Evening star., 1923-05-08
Imitation Of Community Chest
Left to Civic and Trade Bodies
Council of Social Agencies Finds Pla,,
for Financing Charities Mainly Sue
cessful, But Witkholds Approual.

The desirability of the "commu-
nifty chest" system for all Washington
charities was discussed in detail by
the Washington Council of Social
Agencies at it's monthly meeting In
the oak room of the Raleigh Hotel yes
terday afternoon.
The Rev, Dr. John O'Grady, chair
man of the councils committee on
community chest. read the commit
tees report, which suggested that the
civic and business agencies should
initiate the community chest move
ment, rather than the social agencies
This suggestion was approved by
the council. Father O'Grady pointed
out the necessity of the right type
of leader for the success of such an
undertaking. DR.. O'Grady's report
follows, in part:
Find Method Indorsed.
"The committee has found that
with very few exceptions those who
have had actual experience with the
community chest indorse this new
method of financing the social work
of our American cities. In nearly
all the cities with conditions similar
to those of Washington and in which
Community financing OF social work
has been adopted the amount fixed
by the budget committee has been
attained.
"The most notable examples of
successful community chests are to
be found in Cleveland. Cincinnati.
Rochester. Toledo. Kansas City, st.
Paul and Minneapolis. 1t is the gen
eral opinion of social workers that
where the single community drive
has been failure, or only partial
success, it was due to the faults or
complications of organization rather
than to the system itself. There Is.
however, considerable opposition to
the plan on the part of certain
agencies.
Experience with community fl
nancing of social work shows, (a)
that in nearly all cases it has brought
the social agencies greater amounts
of money than the system of indiVid-
ual financing: tb) that it has saved
the agencies and their workers from
dividual campaign, and thus permit
ted them to give more time and
thought to their regular work; (c)
| that it has made for better co-opera-
| ton among the different agencies, and
thus brought about more wholesome
permitted the community to provide
| more Systematically for needed de-
velopments in social work.
Alive to Difficulties.
Leaders in the community chest
movement, however, are keenly alive
to it's dangers and limitations. The
problem of efficient organization is a
most difficult one. All experience
seems to show that without efficient
organization and the right type OF
leadership community financing is
| doomed to failure. More difficult
still is the problem of inducing the
different agencies to submerge theil
| own individuality in a general com.
munity program.
Many agencies feel that the com.
munity chest will mean the loss OF
the personal interest of their sup
| rorters. Another difficulty to be
faced is the feeling on the part OF
the older and stronger agencies thai
they are capable of taking care OF
their own work alone. Under the
system of individual financing they
tare assured of support. They nat
urally hesitate to exchange the pres
ent system for one which is still ir
the experimental stage.
"A fourth difficulty is the belief