RURAL ORGANIZATION AND THE ACTION PROCESS: Thai: for the Dam» of M. S. ' MICHIGAN STATE-UNIVERSITY Edmond, W. .Alchin 1955 11115.15" RURAL ORGANIZATION AND THE ACTION PROCESS: A Case Study by Edmond I. Alchtn A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Nichigan State University of Agricul- ture and Applied Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Agricultural Extension 1955 THESIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to Dr. Duane Gibson, Dr. Joel Smith and Dr. Charles Hoffer, or the Sociology Department, for their time in providing counsel and advice. A note of special thanks to Dr. Glenn Taggart, also of the Sociology Department for his advice, counsel and encouragement throughout the preparation and writing of the Thesis. My deepest gratitude to Dr. Paul Miller, Director of Extension, who was instrumental in arranging an opportunity to do this study. I also want to express my thanks to Dr. John Stone, Prof. of Agricultural Administra- tion, who made it possible to enter the School of Grad- uate Studies at lichigan State University. Last but far from least, a note of thanks to my long suffering family for their sacrifices during the past year. \ 361560 RURAL ORGANIZATION AND THE ACTION PROCESS A Case Study By Edmond I. Alchin AN ABSTRACT Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State Univer- sity of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfill- ment of the requirements for the degree of HASTER.OF SCIEIOE Department of Agricultural Extension K‘" ._—‘fiw.~‘ Edmond'I. ilchhs The case study reported in this Thesis is an analysis of the organization and action process of the united Fund, as it attempts to carry out a rural fund campaign in a county in Central Michigan. The research was based upon the theory that the United fund would need to involve rural social systems and leaders which have extensive influence and command the respect of rural people in the area to be affected. Thus, the research involved two phases: (1) the discovery of relevant rural social systems which were available in the county studied, and (3) an analysis of the United Fund effort to utilize the relevant systems. Interview schedules were develOped to obtain data necess- ary to sake the analysis. Schedule I was applied to deter- mine the rural social organization for the county. The Schedule was applied to forty-five persons who night he expected to give valid and reliable answers to questions asked. Cooperative Extension workers, County officials, Government Tarn Agency representatives,‘Vocational Agri- cultural teachers, bankers, school superintendents, sinis- ters and far-.organisation officials were interviewed. -1- Edmond I. ilchin From interview results, a list of eighteen social systems were compiled and examined for relevance to United Fund needs. The County Farm Bureau, County Grange, Cooperative Extension Service , Agricultural Teachers Association, linisterial Association, and the County Chapter of the Michigan Educational Association, were found to have ob- jestives, facilities, and membership related to United Fund needs in carrying out a rural fund campaign. Through these organizations communities and rural people in the County could be reached. These formal systems extended into neighborhoods and encompassed most of the informal social systems. If the United Fund could marshall the resources of the formal systems, it would then be able to utilize friendships, kinship and reciprocal obli- gation of members of the systems to carry out the rural fund campaign. The second phase of the study attempted to examine how united Fund made use of the rural social systems. Interview Schedule II was developed to determine the necessary data to study this phase. The schedule was structured so that attention was directed to three parts of the action process: 1. Initiation of actionp—the means and organi- sation used to launch the action. In this case —2- In. .fl ! . . .26 Q .I. I... {11 9‘ _. v a . . I . . . r .. I . . . . . a O 1 I I I . a , 1 . . A ’1 n 4 st \ - ~ - s- . I . u.. I r . . Ir. _ e ‘s I. . I x 1. I ‘I . I Ce. ‘ - .a t O o n .. I i Q). ‘h n o,. C I. e 1 I 9‘ s . .1 . I . .. . .J Y! I . A . . . 1 . r .... x. . . .1 D .. . ,. , .I . s1 e.II D .. I h .a . .. . ... . . . ... I . II . I. Is I " .h ‘ ( u" - re a k I N y I . . . . r s , I I a v a I s I . ‘ Q U . . \ I C . I ‘ I6 I n - C “1\ F I .I ,« I I. . .I 1 . v s .v . . I l. . u .s. a \ Q a i I ~ . a A . .r . p I. v s . c I I I l O '1 .~ . Q. m -i . ' v Q 7 s. :1 . .1 I so. It s U . Q . . . l 3* D. 1. 1 ‘ .4 I I I). .i . .I l 1 e . 1| 0 I I I . v. Q ,1 .- ‘1 . o . .. 1 . c . . . f 1 . s C a. .0 . ‘ l I Q I! I . i 1 l A ‘ a I I \I I u .. . i . a _ I L . 1 I s I 1 o x e .. i l k g a 1 . I. 1 I D I . I I, I . . .li . .. . 1 . I I . . I .4. I.» _ .. k . a I . I .I Q s 1 \ e I) ‘ , . . I I a . 1 s . 1 a .0 IF I q . s I 9 l‘4 . 1k . . 1 I ., . . H (I. . II, . V p 1 g ' is .4. . . 1 . . . a r e ow \ . 1 ~ 11 . . I ‘. ' t C. I! ,‘ h r ‘ s I K I I I. V ‘1 ‘ li‘ ' . I .. . a . .I I .. ~I91 ‘ ' l e i . I a h r I I 1 A I .e. . :. , I ' .I v. . t I i . . r; . . I u I .- . .a . 1 . 1. . a . . . 1 . . .. i A c . I . .d. . -~-- Edmond l. ilchin * the County United Fund board. 8. Legitimation of Action--the means by which the action is made rightful. In this case leadership was used, systems represented and how the action was presented to the rural communities. 