A film due to be released in cinemas in the autumn claims that double standards facing charities are preventing them from achieving their missions.
Uncharitable, a documentary based on a controversial book of the same name by activist Dan Pallotta, is due to be screened in up to 100 cinemas in the US in September.
Civil Society News has seen an early version of the film, which argues that charities are wrongly limited by being told “to keep their overhead and salaries low”.
It says charities are unable “to dream”, while private companies have greater freedom to take necessary risks
‘Charities haven’t changed the world because that’s not what we asked them to do’
The film also draws from Pallotta’s TED talk, the way we think about charity is dead wrong, which has surpassed 5m views.
In the documentary, Pallotta says: “You want to know why charities haven’t changed the world? That's not what we asked them to do. What we asked them to do is to keep their overhead and salaries low – so guess what they did? That’s what they did.”
He compares charities to for-profit organisations and says they cannot end the social issues they aim to as they are criticised for paying high salaries which enable them to get the best people for the job.
Pallotta also argues that non-profit organisations are unfairly criticised for spending high amounts on marketing, advertising and fundraising.
He gave the example of Disney losing $150m on Tomorrowland. Charities and non-profit organisations are unable to take similar risks in their practices, as if they did, there could be criminal repercussions.
In this sense, “we have made it a liability to dream in the non-profit sector” in terms of taking risks, says Pallotta.
Thomas J. Tierney, co-founder of the non-profit organisation Bridgespan Group, also features in the film. He shares his frustration at the non-profit sector “playing it safe” despite the magnitude of the social issues it aims to address.
The documentary also stars actor Edward Norton, chief executive of TED Chris Anderson, chief executive and president of YMCA Chicago Dorri McWhorther and other leaders in the US charity sector.
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