mums052 Northampton Community Chest Records, 1922-1969 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Anneliese Ostendarp. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Eric S. Cartier. 2003-07-21 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mu159 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Northampton Community Chest Records, 1922-1969 Finding Aid Manuscript Number 52 Compiled by Anneliese Ostendarp June 1985 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Northampton Community Chest Association (Northampton, Mass.) Northampton Community Chest Records 1922-1969 MS 52 6 boxes (3 linear ft.) Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Community Chest of Northampton, Massachusetts that sought the federation of non-sectarian social service agencies for the raising of funds necessary to carry on the work of several agencies doing welfare work in town. Records include constitution and by-laws, Board of Directors membership lists, minutes, annual reports, campaign reports, ledgers, annual meeting planning documents, scrapbooks, and newsclippings. English. Historical Note

In 1922, the Northampton Chamber of Commerce retired from its leadership in the local Community Chest, and a separate Northampton Community Chest Association was established. The Community Chest sought the federation of non-sectarian social service agencies doing welfare work in Northampton, Massachusetts, for the raising of funds necessary to carry on the work of their several agencies.

The Community Chest Association continued its work until 1933 when four of six agencies withdrew from the Chest. The Community Chest Board then recommended that the Council of Social Agencies serve in the Chest's former capacity and it briefly disbanded. In 1936, however, the Community Chest resumed its work.

The Chest frequently did not meet its campaign goals; public apathy and ignorance of the Chest's purpose were reasons often cited for the failures. Public confidence in the Chest was greatly weakened by a theft of funds from the Chest Office in 1957. The Board minutes reflect an interest in joining the United Fund as early as 1955, but that decision was deferred until 1969, when the Northampton Community Chest association reincorporated as the Hampshire United Fund, Inc.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Records consist of constitution and by-laws, Board of Directors membership lists, minutes, annual reports, campaign reports, ledgers, annual meeting planning documents, scrapbooks, and newsclippings.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into three series:

Series 1. Administration, 1922-1969 Series 2. Reports, 1940-1964 Series 3. Financial Records and Scrapbooks, 1945-1968

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Northampton Community Chest Records (MS 52). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Processed by Anneliese Ostendarp, June 1985.

Search Terms Northampton Community Chest Association (Northampton, Mass.) Federations, Financial (Social service)--History--Sources. Charities--Massachusetts--Northampton--History--Sources. Human services--Massachusetts--Northampton--History--Sources. Northampton (Mass.)--Social conditions--Sources. Scrapbooks. Account books. Series 1. Administration1922-1969

Includes minutes of the Community Chest Association (1922-1934, 1954-1969). Minutes were kept annually and include some correspondence, campaign reports, and committee reports. Annual Meeting/Dinner materials (1961-1965) include minutes of that meeting, presidents' reports, and correspondence concerning dinner and arrangements. Annual Reports (1949-1967), photocopied, summarize the Chest's activities of the year including campaign results and agency disbursements. Agency Allocations (1967-1969) include agency budgets and requests as well as Budget Committee minutes, notes, and final allocations.

Series 2. Reports1940-1964

Campaign analyses (1940-1943, 1964) made by outside agencies. The reports include campaign results by committee (residence, mercantile, industry, school, and institution), committee members, campaign expenses, and conclusions and recommendations.

Series 3. Financial Records and Scrapbooks1945-1968

Divided into two sub-series.

The first sub-series, Financial Records, consists of four scrapbooks (1945, 1956-1962). The scrapbooks contain Community Chest Campaign newspaper clippings. The second sub-series is comprised of ledgers (1958-1968).

Series 1. Administration1922-1969 1 1 Constitution and By-Laws c.1922-1966 1 2 Board of Directors 1953-1964 1 3 Council of Social Agencies 1942-1955 1 4-11 Minutes 1922-1934, 1954-1969 2 12-14 Annual Meeting/Dinner 1948-1965 2 15 Annual Meeting/Dinner--Plaque Awards 1961-1965 2 16-19 Agency Allocations 1967-1969 Series 3. Reports1940-1964 3 1-3 Annual Report 1949-1967 3 4-8 Campaign Report 1940-1943, 1964 3 9 Comparison of Actual Operations with Budgets and Recommended Allocations 1949 Series 3. Financial Records and Scrapbooks1945-1968 3 1 Campaign Records 1966-1968 3 2 Scrapbook 1945 4 3-5 Scrapbooks 1957-1962 5 6-9 Ledgers 1958-1962 6 10-12 Ledgers 1963-1968