3. Execution of the Action-~How the action was carried out. In this case how solicitors were selected, instructed and the plane for the fund drive were carried out. A set of specifications were established for each element of the action process. Through these specifi- cations the analysis was ordered and made meaningful. The 1954 fund campaign was used as the reference point for the study. An analysis of results indicated that this campaign in rural areas was generally poor. The analysis was based upon the fulfillment of quotas established in townships by a “fair share gift” formula. The poor fulfillment of quotas indicated that the united Fund probably did not organize and carry out the campaign according to the specifications established for the study. The analysis, showed that, although members from some of the rural social systems were included in the United Fund organization, they did not participate regu— -3— Edibnd ' e nah“ larly or extensively. Responsibility for the rural campaign was not given to these members. Leadership, publicity, planning, timing and training of workers was either poorly done or not at all. Solicitors were selected on the basis of “someone to fill the position“ instead of “who can do a good Job". Norms, values, beliefs, interests, and health and welfare needs of rural people were largely ignored. Where the analysis showed that integration of rural social interests occurred at the school district and rural community level, the drive was conducted on a town- ship basis. The conclusions were that: (l) the study point- ed up many weaknesses in the United Fund Rural Campaign in the County. .(2) that the study had merit as a method of analyzing the action process as it attempts to bring about change. (3) that the study provided methods which can be used to compare action processes. -4— e i 0.1 . . r. . .r a. . D, v a . “‘1 I I . a . .I . C .. '\ 1 .. p . .13 . .. 1 I. ~ .\1 I 1 I P . 1 s. a (I . A I. I _ e I f 0;. - m . . s v I. J . c ' . is e I l _ . . . 1, . 1 1 t! 1. C .l A ~ . l l i t I [It a r 1 I a s 1 1 L J sad. s 1 1A, . e .. o.. I. . ..l' e I . . a 1 . TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I Introduction ........................................... 1 Guides for Selecting the Study........... ........ ... 1 Organization and Function of the United Fund........ 2 Need for the Study....... .......................... . 6 Selection of the Problem..... .................... ... 9 Chapter II The Nature of the Action Process.............. ....... . 10 Social Organization and the Action Process......... 11 Utilizing the Social Organization.................. 13 Functions of the Elements of the Action Process.... 16 The United Fund as a Change System................. 18 Chapter III Reference Points for the Study. ...... ................ 20 Assumptions for the Study.......... ............. . 20 Hypothesis..................... ................. . 21 Reference Points Established.. ......... . ........ . 22 Method of Study. ....... .. ...... .......... ....... . 26 Steps of the Study.................. ........... .. 30 Conducting the Study..... ....................... . 34 Chapter IV The Case of Central County................... ...... . 38 Analysis of County Level Rural Social Systems... 41 Summary of Relevant Rural Social Systems........ 67 Integration of Rural Social Organization. ........ . 67 Values and Beliefs Related to United Fund......... 74 Predicting a Rural Organization for Central County United Fund............ ........... . .............. . 75 Community Level Organization...................... 78 Chapter V The united Fund in Central County........... ........ . 80 Analysis of Results of the Fund Drive............ 82 Critical Analysis of the united Fund...... ...... . 85 Summary of Analysis........ ...... . ........... .... 94 Summary of the Study......... ....... . ....... ..... 96 Conclusions.. ............ .... ..... ... ........... . 97 Recommendations ............. ........ .......... ... 97 Appendix ”A".......................... .............. . 99 Appendix 'B'................................ ..... ....102 BlbliograthOOOOO......OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO00.000.000.0106 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTIOI The content of this report deals with a case study of the social action process as it relates to rural social organization. The rural social organization is that of a Central Iichigan Agricultural County and the action pro- cess that of the united Fundll Campaign in that County. The problem of obtaining interest and participation of farm families in the united Fund Agencies and Campaigns, in many rural areas of lichigan, brought about the estab— lishment of the Henry T. Ewald Fellowship in 1953. The purpose of the Fellowship is to study ways and means of bringing about the desired interest and participation of farm families. This is the second of a series of stud— iesz/ to be conducted under the Fellowship granted by the United Innd. Guides for Selecting the Study The selection of the study is based upon the follow. ing requirements: 1/ United Fund is a term which will be used in this report to designate The United Hbalth and lelfare Fund of Michigan, Inc. Social organization is defined in Chapter II. 3/ The first study done in 1954 dealt with rural attitudes toward health and welfare giving. See Iahaffey, Stanley Allen. A Com rative Stud In e ected Rur Areas In ontr butors an Ron-contr butors to oluntar fl glth 35d ls; are Agencies. A hesis in process. 1. To be fruitful as a sociological study. 3. To provide United Fund with an overview of pro- blems related to obtaining interest and participation of rurals/ people. 3. To provide united Fund with information necessary to orient staff and volunteer workers to rural problems. 4. To provide United Fund with a basis for experimental programs for the future. 