Dan Pallotta Keynote Speaker

  • Founder of Pallotta TeamWorks
  • Creator of the multi-day charitable event industry
  • Founder and Chief Humanity Officer, Advertising for Humanity

Dan Pallotta's Biography

Dan Pallotta is a builder of movements. He is the founder of Pallotta TeamWorks, which invented the multi-day AIDSRides and Breast Cancer 3-Days and changed the fundamental paradigm for civic engagement in and fundraising for important social causes. It brought the practice of four-figure philanthropy within the reach of the average citizen who had never before raised money for charity. Over 182,000 people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds participated in these inspiring, often gruelling, long-distance events, which raised $582 million in nine years – more money raised more quickly for these causes than any private event operation in history. Three million people donated to the events.

The company had 350 full-time employees in 16 US offices, was the winner of Brandweek’s Best Cause-Related Event Award, and was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. Its concepts and methods are employed today by dozens of charities in a variety of events throughout the world which raise over $100 million annually for important causes. Dan also created the “Out of the Darkness” suicide prevention events, which brought that issue out into the open and gave its closeted constituents the courage to put the cause on the map. The event concept has netted millions for the cause.

Dan’s career as the architect of these heroic journeys for humanity began as an undergraduate at Harvard in 1983 where he chaired the Hunger Action Committee and recruited 38 classmates to join him in bicycling 4,200 miles across America to raise money for Oxfam and to heighten awareness of the plight of the hungry.

Dan is the author of “When Your Moment Comes: A Guide to Fulfilling Your Dreams” (Jodere Group, 2001) and “Uncharitable: How Restraints on Non-profits Undermine Their Potential” (Tufts, 2010). He is also a featured weekly contributor to theHarvard Business Review online.

Dan is the founder and Chief Humanity Officer of Advertising for Humanity, a full-service brand and inspiration agency for the humanitarian sector. He is also founder and President of the Charity Defense Council, a member of the board of Triangle, and a member of the Reason Project Advisory Board. He is a recipient of the Liberty Hill Foundation Creative Vision award, the Triangle Humanitarian of the Year award, the Albany State University International Citizen of the Year award, and the Seven Fund’s Morality of Profit Essay Prize. He is a William J. Clinton Distinguished Lecturer.

Read More

Videos of Dan Pallotta

TEDtalk: The way we think about charity is dead wrong (2013)
TEDtalk: The way we think about charity is dead wrong (2013)
Keynote: Uncharitable (2013)
Keynote: Uncharitable (2013)

Comments & Testimonials

It's really rare to see someone change the thinking of so many people in such a short period of time. Humor, vulnerability, perfectly-judged visuals, and laser-like logic combined to make one of the best talks we saw this year at TED2013.
Chris Anderson Curator, TED

Check Dan Pallotta's speaking fees and availability

    Sending your message…

    Please wait, this can take a moment

    Message sent…

    Close

    Please provide your details and we’ll get in touch as soon as possible.

    We can only respond to requests for professional speaking engagements. We are unable to respond to requests for autographs, shoutouts and personalized messages.

    Discover other speakers

    Ann Romney Speaker
    Exclusive
    Ann Romney
    Best-selling Author & Former First Lady of Massachusetts
    Dan Breznitz Speaker
    Exclusive
    Dan Breznitz
    Award winning author, speaker, and educator
    Birgit Vallmüür Speaker
    Exclusive
    Birgit Vallmüür
    Expert on sustainable leadership
    Jennifer Risher Speaker
    Exclusive
    Jennifer Risher
    Author, "We Need to Talk"
    Jeffrey Hollender Speaker
    Exclusive
    Jeffrey Hollender
    Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Expert
    Ali Tabrizi on a boat
    Ali Tabrizi Speaker
    Exclusive
    Ali Tabrizi
    Filmmaker, Conservationist and Director of Netflix’s groundbreaking documentary, Seaspiracy
    Francis Wolff Speaker
    Exclusive
    Francis Wolff
    French Philosopher and Author
    Kathryn Schulz Speaker
    Exclusive
    Kathryn Schulz
    Author, Pulitzer Prize Winning journalist, and staff writer at The New Yorker