November 5, 1911 was a Sunday. The weather in Richmond was seasonal – chilly in the morning; the high would be in the mid 50’s. The Sunday edition of the Times-Dispatch reported that the Jefferson Hotel was expecting 600 delegates for the opening of the annual convention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on Wednesday. International news focused on the defeat of the Italians by the Turks at Tripoli in North Africa. The sports pages were full of a World Series ticket scandal involving the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics. And VMI’s football team had beaten Richmond College on the previous afternoon, 38-0.
Sydnor and Hundley took a full-page ad in the Sunday paper to announce the opening of its magnificent new furniture store at Seventh and Grace Streets. O.H. Berry’s men’s clothing store told newspaper readers that men’s suits would be priced the next day from $25 to $35. And Globe Clothing ran an ad for boys’ suits from $3.50 to $5.00.
On that same Sunday, November 5, 1911, a small group of Richmond citizens, concerned about human needs, met for the first time at the YWCA. A report of their meeting would not make the newspapers the next day, but it was significant. It was significant, for it marked the beginning of many years of selfless community service. Even now, many years later, it is not surprising to learn that the architect of this emerging structure of voluntary public service was Dr. Douglas Southall Freeman. Without knowing it, the famed editor and biographer of Robert E. Lee had inspired this meeting.
The previous winter Dr. Freeman had put together a “Know Your City” study class for adults. Its students had come to understand, among other things, that civic and philanthropic organizations could be more effective if they work together. Now, almost a year later, many of Dr. Freeman’s students were among representatives from the Federation of Mothers Clubs, the Associated Charities, the Catholic Church, and of course, the YWCA.
They selected an interesting agenda: cooperation to bring all people of Richmond together to work for the betterment of the community; the need for housing reform in Richmond and legislation to regulate housing conditions; and the need to censor that growing phenomenon, the motion picture, in Richmond. They had so much discussion on these subjects that it wasn’t until the next week that they got around to choosing a name for themselves. The name they chose was The Council of Social Workers of Richmond.
The Council wasted no time. At its second meeting the members appointed a committee to canvass all social organizations in the City working among the minority populations to report on the number of such organizations, the scope of their work and their financial status. And, they made sweeping recommendations about movies shown in Richmond. Movies must be “moral in tone, neither condoning nor ridiculing crime,” and respectful of the institutions of marriage, home and church. They also urged “every precaution be taken by ushers and officers to prevent advances being made to young girls by men.” Clearly, the motion picture theater was years away from acceptance as a place of innocent enjoyment.
In 1921, however, something occurred which would have a lasting impact on charitable giving in Richmond. The editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, John Stewart Bryan, told the Richmond First Club that serious consideration should be given to what were becoming known nationwide as Community Chest campaigns.
By April of 1924, the organization called the Council of Social Agencies endorsed a $400,000 Community Fund campaign, the proceeds from which would be allocated among 36 human service agencies in the City. There were some who doubted the wisdom of a single campaign whose rewards would be shared by a variety of agencies. Despite these reservations, the campaign was launched on November 17, 1924.
Some three weeks later, having raised more than $376,000, the first Community Chest campaign ended, missing its goal by only $24,000. For a first time effort, the combined campaign had to be regarded as a success. Still, some Richmonders continued to have misgivings, and some charitable organizations remained aloof, preferring to raise their own funds. Some of them feared losing part of their identity, and their income, in a combined fund raising campaign. But the idea had taken root. Campaign goals increased steadily, and so did the success rate. In 1928, although $11,000 short of its goal, the Community Fund raised more than half a million dollars.
Then came the Depression.
The initial shock after the stock market crash of October 1929 was clearly visible in that year’s Community Fund drive in Richmond. The campaign fell short of its goal by $77,000. As the Depression tightened its grip, however, something remarkable happened: the campaigns of 1930 and 1931 exceeded their goals, because those who had suffered less in the expanding crisis opened their hearts to those who had suffered most.
National uncertainty about the damaged economy and what Franklin D. Roosevelt, the country’s new President, could do about it was reflected in the 1932 campaign which barely made its goal of $605,000. Now came the long struggle to repair the American economy under Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” From the CCC to the NRA, the Federal government created programs to help the jobless. With the perception of charity beginning not at home, but in Washington, Community Fund goals became more difficult to meet.
By 1939 there was a war on in Europe and Asia. Things changed. Distant conflicts seemed to stimulate the compassion and generosity of Americans, and the Community Fund goals were easily met in 1939, 1940 and 1941. Then came Pearl Harbor, bringing the war closer to many at home and overseas. Patriotism became linked to philanthropy, and the Community Fund merged with the Richmond War Effort to become the Richmond War and Community Fund.
A new feature of the Community Fund drives during World War II included celebrity speakers at campaign kick-off events. In 1942, Joseph C. Grew, U.S. Ambassador to Japan launched the campaign in Richmond. In 1943, Major General Lewis B. Hershey, architect of the Selective Service System, was the kick-off orator, followed by Elmer Davis, one of the best known of the wartime news commentators. And every wartime Community Fund campaign exceeded its goal.
At the war’s end, the Richmond campaigns became part of the nationwide Community Chest, and in 1954, the Richmond Community Chest was offered one of its greatest gifts. Mrs. E. Addison Rennolds, as a memorial to her parents, announced that she would give the stately Branch House to the Community Chest. The following year, Branch House became the headquarters for the Richmond Community Chest. The trend to use celebrity speakers continued in the post war years, and the movies and television contributed some of their brightest stars to Richmond kick-offs. Among them were Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Will Rogers, Jr. and the star of the popular “Death Valley Days.”
In 1960, an historic merger took place. It combined the Richmond area Community Fund with the newly created United Fund. The new organization became the United Givers Fund of Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield. Hanover County was added in 1970, but there was another change in store. In April 1974, a Citizens Community Study recommended that the Richmond Community Council, an advisor to UGF, be consolidated with the United Givers Fund to become the United Way of Greater Richmond. United Way had come a long way from the Council of Social Workers of Richmond.
The organization continued to increase its fund raising and add new agencies until 1987. In 1988, after a two-year study conducted by volunteers of the United Way of Greater Richmond, Donor Choice was offered as part of the annual campaign. This new program enabled local health and human service non-profit 501 (c) (3) qualified organizations to share, for the first time, in donor designated campaign proceeds without qualification through the requisite allocations process. The number of agencies receiving support jumped from some 54 to several hundred, while the pool of available funds for United Way affiliated agencies continued to grow.
In 1993, after a strict process of due diligence, the Board of Trustees of United Way Services voted to move to a two year allocation process designed to make United Way and agency resources available for additional purposes, such as technical and management assistance, grant writing, training, and other forms of resource development during off-allocations years.
As a result of significant demographic and socio-economic changes, United Way Services began to seek its relevance and differentiation in our community as we approached the new millennium. After a number of years of discussion and studies, a transformation plan for United Way was finalized and approved in 2002.
Today, your United Way works together with individuals and organizations to improve and change lives in a meaningful and lasting way. We’re a leader and catalyst in understanding our region’s most pressing needs and solving problems by mobilizing people and resources.
After nearly a century, together, we're still making the difference.