Evening star., 1923-03-06
The Community Chest" Plan.

The community chest plan Of
raising money whereWith the welfare
work of a city may be carried forward
Is taking strong hold upon the minds
OF thoughtful Washingtonians. Re
duced to its simplest definition that
plan is merely the grouping of the
budgets of the various worthy welfare
agencies today operated in the District
into one inclusive budget, and the join
Ing together on the part of the
sgencieS concerned, the business in
teTests of the city and the contributing
public into an intensive cooperative
campaign for the raising of the nee
essary funds.
SO defined. the advantage of the
community chest method may read
lily be grasped. They include the an
nual assurance to worthy agencies of
needed funds without requiring that
dispfoportionate percentage of the
time of trained welfare workers be
devoted To raising money: the relief Of
the contributing public from the multi
plicity OF appeals, drives and CAM
paigns with which it is today beset;
the supplying of a means whereby the
business methods of local welfare
ageleies asking financial support from
the public may be scrutinized and i'm
proved by a group commanding the
confidence and support of every resi-
dent of Washington: the granting Of
an opportunity to every citizen earnest
ly to consider the extent of his obliga-
ton toward supporting the sound well
fare work of the city and easily to
make d contribution based upon that
consideration.
These are the fundamental advan-
tages OF the community chest" plan,
nd greatly do they outweigh any
possible disadvantages that there is
strong temptation to rash acceptance
OF the project. 1t is imperative under
these circumstances that stress be ap
piled to one very important point. The
gaining of each of these advantages is
contingent upon the unqualified sue
cess Of the plan in question.
Failure on the part of those in
charge Of the movement to command
the whole hearted confidence and re-
spect of the community would lead to
failure to acquire the needed funds.
Failure to acquire the needed funds
would involve a recourse to individual
campaigns by the local agencies or the
curtaiment of essential work. And
the recourse to individual campaigns
l.,
that surcease from an interminable
succession OF appeals and drives which
it most urgently requires.
The structure of any community
chest" plan must be erected with the
utmost care. There must be assurance
of success before an effort to put such
q plan into effect is made.
The big men of Washington, men in
whose business acumen, organizing
ability and sound judgment the public
place implicit confidence, must stand
behind the project, ready to give Of
their time and genius as well as Of
their dollars toward it's success. Sur
veys with a view to establishing how
much money the local welfare agen-
cies today receive from the contribut-
ing public and how much the business
men and large contributors would
guarantee to contribute under the
community chest" plan must be un-
dertaken. The agencies must be i'm
pressed that it is essential that they all
Join the movement when adequate as
surance Of it's success from other
angles has once been given.
This is not a work to be done in
month. But it is a work to be done.
And to the members of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association and
their associates. through whose in
ttiative concrete and practical steps
toward a much-to-be desired end are
today being taken, Washingtonians.
growing more and more dissatisfied
with the antiquated and unbusiness-
like methods Of financing the commu-
nity's welfare work, will wish full and
unqualified success.