February 21, 2008

The program today featured a particularly interesting speaker, Brian Gallagher, the CEO of United Way of America.  His speech was titled "The Changing Social Contract: An Integrated Sector Approach."  He brought out insightful principles about how things work today.  Ways we did things, even in the recent past, may not be effective and strategies need to be changed.

One of United Ways' slogans is "Service Changes Lives."  But, just how can that be done?  Strategies change and now success is better achieved by an understanding between business, community and non-profits to bring about effective change. United Way is huge. More than four billion dollars is given annually with one billion coming internationally for various programs.

Strategies include helping people upgrade their situations rather than stay in the same state indefinitely.  An example was helping people who live in homeless shelters not make those shelters their permanent home, but be moved to conventional living areas.

Our society has changed dramatically from being first agrarian to industrial and now knowledge based. These economic shifts are causing certain sectors of our society to fall through the cracks. United Way programs adjust to the new needs.  Today 38 million Americans live in poverty, half of whom work for sub-standard wages.  Wages have not kept up and we have savings rates have gone negative.

For society to change EVERYONE has to change.  Mr. Gallagher pointed out the collaboration and co-operation of the various sectors is not enough and that INTEGRATION is the answer to social and economic problems. This will take the efforts of media, business and public policy.

Programs for success need to be PEOPLE-oriented and MARKET-driven rather than the conventional Institution-based and Process-driven.

Success needs to be established in the areas of education, income and health.

Again, Beverly and I thank Tom and Sue Peine for inviting us to this Indianapolis Economic Club luncheon