Corso’s appeal disastrous...

Press, 29 July 1976, Page 17

Corso’s appeal disastrous...

By

OLIVER. RIDDELL

Corso’s 1976 annual appeal is likely to be a third down on 1975 — about $210,000 as against $313,000 — but this reduction may owe more to inappropriate collection methods in some areas than to declining public support.

Over the last decade, Corso’s annual income has been falling in some years by as much as 15 per cent. This was bad enough in years of low inflation, but with inflation now running at more than 15 per cent a year, a 15 per cent drop in income each year as well is disastrous. Corso had already been told of the consequences of its declining income in a time of rising inflation at the first half of its annual meeting in late May, and had been advised by its acting treasurer that when the annual meeting was resumed it would have to give close attention to its finances.

But in the intervening period, Corso held its annual appeal which was more than twice as bad as its 10-year average had been. Finance, and the apportionment of Corso’s greatly reduced budget, will certainly be the major taiking-point at its resumed annual meeting. Although the public washing of Corso’s dirty linen in recent months had been expected to reduce its public appeal, reasons other than reduced public support seem to have been even more important.

Where the appeal was conducted on a house-to-house basis, public response seems to have been down the 10 to 15 per cent now considered about average. In the South Island, and particularly Christchurch, the response was quite good, although

final figures will not be available until early August.

Where the appeal was conducted by post, and where the traditional house-to-house method was discarded, for whatever reason, public support was down by 50 to 60 per cent.

This was particularly true of Auckland (which includes north and south Auckland as well as the metropolis), but was also true of most of the central district of the North Island as well.

Collections do pose problems. There can be so many that householders become swamped, and thus resentful. Most house-to-house collections use secondary school children, because organisations de not have enough

members to do the job. Although there have been only a few cases of dishonesty reported over the years, it is still a niggling problem.

In Auckland, particularly, house-to-house collections are dreaded. It covers a vast area, has a vast population, and would need thousands of collectors on the day, as well as several hundred adults to oversee the collectors.

Also, Auckland wished to build up its personal commitments from friends of Corso, and to solicit personal commitments from the general public. Corso’s national executive advised Auckland not to try a postal collection throughout the area, but to do so in one part to ascertain the result.

However, Auckland went ahead with a postal collection for its entire

area, and instead of collecting its usual $7O-80.000, it has barely passed $30,000.

Since then, the Auckland organiser (Mr Joris de Bres) has resigned, and Corso’s national executive committee has re-affirmed its preference for house-to-house collection. However, the experience has at least taught Corso what it cannot do.

The total from the appeal will fall so far short of last year’s that a new budget has been needed. The four different budgets originally presented to the annual meeting in May have presumably been scrapped.

Corso spent nearly two whole days in May discussing its constitution; now, it looks as if it will need to spend another two days, on July 31 and August I, discussing its finances.