5. To provide a means for educating rural people to .health and welfare needs. Organigatign and Functign of United Fund The United Health and lelfare Fund of lichigan, Inc., was founded in 1947. The organization was formed for two primary reasons: (1) The necessity to do something about the many separate fund drives confronting the public, and (3) duplication of effort which resulted is wasted money and man power. Detroit alone had fifty-two different fund drives in 1946.4] _ A citizens committee met in August of 1947 to consider 3/ For purposes of this study rural refers to farm areas or POOPle, as opposed to village or suburban rural areas or People. 4/ Remarks b Ben amin . Y un Vice-Pre ident of the Nation- a1 Bank of Detroit at a meeting held to organize The United m6 , Jul" y"' "1'5", #1947. 3 the problem and adopted the following intents and purposess/ for the United FUnd Organization: 1. Establish the name of the organization 2. Organize and conduct a fund campaign 3. Examine and control budgets of member agencies 4. Base organization on the principles of the lich— igan United Iar Fund 5. Cooperate with other National and State groups 6. Promote and marshall public interest and favor- able opinion 7. Establish goals and support for member agencies The by-laws of the United Fund largely encompass these same intents and purposes and provide the machinery for carrying out the functions implied. Events which led to formation of the united Fund Or- ganization had their first impetus in 1893, with the found- ing of a society to do something about tuberculosis.5/ Citizens thus were attacking a problem apart from either professional or governmental action. By 1910 venereal disease and prostitution were in the focus of attention. By 1930, Cancer, blindness, mental hygiene, hearing, 57 Declaration of Intents and Purposes as Formulated by i izens Comm ttee U on ccasion of Inco oration of the United Health and Welfarg Fund of lichigan, Aug. 1', l 7, a ea let. - 6/Cunn, S. I. and Platt, P. 8., Voluntgry Health Agencies, new York, The Ronald Press Company, ., p. . 4 crippled children and heart disease were being considered. More recently, muscular dystrophy, infantile paralysis, 7/ Thus a series of highly specialized, voluntary agencies nutrition and others have commanded attention. came into being paralleling the development of scientific knowledge in various health and welfare fields. More re- cently emphasis has been placed on preventing sickness and maintaining a high level of public health.8/ The formation of the Michigan United Fund brought many of these separate agencies into a single unit, for budgetary and fund campaign purposes.9/ The need to ex- pand the area of coverage for fund raising and service of member agencies became a primary consideration. Cunn and Platt foundlo/ that which had been mostly urban in origin and service now expanded into the more rural areas _cf the State. The organization of the United Fund primarily in- / ll volved business and industrial leaders as initiators. 7/ Ibid., pp. 6—7 8/ Ibid., pp.4—5 9/ United Giving in MichiganI A leaflet. 10/ Gunn a Platt, op. cit., p. 285. 11/ nnitgd Health and Eglfgzg EHBQ of Michigan, Inc., A Hand- book published by Uhited Fund. 5 Labor and agricultural leaders were brought into the or- ganization later. Agricultural leaders, however, have not played active roles in the affairs of the United Fund at the State level. Recently a member of the Michigan Farm Bureau has been appointed to the important Admissions and Budgets Committee.13/ Lay directors and committee members serve voluntarily and without fee. The functions of the United Fund are carried out through a group of lay committees and staff members.13/ Agencies de- siring to Join the United Fund are examined for administra- tive competence, service and budget needs.14/ State repre- sentatives are sent to a national United Fund budget meeting to review budgets for national level agencies. Approved budgets for national and state agencies are compiled. A formula is applied for allocation of quotas to cities and counties which are members of the United Fund. Field staff personnel assist county groups to organize and carry out the fund campaign. Publicity and promotional material are furnished to local United Fund headquarters, particularly during the fund campaign, and periodically during the year. Nearly all local drives are held during the fall months to take 12/ ‘gighth_gnnual Re ort, Michigan United Fund 13/ From staff member interviews and meetings of the Unit- ed Fund Organization 14/ fgmissions, Budget and Distributiog_Committee. A Leaf- et pub.ishe by Unite Fun: 6 advantage of state wide publicity campaigns. Fund drives are conducted under names selected by local groups such as United Fund, Community Chest, Red Feather or Torch Drive. Many of these names were in use locally before United Fund came into being. At the local level the state organization is repeat- ed with variations. Some counties have separate fund or- ganizations for cities and rural areas. Others combine all county areas in a board of directors from various communities, while others use economic groups such as business, industrial, professional, labor and agricultural interests as dividing points to make up the organization. Whatever the method of selecting, the state and local level organization endeavors to obtain representatives from economic, social and professional sources. Trade, business, industrial, educational, civic, labor, agricultural, relig- ious and other organizations are resources for personnel to carry out the functions of the United Fund. Feed for the Study ,A. Sower, et a1.,15/points out that a significant change x/” in health action in rural areas has been the introduction of professional markers by both public and private agencies. One important function of the professional is to work with local leaders in an area that has been handled by 'kith, kin, and charity“ traditionally. __ 15/ Bower, Holland, Tiedke and Freeman ‘Tge Patterns of Com- munity