Dwight D. Eisenhower photo

Memorandum on United Fund and Community Chest Campaigns.

August 14, 1956

Memorandum for the Heads of All Executive Departments and Agencies:

This Fall more than 2,000 United Funds and Community Chests will make their appeals for the support of over 23,000 health, welfare and recreation organizations. Many of these campaigns will include the needs of such national agencies as the Red Cross, USO and those fighting the dread diseases and other health problems. These united community campaigns will be seeking to raise more than $340,000,000.

This largest of all voluntary fund-raising appeals represents a total that is more than the amount raised by all other health and welfare appeals combined. Their campaigns will be conducted, as in past years, among federal, civilian and military personnel during the months of September, October and November.

To assure the leaders of United Community Campaigns of America, representing local Community Chests and United Funds, of the cooperation of the Federal Government, I have approved the appointment of the Honorable George M. Humphrey, Secretary of the Treasury, as Vice Chairman for the Federal Government of United Community Campaigns.

In the spirit of true voluntary giving I am confident that you will extend the full cooperation of your Department in each community throughout the United States and its territories and possessions where it conducts its operations. Such cooperation should, under the new uniform Federal policy on fund raising, include the effective solicitation of all employees, the acceptance of equitable unit goals, and the setting up of an adequate collection method for the convenience of those who wish to make contributions on an installment basis.

We who work in the Government want to assume our full citizen's share of voluntary support of the many worthwhile private health and welfare organizations. The United Fund and Community Chest campaigns provide us with an opportunity for supporting a wide variety and a large number of organizations through a single appeal.

It is my hope that all employees will give thoughtfully and generously to these campaigns.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Memorandum on United Fund and Community Chest Campaigns. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/233074

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