Faith, Hope & Organization

When the Red Cross, in 1917, hired the services of Organizers Charles Sumner Ward and Harvey J. Hill to raise $100,000,000 (they raised $123,000,000), it sounded the knell of unorganized charity. Other organizers got the idea. After the War they started companies whose sole business it was and is to raise money--for schools, colleges, hospitals, churches, worthy objects of all kinds. The three largest money-raising companies today are Ward, Wells & Dreshman, Tamblyn & Brown, John Price Jones, all of Manhattan.

Municipalities also got the idea. Instead of letting their citizens be solicited ten or a dozen times a year, why not start a community fund, budget out the money to approved charities, clean up contributions in one annual drive? Hence the community chest, now operative in about 350 U. S. cities and towns. Of U. S. cities with more than 100,000 population (census figures as of 1927), only eleven now have no community chest: New York, Chicago, Boston, San Antonio, Jersey City, Paterson, Camden, Trenton (N. J.), Wilmington (Del), Cambridge (Mass.), Yonkers (N. Y.). This year, of 125 community chest campaigns already reported, in spite of the recent stock market break, gains appeared over last year of approximately $1,500,000.

The organization of a community chest campaign is usually a fairly cut-&-dried matter. The plan used in Scranton is typical: a general campaign chairman, under him four division chairmen, under each division chairman ten teams of twelve persons each (the actual canvassers); also a publicity division, a speakers division. Complete lists of "prospects," usually divided into income classes, are parceled among the canvassing teams. Dinners, luncheons, rallies during the intensive period keep up public interest, whet team competition.

Many towns, having become expert in raising money, keep a permanent community chest executive and have dispensed with the help of commercial money-raising companies. Of the 350 U. S. community chests, only about 75 are now managed by outside experts. About 40 of these are run by American City Bureau, Manhattan, specialists in community chest and Chamber of Commerce membership drives.

Of the 1929 community chest campaigns already concluded, many a one exceeded its quota "in spite of the stockmarket." Some cases:

Scranton, Pa. (population 144,700) under the leadership of Worthington Scranton, raised $673,000 with a per capita subscription of $4.

At Cleveland (population: 1,010,300), $4,650,000 was the quota, $4,654,357 was raised. Principal donors: Samuel Mather, U. S. Steel Director, $150,000; John L. Severance, $44,000; John Davison Rockefeller Jr., $20,000.

Boy Scouts nosed out prospects, Clarence Henry Howard (Commonwealth Steel Co.) gave $50,000 and St. Louis (population: 848,100) exceeded its $2,000,000 goal for the first time by $17,617. Last year the fund of $1,900,000 was undersubscribed $175,000.

Seattle (population: 383,200), having never before had a successful drive, this year pledged $7,000 more than the $725,000 quota.

Pittsburgh (population: 673,800) calls its chest the Welfare Fund. Last year 60,292 citizens oversubscribed a $960.000 quota by $13,025. This year, under the guidance of busy Joseph C. Dilworth (Dilworth, Porter Steel Co.), 7,777 workers got 61,652 Pittsburghers to give $2,000 more than the $1,168,000 goal.

Lawyer Walter Leslie Stewart, oldtime (1907-09) University of Iowa footballer, swept through ranks of hitherto apathetic Des Moines (population: 151,900) and gained $1,103 more than the $281,552 he had set out for. Last year, in a campaign for $276,075, the citizenry fell short by $3,818.

At Lincoln, Neb. (population: 71,100) professional money-getters (Ward, Wells & Dreshman) raised $146,819, exceeding last year's $134,314.

Omaha (population 222,800), with hired solicitors (American City Bureau) and 1,000 volunteers, raised $453,000 in its second successful drive in five years.

Some cities failed to get their full quota, including:

Columbus (population: 299.000), goal, $718,518; raised, $673,518.

Indianapolis (population: 382.100), goal, $786,853; raised, $750,000.

Denver (population: 294,200), goal $729,461; raised, $688,461.

Memphis (population: 190,200), goal, $560,000; raised, $543,000.

Kansas City, Mo. (population: 391,000), goal, $1,115,000; raised $1,095,000.

Joshers. No community chest has Butte, Mont. But one pre-Prohibition day, some of Butte's businessmen, having a drink together before going home to carve the Christmas goose, were confronted by a starving beggar. Said he: "My wife is ill and I've got children who are absolutely certain Santa Claus is coming tomorrow morning." The businessmen took up a collection and decided thereafter always to take care of their poor neighbors for two weeks at Christmastime. They called themselves the Joshers Club and now, instead of community chestmen, beaming Joshers buttonhole the townsfolk to help Butte's 600 needy families. Chief Josher is J. T. Finlen, proprietor of the Finlen Hotel.

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