Ideas change everything

Can we end a culture of abandonment?

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Monica Johnson |

TED@UPS

• September 2016

Believe it or not, it's often difficult to get people to claim abandoned funds, whether from a forgotten savings account, an uncashed check or a long-ago refund. Why is this? Unclaimed funds manager Monica Johnson posits that, as a society, we have been sucked into a throwaway culture, where we'd rather toss aside what's ours rather than deal with it. She shares her own heart-wrenching story of growing up unwanted and passionately asks that we recognize the impact we can make by embracing who we are and what we can do for others.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Believe it or not, it's often difficult to get people to claim abandoned funds, whether from a forgotten savings account, an uncashed check or a long-ago refund. Why is this? Unclaimed funds manager Monica Johnson posits that, as a society, we have been sucked into a throwaway culture, where we'd rather toss aside what's ours rather than deal with it. She shares her own heart-wrenching story of growing up unwanted and passionately asks that we recognize the impact we can make by embracing who we are and what we can do for others.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

About the speaker

Monica Johnson

Unclaimed funds manager

Monica Johnson is a manager of escheatment and unclaimed funds for UPS’s Corporate Tax Department, which means she connects abandoned funds to their rightful owner. As the founder of That Girl is S.M.A.R.T., a nonprofit that mentors young girls, she strives to help others reach their potential.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

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