The Washington times., 1925-05-25
Detroiters Like Their
Community Chest
''Tag Days" Abolished, one1
Fund Distributed Among
70 Member Groups
By Special Correspondent.

DETROIT, May 25.-To those
washingtonians interested in the
proposed Community Chest plan, a
brief sketch of Detroit's experience
with a Community Chest may be Of
value. This city he's employed
Community Fund for eight years
and has found the method OF GEN.
tralizing charitable activities emf
nently satisfactory.
So successful, indeed, is the plan
here that Detroiters have come to
consider their annual donations TO
the Community Fund an established
and routine detail of their living ex-
penses.
In Detroit the idea can be traced
back directly to war activities. Re-
fore the war the Michigan metropolis
gradually had fallen a victim of
"tag days. There were tag days
for this charity and tag days for
that, and tag days for the other,
Citizens began to resent the con-
tinual petty but annoying drains of
these special days when it was
deemed niggardly not to contribute
TO the various causes.
The leading philanthropists and
social students realized the tag day
would have to cease. 1t was not
until December, -917, though, that
they hit upon an adequate sub
stitute.
At that time they formed the De-
troit Patriotic Fund to act as a
clearing house for war contribu
tions to- the Red Cross. the Saliva
ton Army, Knights of Columbus,
Y. NJ. c. A., etc. William ]. Nor
ton was drafted from Cincinnati to
form the machinery for collecting
and disbursing funds. He had been
executive secretary Of the Cincin-
natl Council of Social Agencies.
Norton is now practical head Of tae
Detroit Community Fund.
Seventy Member Groups.
Tk conference of December,
1917, decided to include recognized
local charities in the common sub
scription list. The Detroit Asso-
ciated Charities canvassed such or
ganizations and submitted a list Of
forty-two that wished membership
in the patriotic fund. There ara
now seventy such member bodies.
In May, 1918, the first fund rails
ing campaign under centralized
direction Of the patriotic fund was
launched. Detroiters had been
urged to concentrate their giving
to the fund instead Of giving, Civ
ing, giving on the innumerable tag
days. These latter were discon-
tinued entirely, as organization
after organization went into the
fund.
The budget of 1918 was $500, 900.
The people subscribed SO, 500, 900.
More than half the money OBJ
tanned went to the National Red
Cross and other war associations.
With the close of the war that
year it was decided to perpetuate
the fund.
1t was rechristened the Detroit
Community Fund and it gave birth
to a daughter organization known
as the Detroit Community Union.
Today the community union en-
braces all of the administrative and
research work. 1t analyses the
annual budgets OF the member con-
Germs, investigates applicant chari-
ties, and the like. The community
fund raises and hands out the
money.
Seven Eligible Glasses.
AS it functions at present the
community fund does all of De.
troit's collecting and donating under
ne broad head of charity. It's eff.
forts are divided among seven
classes of eligible bodies They are.
Child faring agencies.
Old peoples homes.
Recreational and settlement agen.
cies such as social centers and
settlement houses.
Character building corporations
Including the Y M c. A. Salvation
Army and Y. w. c. A, and the
Boy and Girl Scouts
4EOtective works for women and