layolvement. (UnpUbliShedi, 1954. Ch. 1 7 Gunn and Plattle/ point out that until recently there has been a scattered unorganized grouping of health and wel- fare agencies with little or no professional leadership. The duties and goals assumed by the agencies are manyfold.17/ These agencies attempt to educate people about specific dis— eases and disorders, service those who need assistance, and assist with research, especially, those afflictions involv- ing suffering or crippling.18/ The United Fund was born to assist these agencies to express the initiative that overcomes inertia and indiffer- ence and add planning and efficiency to the activities and 19/ interests of its member agencies. It is apparent that these agencies embody something of great value to make it possible to advance public health in a way not feasible through official agencies.ao/ Another important finding has been the fact that the administration of health and welfare agencies has lagged 16/ Gunn and Platt, Op. Cit., pp.4—5 17/ Staff interviews with Uhited Fund Staff members verify these duties and goals as the primary goals of United Fund. 18/ Ibid., pp. 17-18 19/ Ibid., p. 121 20/ Ibid., p. 36 S in keeping up with practices and attitudes in relation to social, economic and cultural changes.21/ Dr. Wilson G. Smillies found, in a survey of facil- ities for care of the sick, that a chest supported health nursing association, twenty-one years old, was not known to three out of four people in Rochester, New York.2z/ Loomis and Beeglezs/report that comparison between rural and urban health and medical facilities show that rural people generally do not receive adequate attention. Hoffer 24/ reports that Michigan farm families not only had insufficient medical and hospital facilities, but were in need of an educational program aimed at establish- ing a higher standard of health care for the family. The need for services, health education and facil- ities for rural areas is known. The United Fund organi- zation offers a means to meeting these needs, if it can gain the support and confidence of people in the rural areas. The fact that rural areas have not generally 21/ Ibid., p. 13. 22/ Ibid., p. 75. 28/ Loomis, Charles P. and Beegle, J. Allen, Rural Social §ystems, New York: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1951, Chap. 21. 24/ Special Bul. 352, Michi an A ricultural r criment .§EEEEQEJ Sept. 194g, East Lansing, pp. - - 9 accepted the goals and purposes of the United Fund is evi- dent in the results of past campaigns. Interviews were con- ducted in five counties preparatory to the selection of one to study. In each case although campaign quotas for the county were fulfilled in the 1954 drive, records indicate rural areas were under their quota, while urban areas exceeded theirs to make up the difference. United Fund field work- ers report similar situations in other counties. Thus a lack of ability to gain access to rural areas is indicated. This lack of access prevents United Fund from obtaining sup- port for its goals and extending service and educational programs into rural areas. §election of the Problgm Several possibilities present themselves in select— ing a problem area which emcompasses the objectives of the study. Determining the kind of leadership which has been most successful; the relationship between wealth of a community and giving to United Fund; the availability of service of member agencies as related to giving ex- perience; and others are problems which might be consid— ered. The fact that results of United Fund campaigns show a lack of access to rural areas points to a primary need to determine why access is not being obtained. 10 Chapter II THE NATURE OF THE ACTION PROCESS . Several studies have been done which have establish- ed and defined concepts relating to action programs, as they obtain access to people through membership in the social organization. It is around these concepts that this study is developed. The term gggigg roces , for purposes of this study, is defined as the means by which cultural change is brought about. Culturgl‘ghgngg refers to changes in technology, philosophy, belief systems, systems of ex- , pressive symbols or arts, or systems of values as they are generally accepted by members of a society.25/ In- dividuals or systemséel desiring to bring about a volun- tary acceptance of a change, plan and direct an action process, based upon specific objectives, into the social organization of a society to be affected. Organized fund campaigns and educational programs, such as that of the Cooperative Agricultural Extension Service as it attempts to bring about adoption of improved farm practices, are examples of the change referred to. 25/Loomis and Beagle, The Nature of Soci tems and gocig; Change, (unpublished, Chap. 1, p. 18. 26/ Systems and social organizations are defined in the following pages. 11 The analytical elements in the action process include Initiation, Legitimation and execution.37/ 38/ 39/ 30/ pg, itiation is defined as the means an individual or system may use to call attention to the advocated change and launch an action. Legitimation refers to the means by which the pro- posed change is made 'rightful'. Execution refers to the means by which the change is actually accomplished. The action process must mobilize resources and facil- ities of the existing social organizatibnnto bring about change.31/ 32/ 33/ ’Thus to bring about an action process it is necessary to determine the social systems which can be utilized. Social Organization and the Action Process Several definitions couched in much the same terms have been used to describe social organization. Organi- 27/ Ibid , p. 5. 28/ Sewers, et al., op. cit., Chapters 1 & LL. 29/ Hoffer, Charles R., Social Action Resulting From In- dustrial Development: A Case Stu y Unpubl 2 ed p. 41. 