You probably tried this when you were a kid: Take a stick as thick as your little finger and see how easily you can snap it in half; then take a dozen sticks of the same thickness and try to do the same thing. You’ll find that you can’t.
The lesson is simple: When we work together, we can’t be broken.
Today is part 2 of our three-part series on United Way BCKR’s mission statement: Drive impact by leading shared efforts that engage diverse people, ideas and resources.
‘Leading Shared Efforts’
Writer Ayelet Baron noted how organizations—which can include communities—are changing the way they work. “They value dialogue and understand that people are at the center of everything. The currency is trust, which leads to strong partnerships,” she wrote. “A connected network knows no boundaries as it enables people internally and externally to connect around purpose and common needs and interests.
“Imagine that you were able to connect people around areas of interest and they were able to solve issues together.”
One of United Way’s greatest strengths is our community connections. We have strong relationships with nonprofits, with companies, with community leaders and with volunteers. We also have a deep understanding of the biggest challenges facing our region and how those challenges are interconnected.
That puts us in the unique role of linking those partners together—a topic we’ll dive even deeper into in the next blog.
Leading shared efforts recognizes that no single organization can solve problems alone. The problems are too complex. What’s more, when a shared effort delivers a solution, it’s far more likely to be sustainable—to last for the long-term. And it’s also an opportunity for every sector of the community to both be engaged and to celebrate the outcome.
By its very name, United Way is about
Next blog: Engaging diverse people, ideas and resources