Closing thoughts on the 68 Annual UN conference in SLC

The 68th Annual UN Conference in Salt Lake City came to an end today. It was by far the best booth experience we have ever had. Not only was the entry fee affordable but the conference attracted 6,000 registrants! We were so grateful for the new people we met. Lots of companies out there in the world, initiating good and making change! 

As promised, we want to share the last half of the interview. Before we do that, we want to talk about our conference booth display. We decided to portray all of the nonprofits we work and those with a social agenda. Backyard Bookkeeper loves working with nonprofits and organizations whose mission it is to make our world a better place. It is one way we can support worthwhile social agendas. Those agendas are chosen by people who are invested in making their communities a better place. They educate people, raise awareness and funds, campaign, and utilize volunteers.

The nonprofits and social focused companies we work with include USEE, HEAL Utah, the INN Between, CAWS, Midwives College of Utah, The Wave Women, Utahns Against Hunger, and Digital Respons-Ability. Each one builds sustainable and inclusive communities. We are honored to be a part of their well-being in a small way. 

To wrap up, we wanted to share the last part of our interview. Here is a link to the first part of our interview if you wanted to go back and read that.

These questions are way more deep and go into more controversial issues. These are our own opinions, and we would love to hear yours. 

8. How does proper infrastructure benefit the well-being of the people?

We think a good infrastructure not only keeps people safe, but also makes important resources available and accessible to all. It’s not enough to make it possible for anyone to start a business. We also need to inform everyone where to go to find information and support. No matter how great your resources, if not enough people are using them, then it isn’t doing much good.

9. How can public and civil society tap into the power of technology and harness innovation?

We think that technology simplifies many tasks that would otherwise be too cumbersome for one person to handle. Without technology, it takes a single full time accountant to ensure a small business is compliant with all tax and financial requirements. However with AI and software, that same work can be done for a fraction of the cost and time. Technology spreads the benefits of innovation to significantly more people. Whatever can be done to make technology affordable and accessible to as many people as possible is a good thing. Also society can provide education on the proper use of technology.

10. What is impact investing and why is it a powerful tool to build communities?

BB is always proud to be involved with organizations that benefit the community or improve social welfare in any way. We provide accounting services to those organizations at competitive prices—our own form of impact investing.

11. How can local and regional governments collaborate to create a more sustainable and inclusive communities? 

The key is to write laws and implement policies that make it easy for small businesses to operate and remain compliant in all ways. Additionally, a significant effort needs to be made to not just to talk about inclusiveness, but to actually INCLUDE everyone. 

12. How can the public build communities through education? 

As I said above, beyond just educating people, we need to also have decision making processes that INCLUDE all stakeholders. 

13.  What new forms of global cooperation will we need to shape the future we want?

We need to learn to compromise, discuss peacefully, and negotiate. These days we seem to choose political leaders who are increasingly farther away from the center, as if “standing up for your beliefs” without the possibility of compromise were the best thing for a leader to do. But that means nothing of substance can ever get done. Being able to discuss problems peacefully, learning to see and understand another’s point of view, and finding productive ways to compromise is the only way we will ever achieve our goals as a society.

14. How can society recover from conflict and nurture peace?  

We need to address the basic needs of each individual for food, clothing, shelter, and community. This is possible both through charitable work, but it might be even more important to make sure that all people regardless of gender, race, etc, have an equal opportunity to participate in the economy and the community. When people’s basic needs are satisfied, peace becomes possible.

Thanks for following along with us for the 68th annual UN conference! Maybe see you next year, if the UN comes back!