The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-09-01

/ we wish TO develop. III VIII De OF
| great advantage if we can define this
| very clearly in order that there may
| be no misunderstanding. Can we
| find one general term or statement to
which we will all assent? One state
ment which will include everything
| that each of us would include in the
| kind of character which an organiza-
| ton should endeavor to develop and
which will exclude everything which
should be excluded? | believe we
can, and that very simply. We will
| try to develop in our respective COM
munities the kind Of character which
| Jesus Christ sought to develop in men
and women. And we do not have to
| 30 away by ourselves to say it, nor do
| we have to say it in an undertone for
| fear someone will hear it and be Of
| Tended. Whatever our creed, that is
| the one thing on which we can all
| agree whether we are Gentle or Jew
Chinese or Hindu, the kind of char
acter most worth while seeking to de-
gelop, is the kind OF character which
Jesus Christ sought to develop in
| men and women.
But this Is very intangible. How
are we to Judge the results? BY what
standard shall we decide? BY what
measure shall we measure? 1t has
been said that the best barometer of
| the business success of a city is the
| receipts of its post Offices. This is a
pretty we'll established fact, but the
fact is just as well established that
the amount of postage spent by an
Organization is not a barometer OF
| the results of that organization.
Neither is the amount of money
spent by an organization any indica-
tion of the results of that work,
The great English Government
with its vast resources endeayored
to establish a college for women in
India and failed but Isabella Thoburn
an unknown, unheardof young wo-
man from western farm went to In
dia and without means or prestige es-
tablished a great and successful col
lege for women, The amount of mon
ey spent by an organization Is not an
indication of the amount of the re-
suits.
The American City Bureau has
worked out somewhat elaborate
plan by which it judges the efficiency
of a board of trade by the committee
meetings held. This is proving sue
cessful in many ways and is perhaps
the best way of actually measuring
results and yet the question can be
asked, rs it not possible for an or
ganization to hold large numbers of
committee meetings year after year
and still accomplish very little which
will be of lasting imports?
know of no better way to meas
are results. But sometimes when we
cannot measure results we can find
something which is result. of those
results and measurep that, In this
case, result of the results. is that
invariably people Of a community are
ready to turn around and give their
money to an organization which is do
ing good effective. work in the com
munity. | would like therefore to
suggest that the best method of
measuring the results of an organiza-
ton in community is by the number
of people who year after year are viii
ing to give their money to support
that organization. Notice that | say
the number of people and not the
amount of money. If an organiza-
tion secures a thousand dollars each
year but securs it from five individ-
uals that is no indication of success
full work. But if an organization Sc
cures thousand dollars from thous
and individuals it is positive, abso-
lutte assurance that that organization
is doing good work in the community
Notice also that | said the number
that are willing to give year after
year Many are willing to give to
new organization in order to give ii
fair trial and it may fail. But no
organization can secure money year
after year unless it is producing reas-
enable results. True there are many
people, who from force of habit, will
give year after year to the support of
an inefficient organization There
are sufficient people who give thus
from force of habit to enable many
inefficient organizations to keep alive,
but do not find large numbers of in
dividuals so responding to an inefii-
Gent organization and neither do you
+ find an increasing number of people
responding. | have great confidence
in the judgment of the whole people
and especially when that judgment is
backed up by their willingness to
give. If thousand people in com
munity say THAI the organization is
good and it so good that they are
willing to give a dollar, or five dollars
or hundred dollars toward it, no bet |
ter proof could be obtained of it's eff
iiciency, On the other hand, if a |
thousand people say that that organi- |
cation is bad, so bad that they are
willing to give certain amount of |
money to help crush it, it is just as
certain that that organization is bad
have heard young executives |
make the remark that they could do |
all the work of an organization eX-
cepting raise the money, Raising