30/ Miller, Paul A., Community Health_gction, pp. 13-14. 31/ Sowers, et al., op. cit., Chap. 1 & II. 32/ Hillman, Arthur, Community Organizationmand Planning; New York. The Macm llan Co. 1950, pp. 35-36. 33/ Miller, op. cit., p. 26. 12 ' zation.34/ Group35/ and System 36/ are examples. For pur- poses of clarity §gggg1 Organization is visualized as the broad over all linkage of social systems which overlap in membership and interaction patterns linking together the individuals in a community. A concrete eggiglflgygtgm is defined as:37/ ”Organizations or on-going concerns composed of mem- bers who interact more with members than with non—members when operating to attain the system's goals”. The social systems may be either formal or informal and are represented in families, cliques, churches, schools, lodges, Farm Bureau groups, Government Agencies, etc. These systems form the social organization having an interrelatedness which forms the community social struct- ure.38/ The community is the smallest territorial unit serving the common needs,39/ and is the reference point for values, interests, interaction and norms for the in. 34/ Loomis and Beegle, op. cit., Rural Social Systems, p. 4 . 35/ Homans, George 0., The Human Grou , New York, Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1950, p. 1. . 36/ Loomis and Beegle, op. cit., The Nature of Social Systems and Social Change, p. 4. 37/.3b1d, Chap. 1, p. 4. 38/ ibid, Chap. 1, p. 28- 39/ ibid, Chap. II, p. 2. 13 dividual and the system.40/ The action process must ulti— mately reach the individual through the social organization of the community and the system of which he is a member. Utilizing the Sgcial Organization Successful utilization of the social organization to bring about change requires the individual or group desir- ing the change to recognize the elements of social systems. All social systems have elements in common which have been defined by Leonie and Beegle.41/ They are: (l) Ends or ob ectiv s are those changes which members ex- pect to accomplish. (2) £253; are the rules or standards which prescribe what is socially acceptable or unacceptable. ' (3) Status-role is the active aspects of status or posit- ion of members of the system. (4) Pgwer is control over others which is derived from: A. Authority - the right a member of the system is granted by other members to control their actions. B. Influence — derived from individual skills, knowledge or social capital that a member may possess. (5) Social Rank is the standing of members of the system as they relate to each other. It is derived from status- role in the system and influence outside the system. 40/ ibid, Chap. III, pp. 5.6. 41. ibid, Chap. 1, also Homans, op. cit., particularly pp. 34, 147-155, 285 and Chap. 16, pp. 415.440, and Gouldner, Alvin W. , ed. , itudies in Leadership, New York, Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1950, pp. 19-20, 27, 609 and 616. 14 A. Prestige is based upon status factors such as age, sex, family, officer of the organization, etc. B. Esteem is based upon role performance in the system. (6) gggctions are the rewards or punishments meted by the system for compliance or non-compliance with the ends and norms of the system. (7) Fgcilities are the means or tools available to the system such as skills, credit, knowledge, technology, etc., which may be used to attain the ends desired. (8) Territoralit Sis the locus and spatial arrangement required by the system. The internal processes of the system include commun- icgtion of ideae, information, decisions and directives between members of the system so that knowledge, opinions, and attitudes are formed and modified. Decision-making is the process whereby alternate courses of action are reduced and selected. Boundagy maintenance is the process whereby the system retains its identity and interaction patterns. Planned or guided change requires the articulation of the elements of two or more systems so that, at least temporarily, they function as a unit. This convergence is termed as social cgltural linkgge. The system affecting the change is described as the change system while the system receiving the change is known as the the target system. 15 The change system then, must reach those target BYstems having appropriate ends or objectives, work with- in the norms of the system, obtain leadership representing status, power and rank within the system, and use the facilities available for the purpose. Accomplishing re- sults will require that ideas and information relative to the change be introduced into the communication channels 4 of the target systems. Opposition must be neutralized, decisions made to accept change, boundaries maintained by giving credit for achievement and maintaining the integ- rity of the target system. Access to appropriate target systems is best obtain- ed by involving individuals and systems which have wide influence and command the respect of people in the com- munity. The involvement of systems should include a cross section of the social organization.42/ Informal friendships of members of systems with non-members helps to involve non—members in the action.43/ Thus it is necessary for the change system to recognize and enlist target systems and people with wide influence which reach into the social organization 42/ Sowers et al., op. cit., Chap. 1x. 43/ ibid, Chap. v. 16 44/ of the community. Functions of the Elements of the Action Procesg Elements of the action process have been establish- ed as initiation, legitimation and execution. Through these elements social cultural linkage between the change and target systems is brought about. The function of the elements of the action process is to utilise individuals and rufipgvant systems in an orderly manner. These functions have been determined in several studies45/ 46/ 47/ 48/ focus- ing on the action process and are presented in the follow- ing outline: ~ znitiation. 