The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-18
CHARITYS RED TAPE
ny KARL DE sCHwEINITz

What is this red tape which saved
the Raffertys and has done a similar
service for thousands of distraught
families in every large city of the
country? Filing cards, a few stenog-
faphers and clerks and an office sys-
TEN directed by a trained charity eX-
ecutlve do the work
This particular kind of red tape
IS to be found throughout the United
States in more than 500 cities where
there are charity organization societies
or associated charities. tt is variously
known the social service exchange
registration bureau, confidential ex-
change The idea started in Boston
With the Associated Charities.
REP Tape" at Work
When something happens to Rafferty,
or John Jones or Jacob Smith ard he
applies to his church or toaa relief Sc
ciety or to n dispensary for help the
church, relief society or dispensary tel
ephones to the confidential exchange
and says we are tryin gto help Raj
ferty. Is anybody else trying TO do
the same thing?r
The exchange turns to it's card file
and learns that settlement tubercu-
losis clinic and a free employment bu-
reau are all Interested in the family.
The church which made the inquiry is
SO Informed and each of the other
agencies is told that inquiry about
the Raffertys has been received from
the church. In the meantime the eX-
change adds to the Raffertys' card in
its file the name of the church THAI
inquired about the family.
Thus ali these organizations are
able to get into touch with each 9TH
er and the church or the relief So
ciety learns before it finds a job for
Rafferty, that the dispensary thinks he
ought not to work but ought to be
in a tuberculosis sanatorium. In addi-
ton to bringing about cooperation
instead of the old working cross
purposes the exchange enables char
tiles to eliminate duplication in giving
relief. No longer are a dozen differ
ent organizations all trying to do the
same thing for family and often
failing, after all, to solve the prob
lem. Such an exchange enables the con-
tributor to charity to feel that the
money he gives is being spent to the
Nery best advantage.
In addition the exchange helps to
preserve the privacy of the family 1t
stops a stream of visitors from char
liable agencies, each ignorant of the
work of the others. The exchange is
confidential. No person. unless known
To be engaged in charitable work o.
given information by the exchange. AZ
A matter of fact the exchange has very
little Information to give. OrganiZa
lions simply sent to it the names ard
addresses of families under their care
and other pieces of information that
may be necessary to identify the fam
lily
So beneficial has the work of the eX-
Change been in enabling agencies to
focus promptly all of their varied help
upon a family in need ana so good have
been the results for the families helped
that the exchange idea has spread
through the country with amazing ra-
pidity.
The New York city department of
charities is now registering with the
exchange of the New York Charity Or
ganization society. Registration is
similarly carried on in Chicago and In
Kansas City. In Boston the overseers
CT the poor register with the conf
Dental exchange of the Associated
Charities. Thus not content with CO.
operation between private charities tile
exchange has begun to promote CO.
operation between private and munic-
ipal charities.
The confidential exchange. even
though none OF the money necessary
10 conduct it is spent for relief. brings
reed. This cooperation for effective
to the poor the kind of help they most
philanthropy is one of the answers
which organized charity makes to
those who cry red tape"