Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-10
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
The officer That Knows Most About
Any Organization ls, as Gen.
eral Rule, Its Treasurer
By SARAHD. LOWRIE

By SARAH ID. LOWRIE
COME ONE asked me the other day what
~ J thought was the most pivotal position
in an organization. ] hedged and said,
That depends on the organization
What l really meant. was, THAT depends
on the person.
If you actually want to know the organi-
2ation that you are part of, from the skin in,
the office of treasurer gives you very thor
ough insight both as to the personnel OF the
executive members and as to the general re-
actions of the public to the organization.
You hold the whip end over the executive
by that knowledge to a surprising degree.
| say surprising because it is surpris-
ing how much treasurer knows that even
the president or the secretary is vague about.
+ KNEW n board of managers not long ago
l. that was pretty equally divided on a
matter of policy about which the organization
was practically unanimous. That is. the
policy of one half the executive committee
was backed by an almost unanimous gen
eral membership. But the other half of the
executive committee nearly swept the whole
organization into n public demonstration In
favor of the minority policy because they
Claimcd--what they could not prove-that IL
it were put to the test their action would be
ratified by the organization.
The treasurer in this instance refused to
sign checks for any funds without having
the question submitted to the organization
through circular letter. This was done.
with the result that five members voted for
the minority policy and 100 voted against ii.
Which was exactly the proportion that the
treasurer had prognosticated from her inside
knowledge of the members state of feeling.
The point was that neither the chairman
nor the secretary was enough in touch with
the membership to make an authoritative
stand on the question of policy. The treas
urcr had to be in touch in the commonplace
Ia ttpfr Il l. lyt,N.. fl,
donations
TOIIN RUSKIN'S dictum about glass
y pockets when ono handles other peoples
money is very pertinent to treaSurers of any
public funds. philanthropic religious or
clVlr. ANY member of an organization ought
10 be able at any time to see an up-to date
report of the finances of that organization.
and it is the treaSurer's duty to provide that
report on an hours notice.
But it is surprising how very lax some
trcasurers are on that very point They are
20 sure of their own honesty that they feel
theE can afford to be careless of the proof of
It in black and white. They keep their books
IN such way that they cannot hand them
over on moments notice for the inspection
Of an Interested fellow committee member.
Nothing is brought up to date, no lists of
corporate funds are made week by week or
month by month.
At the end of year they diSentangle their
that only they can comprehend and send out
the result, under the guidance of SONG male
expert, in figures that they cannot comprc-
mend, to Il subscribing public which is da2cd
by, tn" fine print and the adrotncss of the
balance.
A TREASt RER of one Of the church mis-
"A SiOnary denominations here in town sent
out letter to some eighty subtreasurcrs
asking for the yearly reports of their sepa-
rate accounts to see If they agreed with the
ones made in her central Office. I was told
that surprising number had kept no ac-
counts. ana considerable number had kent
them but could not prove they were correct
by any data they had on hand, while very
few had used any system in keeping their
books which would be n recognized system
in ordinary business.
COME years ago belonged to an orpani-
~ 2ation which spent more than 500 600
year OF thn publiC's gifts on the upkecp Of
its great philanthropy
This money was spent in sums varying in
amount from one cent to $1,000 at a time
II should have been handled by experts under
bonds; it was handled by woman more
than sixty years Of age who had no rcoI
business training and who used TO be
thanked by her fellow managers for her in
"ompr"hcnsible reports as though they were
parts Of Holy Writ whenever She showed n
balance ana condoI"d with whenever there
"roSity and the other her misfortune.
7 WAS astOnShed once IA chairman Of n
J. subcommittee Of an organization 70 bavc
some money | had collected for nv commit
tees special work handed back to me hy thr
treasurer of the organization very prcyiShly
lleaS" pny your own Committrn'S Bills
she snapped. have enough to do without
botherinG with little sums that | have Ia
deposit and then pay OUT
But how viii the money get on YOUR
books il you do not deposit it and nav il
outY' ! urged. roy -
II really do not know" she sad J
have just got this month accounts settled
up. cannot add anything more without
upsctting everything. You can rrport II ~
your rommttcr's money ut the end Of the
year If you want"
T DO NOT know what there is about taI,inc
i money or of being n treasurer hrt i
Sc"mS TO create spirit Of superiority. ns
though the mere receiving Of other prrsons'
gifts was favor you would grant ot ynur
own time and convenience whereas IL ono
has consented to serve the public in that
capacity one should be- as imprrsonaI ns n
bank and as automatic and as punrtiiious
and as untrusting.
1t is just as well, too. II You hive had n
reSponSlbI" money position, to keen DosSos
son Of your receipts and the data conrnrn.
ing your share in receiving money long pftrr
nj
ZatiOu has been severed.
7 ONCE collected in money drive with
tn" very material help Of nv to,r,
$40 900 toward a certain much advertised
object. some time after the drive ron.cJ
to be member Of that organization nnJ
some time after that the personnel Of tIr "r'
ganiHntion completely changed rho rnu
board ON taking up the work was ignorput ~
necessity, of some Of the organi2ation's rc'
sponSihlitieS toward the giving DuhIirInf
the designation of this gift in particular -
It just happened that l had kent tho Gg-
urrs and the data. Otherwise !, too, wou1d
have been vague and uncertain and tbcraI
for" irresponsible
1t was very easy, backed by the drurcs
and facts, 20 make the new board awnrc of
the obligation nntailcd on the organilnti,,n
by that gift, however, and | was Inipht~
thankful | had kept those troubjcsSnmSs
papcrS
7 WAS talking not long ago 10 Mr., Rcv.
: nolds Brown. who is the secretary NJ tj,o
,Horcsr Of Pennsylvania for til" Epi>rpnnl
Church, understand that Organization ~
setting its financial house in order on tor,