1. Should be done by people and sponsoring systems who have the right to interest themselves in the pro- posed change. 2. Should utilize communications and facilities to bring about a convergence of interest and neutralize opposition of people to be affected. 44/ ibide, Oh‘pe IV. 45/ Iiller, op. cit., pp. 13-33. 46/ Bower et al., op. cit., Chapters 1, II, III, IV, V, VI and Ix. 47/ Hoffer, op. cit., pp. 40-41. 48/ Haiman, Franklyn 8., Group Leadership and Democratic ' Action, Boston, New Yor , hicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Sauxlranoisco: noughton lifflin Co. 1950., pp. 4—33. 17 3. Should provide access to communities and systems to be affected by the change. 4. Should provide time and space to accomplish the actions 5. Should provide training and instruction for the execution set. 6. Should be composed of people with broad influence in the social organization to be affected. Legitimation, l. Sponsoring systems and individuals should be held in high regard by those affected. 2. The change should be within or adapted to core values and belief systems of people to be affected. 3. Should employ strategy and tactics acceptable to those affected. 4. The change should be represented by felt needs of the people. 5. Sponsorship and meetings should represent the focal point of interest of those affected. Execution, 1. Should involve people who represent the social systems to be affected at the local level. 8. Should involve people who have influence in the system.to be affected and who interact with members of one or more systems. 5. Should consist of persons well informed concern— ing the intended change. 18 4. They should have time, skill and training to do the work. 5. They should have definite assigned duties and goals to be accomplished. 6. They should be assigned duties and goals through a system of which they are a member. 7. They should be selected through the system to which they belong, preferably by a democratic process. The interrelatedness of the elements of the action pro- cess make it difficult to assign a function to any single element. The above outline encompasses those functions and assigns them according to the needs which were found in test- ing methods for this study. The United Fund As a Change System The United Fund is attempting to bring about change in values, beliefs, attitudes and interests of people, as they relate to health and welfare needs. To bring about the de- sired change, an action process is initiated, usually at the county level. The action process is aimed at involving the \,. people of the county in fund raising to provide means for meeting the objectives of member agencies of the United Fund. Those objectives are to provide services, research and edu- cation to improve health and welfare standards of the county, state, and nation. Accomplishing the desired change and to bring about the participation of the people in a county, will require social cultural linkage between the United Fund, 19 as a change system, and target systems representing the social organization of the county. Target systems, to be useful, must be on-going in time and have objectives similar to those of the United Fund. Objectives of the target system may be related to those of the change system by suggestion or inference if they are similar. There is a possibility that the change system may persuade the target system to adopt desired objectives if they do not conflict with the integrity of purpose of the target system. Integrity of purpose is defined as a specific or specialized set of objectives which commit the member- ship of a system only to a particular end. For example, a bowling league would have specific goals of pleasure and planned competition for its members which would not be related to the objectives of the United Fund. The United Fund as the change system has objectives related to community improvement of health and welfare conditions. Thus target systems having broad goals of community improvement in health and welfare would be most suitable. Those systems which have broad goals for community improvement only, could be utilized if United Fund could persuade members to adopt its objectives. 20 Chapter III REFERENCE POINTS FOR THE STUDY Reference points which will provide a basis for ex— amining the rural social organization for a county must be established to determine suitable target systems for United Fund objectives. These reference points can then be used to predict how the United Fund may utilize the social organization to attain its objectives. In turn the predictions can be used to analyze the united Fund Organization and campaign as an action process. Iggggmptions for the Study The area of the study under consideration is embrac- ed by six basic assumptions. These assumptions are that: l. The United Fund at the county level will need to utilize the formal rural social systems, held in high regard by farm people, as access points. Systems such as the Farm Bureau, Farm Grange, Extension Ser— vice, churches and schools will need to be examined. 2. Membership of the formal systems at the county level will be represented in the social organization of communities in the county. Access to formal and informal systems at the community level will be ob- tained through interaction patterns represented by kinship, friendship groups and social activities of members. 3. In-groups represented by religious or ethnic affiliations, which do not extend to the county | “...—‘1 21 level can be identified, located and examined as relevant systems. 