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It’s become almost a cliché to reference the old commercial when talking about the changes an organization has made:  “This isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile” becomes “This isn’t your father’s Rotary” This isn’t your father’s Notre Dame” “This isn’t your father’s Boys Club.”

In United Way’s case, it may be a cliché, but it’s literally true.  My father worked for United Way, for 30 years in Philadelphia, and today’s United Way isn’t my father’s United Way!

I’m often amazed at the number of folks I run into who aren’t aware that United Way has changed.  Dramatically.  I shouldn’t be surprised – our modest marketing budget doesn’t allow for primetime 30-second ads every hour or two.  But being provided this opportunity to blog enables me to shout it from the rooftops, at least in this forum:  “WE’VE CHANGED!”

You know United Way for conducting a large community fundraising campaign – to my understanding the single largest community engagement initiative in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana, with 120,000 donors, and thousands of companies and volunteers participating – and then allocating those funds accountably to effective agencies which help people.  We still do that.

But we’ve changed, big time.  Building on a strong United Way created and expanded by excellent past volunteer and staff leaders, today’s United Way is, in partnership with many strong organizations, leading change in our community.  Three years ago more than 200 volunteer citizens studied our community’s issues, looked at their root cause and barriers to success, and developed our Agenda for Community Impact.

What is the Agenda?  It’s a blueprint for improving the quality of life in our community:  a set of goals founded on the three building blocks for a better life.  A quality EDUCATION.  Which leads to the INCOME to support you and your family.  Supported by good HEALTH, the foundation for a quality life.

Our Agenda’s goals are simple, but challenging to make happen.  We want to help more children become prepared for success in kindergarten, more youth achieve academic and life success on the way to high school graduation, more families achieve financial stability.  And we want to support a safety net of services for those who need it most.

The Agenda’s about focus, an action plan of specific strategies, and measuring results.  It’s about preventing problems before they occur.  It’s about creating long-lasting change.  It’s about creating opportunities for a better life for all.

This work is new.  It’s exciting.  It’s difficult.  We don’t have all of the answers.  That’s where you come in.  If you want to be part of the change, call 513-762-7100.  Join us!