WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
November 30, 1926.
Dear Friend,
We are sorry to be so late in sending you the digest of the Minutes of the two small Executive Meetings which took place here in Geneva in September but Catherine Marshall, who took down the Minutes, was taken ill after her return to England and it was a long time before we got the corrected version back.
The Minutes explain themselves but we wish to call your attention at this time to one or two matters therein. First is our financial situation. Both at Dublin and at the small Executive Committee meeting here in Geneva in September I was [authorized] to start a campaign for International members and to try to raise money by subscription for International headquarters with the hope that a permanent scheme might be worked out to finance Headquarters without the continual problem of money raising. Our budget last year was about 12,000 Swiss francs larger than the preceding year not including the additional money we received for printing. This amount the International office managed to raise. You will note that when Vilma Glücklich left the office there was a 5000 franc balance and this we did not touch but raised the additional amount needed to cover our expenses. The Executive Committee have put this 5000 francs in the bank as a reserve fund in case of some great emergency. This is a very fine thing to do and undoubtedly wise but we wish to point out that it has left our headquarters without any balance in spite of the money which we raised last year.
Let me show you what the position of Headquarters is. We need a budget of 50,000 francs not including the money for the printing of "Pax." Miss Addams has pledged herself to raise annually 30,000 francs from America. This is the same amount as was paid during the former secretary's period of office. Now if I succeed by appeals in securing new International members in America, the money from their dues is deposited [page 2] in Miss Addams fund and at the end of the month we get our regular monthly allowance. That is, I find with joy that I may be able to help Miss Addams in her difficult task of raising the American quota but I have not increased the allowance from America by a penny. Where then am I to get the additional 20,000 francs which we must have?
Last year, an organization called the "American Fund" paid the printing bill of "Pax International" which amounted to 12,000 Swiss francs for 12,000 copies in three languages. This Fund said that they could only help us for one year. However, we have appealed to them again and they have been so pleased with "Pax" that they have agreed to give us half the amount: -- 6,000 francs -- this year and another 6,000 francs the following year. I am hoping to make up the deficit by doing without the additional stenographic help I had counted on having this year, but I suppose ultimately we shall have to bear the whole burden of the printing of "Pax" as well as meeting the budget of 20,000 francs which we need and perhaps it is well we should begin now to see how this can be done. There are several ways of doing this: either by international dues from members or by quotas paid by the Sections or both. If we had 2200 international members paying 25 Swiss francs this office could be run without soliciting for subscriptions.
Don't you think your Section could start a campaign for international members or, if you cannot do this, do you think your Section would be willing to undertake to raise an annual quota for this office? Or if you could not do either of these things will you let me try to raise money and get members in your country?
Please consider these questions seriously and let me know what assistance you can give and what you recommend. You had better make use of me during the remaining year I am here. I do not mind asking for money and I am fairly successful in raising it but you must give me some field where I can work.
This problem of always thinking about finances is a wretched business but once we had our 2200 members our work would be guaranteed and we could live in peace. This does not seem to be a large number of members when we have the whole world from which to draw.
With all good wishes,
Faithfully yours,
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