4. The objectives and other elements of relevant rural social systems can be identified. 5. The extent of the success of the United Fund Or- ganization and campaign is directly related to the application of the functions of initiation, legiti- mation and execution. 6. The functions of initiation, legitimation and execution can be defined and used to analyze the degree of success an action process can be expected to have in bringing about a change. The foregoing assumptions represent the steps taken in making the study in the order of their occurrence. From these assumptions the hypothesis for the study is taken. Hypothesis: ‘Lgflppp United Eund, functioning 3a.; change system, organizes pp action procesg utilizing thp functions 2; initiation, legitimation and execution, which reach and utilize relevant target systems p£,the rural gocial organization p£_p_county, pppp_ppp_desired change 15;; reap; . Corollary: The extent to whicthnited Fund will have a successful campaign will depend upon how well the functions of initiation, legitimation and execution are observed and carried out. 22 Definitions: Desired ppppgp refers to a change in beliefs, values and sentiments of rural people to the extent that they-participate in the organization and campaign of the United Fund. ngpgg gi_l_l_ 93 measured in terms of the amount of participation of rural people in the Uhited Fund Organization, and the extent to which quotas for the campaign are met by rural areas. Fulfillment of quotas for the campaign should serve as a reliable measure of change, since they hold con— stant such factors as population, wealth, income, employ- ment and money available. A formula including these fact- ors is applied to each county participating in the United Fund program to determine the county quota. Reference Epip£p_§§tgp;;§hed Measuring the degree of success that the United Fund may be expected to realize will require a set of predict- ions. These predictions are viewed as specifications for the action process for the purposes of this study. How Closely the Uhited Fund comes to meeting these specificat- ions will form the basis for analyzing the results of a campaign. The specifications which were established for this study are based upon the theory presented in Chapter II. These specifications are as follows: 1. Initiating set. The county level United Fund organization serves as the initiating set. 23 This system should include representatives of the farm organizations, government agencies, religious and school organizations and any other systems having in- fluence in rural areas. These systems should reach rural areas49/ and have objectives which can be util- ized. The agricultural representatives in the County United Fund organization should be delegated responsibil- ity and have an active role in carrying out the rural campaign.50/ leans of «ammunication, such as “house organs" and the leadership structure of rural social systems, along with mass media, should be utilized to obtain interest in the Uhited Fund objectives. Opposition or resistance must be recognized and converted or neutralized. The county level rural organization should extend to rural communities. The activities necessary to launch the action should be scheduled as to time, place and agenda. k 49/ Jones, John Price, The Technigue to win In Fund Rgising, New York. IntereRiver Press. 1934, pp. 78. 50/ ibid., pp. 8-9. 24 Instructions, visual aides, training schedules and the areas to be affected should be planned and directed to prop~ \e er channels. The rural representatives on the initiating set should have broad influence in the rural social organization. County level representatives of rural systems should be obtained whenever possible. 2. Legitipption pe . Community level organizations representing the United Fund should be composed of people with broad influence in the community affected. The objectives of the United Fund should be publicized and adopted to the values of the community. Special effort should be made to use local cases which represent United Fund services. The means which are used to accomplish the United Fund objectives should be acceptable to-those systems affected. United Fund Agencies which are serving rural people, persons or local agencies receiving aid from the United Fund, and the broad objectives of the United Fund as they relate to needs of people, should be exploited. Educational meetings should be conducted at points which represent the focal point of interest of people in 35 the community. 3. Execution set.51/ This section is composed of the Uhited Fund solicitors who carry out the campaign. They should represent one or more social systems and have influence and prestige at the local level. The people doing the soliciting should be interested and be well informed about the objectives of the United Fund. Solicitors should have time, skill and training to carry out their responsibility. County and community level members of the United Fund organization who represent the system that solicit- ors hold in high regard should assign duties and goals to them. Duties and goals should be assigned in well defined terms and be explicit and understood by the solicitors. Solicitors should be selected or appointed by a system to which they belong, preferably by the democratic‘ DIOOOBBo *- 51/ The type or kind of leader which might be expected to ac- complish the best results was not included as a part of this study, due to the problem of time and finances avail- able. It is readily conceded that such a study would be beneficial. The opinion of the writer was that the study reported in this paper would be of'mmre benefit, since it offered an opportunity to examine the over all structure of the United Fund organization in a county. 