A mammoth task

Press, 16 February 1984, Page 10

A mammoth task

If it was known how many streets there were in New Zealand’s towns and cities, that, theoretically, is the number of collectors: I.H.C. would have for its annual appeal. However, as it is only in the last two or three years that I.H.C. has moved away from its collection concept of zone leaders and area leaders to the concept of the Neighbourhood Principle, the system still has to be perfected. Under the Neighbourhood Principle a resident in each street is responsible for his or her own street and accepts responsibility for collection in that street. If it is a long street then that person finds others to help with the collection task, allocating, for example, 30 houses per person.

It sounds simple because the person usually knows his own street, about the four houses tucked away up a drive and the others hidden in a gully. The collector may well be known to those whose doors he knocks on and residents are more willing to give to a familiar face. However, as is often the case with simple ideas, mammoth organisation is needed to make the system work. In many branches, particularly those with changes of personnel or a high turnover of population, and in the major cities, the organising task has been going on for months. Finding the latest maps, making sure all streets are included, marking them off as a collector

is found, working out how to find a collector, using the habitation index to check the number of houses in a street, getting the collection bags to the collector and arranging for them to be collected on the night — all take time. In larger branches an appeal convenor, usually a volunteer member of the branch committee, will have started organising only weeks after the previous year’s appeal. Staff with fund raising and public relations responsibilities will be closely involved and over the Christmas period students or contract specialists will have been appointed. Service clubs and churches, as well as staff, members of the I.H.C. Society, parents and known 1983 collectors will have been approached to assist with the collection. In Christchurch the appeal involves 4000 collectors. The local effort is backed up with national advertising — recruitment posters to find collectors, general posters, stickers, envelopes, radio, television and newspaper advertising. This year for the first time an Appeal Consultant, a former chairman of one of I.H.C.’s branches with many years of experience in organising appeals, has been appointed to advise branches and help out where difficulties arise. The Bank of New Zealand, the society’s bankers, offer the services of their tellers to count the money and liaise with the society’s

volunteers as the bags are brought in. In the country areas there are many faithful collectors who have had the task of collecting in their area for a number of years. The country collection begins on the day of the appeal, Monday, February 20, so the final results will not be known until a week or more later. I.H.C. has always had the largest appeal in New Zealand, both in terms of organisation and the amount raised, and hopes to keep it that way for 1984. This year’s goal is $1,350,000 — five per cent up on the 1983 tally, which represents $1.30 for every household throughout the country. The receipt system is being streamlined and centralised this year with all receipts, where requested, for amounts over $5 being sent out from the national office of I.H.C. in Wellington. As there are expected to be about 80,000 receipts, the job of replying will be enormous but a computerised letter system acknowledging the donations has been devised which will speed up the system and provide an accurate record.