’s brilliant Ted talk to your board

Recently I posted a Seven Point Guide for Ensuring Respect of Fundraising and quite a few people got in touch to talk about their frustrations in this area.

I had suggested that fundraisers ask their board to watch the video of Dan Pallotta presenting ‘Why the Way We Think About Charities is Dead Wrong’ at a TED Conference.

It is a cracking – and necessary – view for anyone who:

• Is a fundraiser
• Wants to be a fundraiser
• Wants to hire a fundraiser
• Has any authority over a fundraiser
• Works closely with a fundraiser
• Is involved in legislation about charities in any way whatsoever
• Is a board member of a charity that is thinking about fundraising

My previous article suggested that you email the video to your board. (By extension, email it to the list above too.)

It turns out a few fundraisers contacted me to say they did send it to their board, but hardly any of the recipients watched it.

Darn.

How else do we get Dan’s big picture messages – which are absolutely crucial if we are to truly grow our sector – across to board members?

My suggested solution:

Present directly to your board (and senior management). Having you introduce the video, playing it and then discussing the points could have massive positive repercussions for your cause. Much bigger than most other thirty-minute board or team agenda items. It also gives you a rock to refer back to.

Dan did the sector a huge service by recording one of the most important and profound twenty minutes in the history of fundraising.

Oh, if you haven’t yet watched the video, please do! It helps you get a realistic budget and maybe even a pay rise.