New United Way chief faces wrenching changes. (Newsline).

Brian Gallagher, who was soon to become but had not yet been hired as the new president and chief executive officer of the United Way of America, was in "busy mode," the morning of the terrorist attacks.

And then he walked downstairs from his office in Columbus, Ohio, into a conference room with a television surrounded by employees. "I saw their faces, and I realized that this changes everything," he said. "You immediately go to: 'What is our responsibility and what do we do to support New York and Washington, and our own community', realizing it's not just today or next week, but probably months and years."

He added: "The challenge is going to be: How is what we do important to the strength and vitality of our community?"

After 20 years of steadfastly working his way up the ranks of local United Ways, from southeastern New England to metropolitan Atlanta to central Ohio with other stops along the way, Gallagher takes over a sprawling network of 1,400 community-based United Way organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated, and governed by local volunteers.

But that doesn't mean the organizations shrink from national leadership, and Gallagher plans to toil to galvanize local United Ways behind an effort "to define ourselves differently. We're not a fundraising organization, we're a community impact organization," he told The NonProfit Times. "That is our purpose in life, that's a big deal, for 1,400 organizations to sign off on something like that."

Gallagher must quickly gain control of an organization that has struggled to define its role and relationships with the local affiliates while restoring stability at the top. Since self-described "change agent" Betty Stanley Beene stepped down as president 11 months earlier than expected on Jan. 31, Chris Amundsen, UWA's chief administrative officer' has served as interim president.

Amundsen was forced to revisit United Way's darkest chapter this year as former UWA president and convicted swindler William Aramony tried to have his pension restored in advance of his release from prison Oct. 1. Aramony, who stole $1.2 million from United Way, was denied his claim to $2.4 million in pension benefits by the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals, which in July reversed a lower court ruling. United Way has fought to restore donor confidence since the 22-year Aramony era, amid challenges from rival community fundraising campaigns.

Beene's tenure included controversies over a failed donor pledge system called United Way Information Network, designed to match pledges and donor data with individual United Ways, an effort that highlighted tensions between the local and national organizations.

The job of mending fences with local United Ways remains high on Gallagher's agenda, but he also must lead new initiatives.

In his first interview with the news media since his appointment as president, Gallagher explained that for United Ways to remain effective and relevant they must work more closely with local leaders and communities. "In our recent history the vast majority of experience people had with the United Way was a pledge card," he said.

Now, he said, United Ways need to be more visible in the community, and they must engage local residents and officials with .more vigor. United Ways, he said, should be working with local leaders to determine the most pressing community problems, to craft solutions, and to act on the strategy with money, organization and time.

Implementing Gallagher's vision across the nation won't be easy. Among other things, United Ways need to practice nimble diplomacy when wading deeper into communities and their problems. United Way and community goals and priorities should never diverge, he said.

"The pitfall you have to avoid is: It's not the United Way's agenda - it's the community's agenda," he said.

During his five-year tenure with the United Way of Central Ohio, based in Columbus, Gallagher made concrete his hands-on approach, said Elinor Ferdon, chair of the United Way Board of Governors. She said his experience knitting together the disparate constituents of the Columbus community will serve him well at the national level.

"One of the challenges we face is being able to bring together all of the assets of the community together. We know one organization can't do it all," she said. "Brian is perfect at that. He's done it."

These are challenging times for many nonprofits, and the United Way is no exception. The economy has been souring for more than a year, and it took a nosedive after September 11, leaving hundreds of thousands of people suddenly unemployed. Many of these people need the help of charitable organizations, but in many cases they also are the same people who would have contributed to charities before losing their jobs.

Meanwhile, donations have been understandably flowing away from local communities and toward those devastated by terrorist attacks. To date, about $300 million has been poured into the United Way of New York City's September 11 fund.

"Depending upon the community, they are having different experiences" in local fundraising efforts, said interim CEO Amundsen. "We are hoping to match last year, but it will be a major challenge." The United Way raised $3.91 billion in donations last year, he said.

Gallagher, who will draw a $375,000 salary, predicted that the donations generated by the terrorist attacks will continue apace, despite the combination of international war, domestic terrorism, and economic recession. In addition, he said the unsettling situation will compel more people to get increasingly involved in their communities.

"People understand that there are people in need:' he said. "I think people are motivated to act."

Doug Brown is a reporter for the Denver News Bureau.

Goodbye Columbus: Gallagher Will Be Missed In Ohio

In Columbus, Ohio, Brian Gallagher was a charismatic leader who transformed the United Way of Central Ohio, making the already successful organization into one much more attuned to the needs of the community, associates say.

"Brian has been instrumental in this city," said Mike Brown, a spokesman for Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman. "He is a true community leader who is actively involved at every level, and partnership between the United Way and the mayor's office over the past couple of years has been phenomenal we cannot say enough about Brian's skills, and his leadership abilities. We're going to miss him."

In Columbus, a fast-growing city that ranks 15th largest in the nation, Gallagher was a major public figure, Brown said, often chairing meetings with residents and appearing at community events.

Gallagher in particular championed Conmmunity Research Partners, a partnership between the United Way, the city, and Ohio State' University, that tracks the degree to which social, services are meeting the true needs of the community.

Other accomplishments include Startsmart, a program that aims to improve the quality of early childhood experiences for children to age 3, and KNOW!, a community. wide Partnership that empowers kids to be stay away from drugs, said Sharon Keaney, assistant vice president for, corporate communications for the United Way of Central Ohio.

In an interview with The NonProfit Times, Gallagher also trumpeted the United Way's involvement in a homeless campaign. The erty decided,, that increasing affordable housing by 80 percent was a goal To date the local United Way organization has contributed $2 million to the program, Gallagher said

Before Gallagher took over the United Way of Central Ohio in 1992 it was aiready successful Keaney said, amassing donation spikes while United Ways around the country were suffering great reductions in contributions

Gallagher, she said came in and said, OK, this is a successful United Way. How can we make it more suecessful'?"

And that's when he began implementing his vision that United Ways are much more than just fundraising organizations - they are hanids on and important pieces of the community puzzle.

Now it is the 16th largest in the nation with a $51 million annual campaign and one of the highest per capita donation rates in the country. "He saw that the United Ways was part of the fabric of the community," she said. "He brought the community together to work on the most pressing problems, like homelessness, substance abuse among young people, and the need for quality early education."