A Radical New Way of Giving!

When: On October 22nd Uncharitable will be screening in select Ontario theatres! Who: Any one interested in philanthropy is encouraged to attend but also consider making it a team building event to inspire philanthropy within in your organization or community! Investigate to see if it could become a charity event for your community. Include the discussion guide for conversations after the event! Sample discussion questions are at the end of blog post

Why? No topic is more crucial and timely as we confront an increasingly unstable world with the growing revelation that we are all interconnected and that our fate lies in how much we are willing to invest in positive change.

What is it about? Driven by the poignant, personal stories of Dan Pallotta, Steve Nardizzi, Dorri McWhorter, Scott Harrison, Edward Norton, Darren Walker and other prominent figures in philanthropy, Uncharitable delivers an emotional journey that moves, persuades and inspires its audience to change the way we think about giving.

Led by Dan Pallotta, whose record-breaking TED Talk on the subject has inspired leading philanthropists and changemakers, this feature-length documentary exposes the dark side of philanthropy and introduces a radical new way of giving. In a powerful call to action, Uncharitable demands that charities be freed from the traditional sackcloth-and-ashes constraints, so that they can truly change the world.

Community Event: If you are considering hosting a viewing here is an example of some of the resources they offer to deepen the experience with your community:

Discussion Questions:

1. What did you think about charities before seeing the movie?

2. Did you ever think about charities collectively, as a sector? Do you use the phrase, “nonprofit sector,” and what did you think of the sector as a whole before watching the movie?

3. Do you think the nonprofit sector could play a major role in changing society now? Why?

Practical Questions for Philanthropists of All Means

1. When considering giving, what are the questions not to ask and why?

2. What are the main reasons that make asking about overhead misguided?

3. How do overhead ratios actually weaken charitable services and programs?

4. How might overhead ratios diminish civil society and civic engagement?

5. How do overhead measures discourage growth and adversely affect impact?

6. How do low salaries undermine an organization’s ability to have an impact?

7. Why do you think the general public think charities waste so much money on overhead? 8. What was the main thing the media got wrong with the Boys & Girls Clubs? How was it unjust? How did the media impact services for boys and girls?

9. What was the main thing the media got wrong with Wounded Warrior Project? How was it unjust? How did the media impact veterans services?

10. Same questions for Invisible Children and the AIDSRides and Breast Cancer 3-Day events run by Dan’s company

11. Can you see the Puritan roots in our current approach?

12. Why would setting up two bank accounts, like Charity:Water, not be the best idea? How does it take the conversation backward?

13. What are three of the double-standards between the economic freedoms of the nonprofit and for-profit sector?

If you weren’t excited about giving you will be on fire eager to give when you leave the theatre!