On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech to Congress urging support for putting an American crew on the moon before decade’s end. At that date, the United States had put a human in space exactly once: a 15-minute, up-and-down flight three weeks before.

It was an outrageous, even laughable goal. And yet, just eight years and two months later, it happened—because 400,000 people, from pilots and engineers to factory workers and seamstresses, fully engaged with that vision.

Today we conclude our three-part series on United Way BCKR’s mission statement: Drive impact by leading shared efforts that engage diverse people, ideas and resources.

‘Engage Diverse People, Ideas and Resources’
In her book, Think Like Zuck: Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO, author Ekaterina Walter points out the powerful difference of Mark Zuckerberg’s approach to business: diversity.

“Diversity is the key element here,” she wrote. “That is, engaging a broad set of different perspectives to generate something better than one could do individually.”

Diversity appears in countless ways. In style. In approach to work. In thought processes. In ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In career experiences. And on and on. Organizations used to strive for uniformity, thinking that if everyone thinks and works the same, they’ll be more focused and efficient. In fact, having a variety of people, a plethora of ideas, and many different resources to tap brings more creative, energizing and effective solutions.

The challenge is identifying those diverse elements and bringing them together. That’s where United Way truly shines. For more than a century, United Way has forged relationships across every sector of our community. We have a seat at countless tables—and from there we’re able to invite a diverse array of people, ideas and resources to engage with the work of transforming people’s lives.

Diversity means everyone has a crucial role to play. By leading their shared efforts, by engaging their hearts, hands and minds in the work, we’re able to drive impact. That means more babies living to see their first birthday, more kids succeeding in school, more families achieving financial stability, and more people able to get help in times of need.

That’s our mission. That’s where we invite you to engage.

In future blogs, we’ll cover specific examples that show how our mission drives real, measurable impact. Watch this space for more!

Read part 1 here. Read part 2 here.