Pallotta TeamWorks

Allen S. Grossman; Elizabeth  Kind

Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2002

Pallotta TeamWorks

Abstract

Pallotta Team Works is a for-profit, privately owned company that produces multiday fundraising events for nonprofit organizations. Dan Pallotta, the 40-year-old CEO, founded the enterprise in 1992. The company has grown rapidly, having raised over $200 million for charities. As the boundaries between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors blur, this case provides an example of how a for-profit entrepreneurial approach and the market test where the lines between the two sectors are drawn. Pallotta and the company's aggressive style, plus the basic business model, generate a significant amount of controversy among nonprofit organizations and the press. Pallotta is outspoken about the merits of his business model, the appropriateness of his salary, and his company's marketing approach. He wants to increase total philanthropy in the United States. "How many ads for charity did you see on the Super Bowl this year," exclaims Pallotta.

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Business Model; Nonprofit Organizations; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Social Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Service Industry; Consulting Industry; United States;

Language: English

Format: Print

23 pages

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Citation:

Grossman, Allen S., and Elizabeth Kind. "Pallotta TeamWorks." Harvard Business School Case 302-089, April 2002.

StriveTogether aimed to improve education outcomes by coordinating the actions of diverse community stakeholders—nonprofit service providers, school districts, government, parents, businesses and others. StriveTogether had an intense focus on collective impact—"the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem"—and the use of data to drive decisions. In the case, managing director Jeff Edmondson is faced with two dilemmas: how to attract business engagement in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, California, and how to achieve greater results in the communities that had implemented the StriveTogether framework.

Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2013 (Revised February 2016)

A Long, Bumpy and Unfinished Road: Education Reform in Memphis, Tennessee

Allen Grossman, J. Puckett and Nithya Vaduganathan

In 2010 the Memphis City School District merged with the neighboring Shelby County School system under the supervision of a single board of education and superintendent. It promised much more than just administrative synergies—it was an opportunity to change a culture, as well as policies and practices that had existed for decades.

By 2010 Shelby County school system had about 50,000 students, approximately 55 percent white and 37 percent economically disadvantaged. The Memphis student body, which numbered around 100,000, was about 85 percent black and 87 percent economically disadvantaged. In 2010, residents from within and outside the city each contributed about 50 percent of the tax revenue for the two systems, but, based on enrollment, two-thirds of the budget was allocated to Memphis City schools.

Pitt Hyde and the Hyde Family Foundation saw the merger as a once-in-a-lifetime fresh start for public education in Memphis and he was determined to do what he could to make sure the merger realized its potential. Many interests, practices and players were deeply entrenched in the Memphis schools. But Hyde and his wife had encountered like-minded reformers—educators, government officials, business people and not-for-profit leaders who were willing to put a shoulder to the wheel. Prior to the merger, the Hydes had notched some considerable successes, starting with the legislation that permitted establishment of the state's first charter schools. They had established valuable partnerships, and developed performance standards and accountability for teachers and administrators. They had helped inaugurate pay-for-performance for teachers and a teacher evaluation system based on student outcomes. Building relationships, raising the money, getting others involved were critical steps along the way. They had brought new voices into the campaign. He also remembered some false steps and some lost battles, but overall their decisions had been sound, their efforts focused, and perhaps most important, their perseverance relentless.

Keywords: education; education reform; public education; business engagement; Public Sector; Education; Business and Community Relations; Education Industry; Tennessee;

Citation:

Grossman, Allen, J. Puckett, and Nithya Vaduganathan. "A Long, Bumpy and Unfinished Road: Education Reform in Memphis, Tennessee." Harvard Business School Case 314-064, November 2013. (Revised February 2016.) View Details

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Since its inception in 2003, LinkedIn had become a leading Silicon Valley institution with a brand name that was recognizable throughout the U.S. and in many countries overseas. As of March 2012, LinkedIn was the world's largest professional network on the Internet with $522.2 million in revenue in 2011 and more than 150 million members in over 200 countries. Unlike other major social networking sites, LinkedIn focused exclusively on fostering connections within the professional market. As LinkedIn's CEO thought about the future, he recognized the challenges in continuing to massively scale the company. At the same time, he focused on how LinkedIn could continue to use its vast amount of data to provide additional products and services for its members and customers.

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