Evening star., 1940-02-06
Number Of Givers
SET Chest Record,
Wi||ett Reports
Nomination Committees
Slate of 134 Trustees
For Contributors Elected

Slate Of 134 Trustees
For Contributors Elected
Although short of the goal t,
finance the largest group of agen
cies ever linked for human welfare
service here, the recent Community
Chest campaign resulted in al
unprecedented number of "givers,
Herbert L. Willett, jr., director
told contributors, board members
volunteer workers and agency rep
resentatives at the Embarrassing
organizations 18th annual meeting
last night at the United State.
Chamber of Commerce.
Figures now show, he said, that
Washington is near the top Of the
list of American cities in the
number of givers per 1000 of pop
ulation. The last drive brought
response from 195,05O individuals
Surveying the field, Mr.. Willett
said the Chest "enters 1910 with q
fine record behind it," But, he
warned, mo one should have feel
ing of complacency. There are
many more steps to take. We are
far from meeting all the needs that
are our rightful responsibility"
Contributor Slate Elected.
During the course of the meeting
the entire slate of 1874 trustees rec
commended by the Nominating Com
mittee to represent contributors on
the Chest Board of Trustees was
elected. It brought the total board
membership to 268. The other 1874
are members appointed to represent
each of the 81 institutional member
organizations which now make up
the Chest.
In addition to Mr.. Willett's talk
there were reports by Coleman Jen-
nings, Chest president; Chauncey
@. Parker, jr., campaign chairman
whose reelection was announced
and John A. Reilly, treasurer.
Despite the increase in the num-
ber of gifts, Mr. Willett pointed to
charts showing that, compared with
the growth of population, new
SOlliClo w w dllu 1lC w
Chest supporters are not giving in
proportion to the standard set by
the first 100000 contributors.
Cites Operating Cost.
The director said the average cost
over a 11-year period of keeping
the Chest in operation has been
only 7.27 per cent of the pledges.
This, he said, included campaign
as well as administrative expenses,
"but at no time has the percentage
Of cost been nearly as high as it
Is in practically every agency which
raises its own funds for itself"
Mr. Willett made it clear that
studies made during the last year
by special committee of the
trustees had determined beyond a
doubt that every dollar of contrib
utors' gifts is being used for the
greatest possible benefit of those
needing help in the community.
From the committees findings,
Mr.. Willett quoted these con-
clusions: Salaries paid to the en-
ployes are comparable to those paid
in private industry. The total
amount spent by the Chest for
raising, collecting and disbursing
funds is very reasonable in propor-
ton to the amount raised. The
business policies of the Chest are
sound; the operations under these
policies are we'll stabilized"
Mr.. Jennings, who presided,
stressed the "honored place that
trained social workers on the stats
OF Chest agencies have earned not
only in the affection of their clients
but OF the whole community"
Praises Volunteers.
He also praised the "ungrudging
and sacrificial effort of the volun-
teers, without which there could not
be Chest"
The multiplicity of money-raising
campaigns in the community, Mr..
Jennings said, is one of two impor-
tant problems which still remain to
be solved.
lover so drives were held for
funds in 1899, some for large
amounts, some for small. Although
the Chest could not eliminate all
campaigns for money to meet social
needs in the community, one of its
basic principles is to combine as
many of these as possible" Mr.. Jen-
nings declared.
"Since the organization of the
Chest at least IT'S campaigns have
been eliminated and literally hum
dreds of thousands of dollars have
been saved in campaign expenses.
In spite of this, the number of
money-raising campaigns seems to
be on the increase"
Mr.. Jennings defined the second
problem as that of securing more
money to meet the needs of social
service organizations and the people
they serve. In comparison with
other cities, he believes, the Wash
ington Chest has built, over the
years, notable record in the
amount of money actually raised.
"Yet the budgets of many of the
agencies are far below what they
should be, physical equipment Is not
being preserved and replaced as
time and use exact their inevitable
toll and vitality important plans for
agency expansion or experimental
ton have to be postponed year after
year."
Endowments Suggested.
Endowments and beQuests to both
the member agencies and the Com
munity Chest as a whole, Mr.. Jen-
nings suggested, would be one way
in which interested citizens could
provide for some still unmet needs.
"And certainly no stone will be left
unturned in an attempt continually
to broaden the base of giving and to
secure larger pledges from our regu-
lar supporters" he said.
Forward steps taken by the Chest,
Mr.. Jennings pointed out, included
the satisfactory solution of the prob