The history of Fair Share
Ken Thomas
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Ken Thomas delivered this speech at the United Way Kickoff Luncheon earlier this year.
IT WAS 1967 — they were at a point of desperation. The United Way (then called the United Fund) had not met its goal for several years and they could find no one to lead the drive.
They finally arrived at my place of business east of town and this small committee convinced me that because I had been successful in my business that I might owe something to the community. I bought into it and agreed to be the drive chair.
That night when I got home, I asked my wife, Dolly, “What have I done?” I knew nothing about fundraising. My forte was trucking!
I contacted the community leaders of that time — Joe Morris, Charles Wayman, Frank Warren, Oliver Hughes and Orville Hock — to endorse our efforts and be a steering committee. I said “Allow me to use your names; I’ll do the work.”
We heard about “Fair Share giving” (giving one hour of pay per month or 1 percent of annual earnings) being used in campaigns in some larger cities, so we made Fair Share giving the cornerstone of our campaign.
I had a meeting with W.L. White, editor of The Gazette, and asked for his support in publishing an editorial about Fair Share giving. He agreed to have Ray Call write an editorial, but I insisted it would be more effective if he wrote it and signed it “W.L.W.” — that’s the way he signed all his editorials.
He agreed and advanced the idea of publishing the names of all Fair Share givers in The Gazette. It worked in a BIG way!
A lady told me that her little son came home one day and said that his friend Johnny told him his dad had his name in the paper as a Fair Share giver. The boy asked, “Can Daddy get HIS name in the paper?”
Our campaign goal was $82,500 — we went over $100,000 and the campaign has been successful and met its goal almost every year since.
I believe that besides giving to your church, giving to United Way is the finest way you can help your community. I hope ALL of you will be Fair Share Givers.
msw2003 (anonymous) says...
When I heard this story a few months ago about my grandfather and how he help revitalize the United Way in Emporia it made me proud to be his granddaughter and proud to be a social worker.
Melissa Thomas Gronau, LMSW
December 7, 2006 at 9:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )