Evening star., 1961-08-01
Too Many Fund Appeals

The harassed public, besieged by
fund appeals for many types of charity
and lengthening list. of diseases,
undoubtedly will welcome the findings
and recommendations of a citizens
study committee. The committee found,
during a two-year survey financed by
the Rockefeller Foundation, that too
many health and welfare agencies are
conducting wasteful tug of war for
the giverS dollars, with little or no
supervision and inadequate accounting
to show where the money goes. We
agree with the committee that reforms
are necessary if public confidence in and
support of private charities are to
continue In Washington, many of
these recommended reforms have be-
come standard operating procedures in
the United GiverS Fund agencies. But
these agencies, unfortunately, are only
few of those soliciting public
contributions.
The 22-member group, which in
cluded two former secretaries of Health,
Education and Welfare, pointed out that
there has been startling increase in
health and welfare solicitations by
voluntary organizations since World
War II. The study showed rise from
collections of $188 million in 1910 to
SIS billion in 1858, with more than
100000 agencies now engaged in con-
slant and lively competition to obtain
a major share of the gifts of sympa-
thetic citizens and firms. This contest
for charity funds has resulted in duph
cation of efforts and waste of money,
the committee emphasized. And, it was
added, the activities of the agencies
"have not always paralleled the public
need or interest"
The investigation revealed that
while some agencies made praiseworthy
efforts to keep the public informed in
detail as to income and outgo of charity
funds, others gave only partial data,
some provided confusing figures and
numerous others seemed to operate as
though the public were not interested
IN how donated funds we're spent. 1t was
therefore impossible for the committee
to obtain "fair, balanced picture" of
voluntary health and welfare activities
throughout the United States. Such a
chaotic situation could lead to the
demise of effective private fund drives
and "the possibility of further increases
in Government control of agency func-
tionS," the report warned.
To regain public trust and support,
it was stated, there should be created
nom governmental National Commis
sion on Voluntary Health and Welfare
Agencies to continue the studies begun
by the citizens committee and to work
for further unification of fund appeals,
elimination of overlapping and nom
essential drives and full accounting to
the public of funds received and dis
burSed. In order to make the accounting
understandable, the committee, said,
a uniform system of accounting-in-
cluding amounts used for campaign
xpenses-should be generally adopted
In short, the survey indicated that
unless the thousands of voluntary agen-
cieS get together in sort of overall,
unified, self-regulation program, they
will find the giving public less and less
responsive to their appeals. This could
be disastrous for all the voluntary
agencies, and for the underprivileged
and ailing men, women and children
who look to them for aid. A commission
such as that recommended could initiate
steps to avert that disaster.