NEWSBYTOM SHERIDAN

Tom Sheridan is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change.

On the one year anniversary of Congress's passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, we can declare victory on the battle of ideas.  Nearly two years ago, Candidate Obama embraced the agenda of social innovation, he later translated its principles into his Administration and the Congress responded to his call to pass a truly innovative Serve America Act.

But winning the idea battle is only the beginning of the larger challenge we face towards the goal of a wholesale re-engineering of government - specifically to move it from provider of service to catalyst for results. Truly integrating the concept of innovation into government will be much like the proverbial square peg in the round hole, but it is precisely the challenge we signed up for and continue to pursue.

Our work is not only important in social challenges we seek solutions for but I think it's critical for the nation as a whole.   Precisely at this moment in time when the media obsession with "anti-government" sentiment is driving us further apart as a nation and in communities, I believe the opportunity is now to ask the majority of Americans, who may want government to reform but also believe there is a role for government and individuals to solve social problems, to join us in supporting social innovation and community solutions.   My guess is 20% will remain in the "just say no" club but a vast majority of others - Republicans, Independents and Democrats will join us.   We just need to ask them.

Tom Sheridan is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change. Change.org asked Mr. Sheridan to respond to questions to provide context for his work and the causes he supports.

Change.org: What cause or causes would you most like to promote as a Changemaker and why?

Social innovation and entrepreneurship. We need new and innovative 21st century approaches to solving our social problems. Most of our social issues (education, health care, etc.) are using models and solutions that were created decades ago, are old and lack innovation, and are based on old assumptions of policy makers. We need community engagement and out of the box thinking that breaks silos and engages all sectors.
To greater and lesser degree’s others have seen unique opportunities at transformative moments and reaped enormous attention for issues as well as truly creating real social change. Both FDR and JFK found themselves in such a time and leveraged this opportunity to make history--but --change takes time and more importantly it will require a committed band of passionate citizens to make it happen.

If we can find new ways to do our work in the non-profit sector and establish better outcomes we can reestablish a progressive social contract in America – namely we value our investment in our communities and fellow citizens in exchange for a renewed vision of the American dream.

Change.org: If you could ask 1 million people to all do 1 thing to advance your cause or causes, what would it be?

Engage in politics-at whatever level you can. Minimially, vote. If you work as a social worker or community service provider, register your clients to vote. But better yet-volunteer in campaigns, join advocacy organizations, meet your elected officials and tell them what these issues mean to you and why they affect your votes.

Change.org: What are the greatest obstacles to change when it comes to the way business is done in Washington, DC?

Apathy in the general public –especially people who are not on the hard right or hard left of issues. The moderate, socially conscious voter is not engaged in a meaningful way and the extremes – especially the right wing extreme- takes advantage of the vacuum.

Change.org: What are you most proud of about your work for social change?

Results! When we take on something we do it with the expressed intention of winning. Frequently we’re coming from behind but we always see a path to victory. We don’t think good intentions are enough… we think good intentions paired with good policy and politics is the winning combination.

Photo credit: Denise Cross

This is a guest-post by Tom Sheridan who works as a public policy strategist in Washington, DC, where The Hill newspaper has called him "A powerbroker for those without a voice."

President Obama’s promise for change continues to come to fruition with today’s release of regulations for the Social Innovation Fund, which gratefully starts moving the conversation from “change” as a campaign theme to “solutions” as a governing philosophy. I for one am grateful for the moment and for the shift.

The Social Innovation Fund, designed to identify proven solutions to some of the country’s greatest challenges partners government with philanthropy and the best non profits in the field in a groundbreaking way. Rather than continue to attempt to solve community problems from Washington down by frequently sustaining programs that have been failing to solve society’s problems for decades, the Social Innovation Fund will find programs working throughout the country that can actually show measurable results in their given field. The vision for this bold new idea is to rewrite the social contract in America by saying in effect that government will change its way of doing business (no more blank checks for broken initiatives) if community leaders and innovators step forward with their best ideas and commitment to service. The breakthrough idea here is to move government into the role of catalyst and out of the business of provider, offering real hope for the expansion of solutions-based programs. That’s change we can believe in.

At the moment our nation is struggling on many fronts but frequently we have seen in history that necessity is the mother of innovation. This transformative moment brings some opportunities and many serious challenges. With this economic crisis, we simply must raise the bar on accountability and effectiveness and deliver a greater return on investment for taxpayer dollars. Similarly, it is critical that government collaborate to drive our national assets and resources toward creating new innovations and expanding proven solutions to pressing social problems. Government investment alone is insufficient but a new, bolder partnership can be formed. The Social Innovation Fund will catalyze public/private collaboration to direct resources to results-driven organizations, providing them with the funding they need to expand their reach and the impact of their programs to communities across America.

Not only will the Social Innovation Fund be assisting the organizations which receive funding, it will be aiding the economy. By stimulating social innovation, the American taxpayer will see a double bottom line to their investment – services to help neighbors in need and jobs that spur economic prosperity. In identifying effective solutions with real time business metrics for success, these community programs are able to create business models that allow for job growth and creation in ways that traditional service organizations do not.

The Obama administration is wise to take the bureaucracy out of creating solutions to the myriad social problems our country faces today. They have enough other problems to try to solve and frankly don’t have the expertise many non profit leaders already possess. There are people in our country who are doing the work to solve these problems every day and they need our government’s support. The Social Innovation Fund delivers on the promise for change by investing in solutions– and not a moment too soon!

Photo credit: Photo Denbow