Evening star., 1947-10-05


Community Chest Federation cam
paign for funds, the organization
last night issued a statement des-
cribing the functions of the Chests
in the Washington area and the
purpose of the federation.
The Community Chests of Wash
ington and Alexandria, and Arling-
ton, Fairfax, Montgomery and
Prince Georges counties voluntarily
have banded together in the Fed
Grafton to carry on a single, united
campaign for funds each year.
Each Chest in the Federation runs
It's own affairs and depends for its
leadership and achievement on the
citizens of its own community. Put
1t keeps in close touch with tie
work going on in the entire Fl dera-
ton area.
Each community has it's own rep
resentatives on the Federation's gov
erning body-the board Of directors,
as we'll as on the smaller executive
committee of the board. Commit
tees of the Federation are composed
Of members elected by the trustees
Of the self governing Chests.
Funds Allocated by Committee.
Funds raised by the Federation
campaign organization, made up OF
nine soliciting groups OF volunteers,
are budgeted and allocated by the
Federation's budget committee. This
committee receives requests from
the individual budget committees of
the Chests.
Contributors, however, may desig-
nate the particular agency to which
they want their gifts to go. A
contributor may do this by writing
In, on the back Of the campaign
pledge cards, the names of the
agencies he or she wishes to support
and the amounts each is to get from
the gift.
The Chests are made up OF
gencies providing services to improve
family life, health and child welfare.
They have the responsibility for
co-ordinating estimates of agency
needs, setting standards for profess
sional welfare work and allocating
to each agency the funds determined
as the most efficient budget for its
operations.
Agencies Must Meet Standard.
The Washington Chest was formed
in 1928 when more than 81 agencies
voluntarily joined together to unite |
their efforts to solve common prob
lens in needs, budgeting and fund I
raising. Admission to membership !
of a private welfare agency is con-
tingent on its meeting certain
standards, which include:
l. A responsible board Of directors.
2. Demonstration of usefulness to
the community.
3. Adequate financial records and
yearly audit.
a. Acceptable standards of social
work.
The Chest system eliminates the /
costly. competitive campaigns of
individual agencies and each Chest |
member agency has agreed to share
proportionately with all other |
agencies the funds raised through |
popular subscriptions.
The same general description ap-
plies to the community service
agency groups supported by the
other Chests in the federation.
Campaign Costs Lowered.
The Chest philosophy of econom-
ical, centralized fund raising is about
30 years old. More than 300 Com
munity Chests have grown up in
American communities.
Chest officials have found these .
results in the Federation plan:
/. Greatly lowered costs of fund
raising Campaign expenses were 4
per cent of the total raised for 1916,
as compared to the 18 to 25 per cent .
paid by individual agencies for their
own campaigns.
2. Extension of the improved CO.
ordination of health and welfare
work accomplished by the six Chests
to the entire area around Wash
ington, with consequent improve
ment of welfare planning in the
area of more than 1900 square miles
3. Strengthening of public under
standing and support OF social well
fare work carried on from day to
day to build healthier, more pro-
ductive community.
Should the Federation lose the
support of residents OF. the area, the
six Chests would return to competi- !
tive appeals for funds. Costs of
campaigning would increase. The
amount of the contributor dollar
going to actual human service would
be reduced
Would Reduce Service.
Reduction in the amount of funds
for service would mean reduction
in the, amount of service which
each agency could afford to pro-
vide. Some of those now benefiting
from Red Feather agency services
would be turned away.
These people either would go
without the help they needed in such |