26 The foregoing specifications for the action process are presented in Figure l as a schematic diagram for a county United Fund organization to include rural people. See Fig. i. The initiating set has a rural section composed of county level farm leaders representing the systems which are influential in farm affairs of the county. Although legitimation is a function of the initiating set, primary duties will involve planning, convergence of interest, and extending the program to rural communities. The legitimation set represented by membership on the community committees, is very important since the community is the source of values, beliefs, interests and norms for systems. The execution set should be selected through the relevant systems of the community. At this point the patterns of interaction and reciprocal obligation are most intense, and therefore effective in obtaining par- ticipation in United Fund campaigns. Method of Stud 52 The study is an ex post facto /ana1ysis of the 1954 United Fund organization and fund campaign in 52/ Goods and Hatt, Nethods in Social Research, pp. 86, 97, 98, 102. ‘ 27 mwm. H. mommamdwo owmmdms mom w dawned mesa nocsdw .. .. 'T i ‘ ma H2H>HHOZ mum O ‘ldl e 0 O O wcsmw ommmswumdwos m >mmwocwdcsmw m m oocsnw cswnmo wood ommmswmwnwos m mmmms mmmmHoz wme ” m momoow m mmdsmwo m m ooovm m " mam owccm u m Hmmdwosm " u u " omocpm " Homocvm " u Ammmavu — — d1 — u noaacswdw noaawdaoom " — _ — _ h u Guano: " u mess mom: " m Hcsosoos " " Hoamom m u escape a ” ewoo escape" " owedm " a H NHNGGHHOZ mme 9. .0 .9 _ “GD.“ QTTDainDDL U310.- D)\IJ. D..— DJHO+D§° e 28 53/ 54/ Central County, Michigan. The design for the study is based upon an ideal scheme for organization and action process as the control group, and the 1954 organization. and United Fund campaign of Central County as the experi— mental group. Thus the study has a twofold purpose: (1) to com— pare the actual organization of the United Fund to the ideal scheme and, (2) to analyse the action process carried out by theUnited Fund, using the specifications set forth as the basis for analysis. The percent of quota fulfillment of the rural fund campaign is used as a means to verify the accuracy of the analysis. If the United Fund organization and action process approximates the ideal or- ganization and action process, then quotas should be ful- filled. The extent to which the actual organization and action process deviates from the ideal will result in a decrease in the percent of quota fulfillment. The de- crease would be halted or lessened at the point where sentiment, guilt or emotional response to United Fund appeals would cause people to give money without refer- ence to mutual obligation between the donor and the solic- 53/ Central County is the name used in the study to avoid embarrassment and hold in confidence information secured during the study. 54/ ibid., Ch. 7. 29 itor. These factors would not be important enough to interfere with the study, but do present variables which need to be considered. Figure 2, which follows, is a visual construct of the design of the study. Figure 2. Design of the Study. ; 10C % U. F f not .0 V me Ge 0 0. Ideal Organization and Action Process Compared to : x U. F. : .: Qfiota Actual Organization and Action Process ¥ Variables, such as the number of functions of the action Process, the differences in population make up in areas of the county studied and others, prevent an accurate predict- ion of the percent of quota fulfillment which might be ex- Pected. m continuumss/was developed to meet this problem. (See Figure 3). Although arbitrary, the continuum provides a basis for comparing results of the campaign in different areas of the county and thus a reference point for the analysis. The concept of ”fair share” giving by all ——.~ 55/ ibid., p. 257 30 people in a county or community would indicate the scale to be too broad, if anything. Figure 3. Continuum for Quota Fulfillment. 40% 55% 70% 85% 100% Very-Foor Poor Tair Todd Peri?“ W The nature of the study dictated the need to establish a schedule for the steps taken to carry it out. Possibil- ities of allowing bias to enter and affect reliability and 56/ The steps taken in conducting the study in the order in which validity of findings could then be controlled. they were made were: ’I. Selection of the county to be studied. 2. Preparation of the ideal scheme for organization and action process for the county. 3. Preparation and testing of methods to be used. 4. Analysis of the county for rural social organ- ization and integration. 5. Analysis of the county United Fund organization and campaign. 6. Comparison of the actual organization and process to the ideal. 56/ 3331., Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. 7. 31 Analysis of the results. Selection of the county. United fund staff members were interviewed to determine which counties had rural campaigns.* Those counties were then considered regarding their suitability for study. The criteria established to determine suitability were: 1. 2. 3. 4. It should be a county that has well defined rural aspects which can be studied with the time and finances available. The county should be one which is believed to have a good rural United Fund organization and campaign. This would offer an opportunity to draw comparisons between the actual and the ideal for all, or at least most, of the factors to be considered in the study. A county with a poor rural organization or campaign might well evidence little or no opportunity for the necessary comparisons. The county should be one which has relatively high rural wealth so that quotas assigned would be meaningful. The county should be located so that large urban centers do not impinge to a great degree upon rural affairs and organization. After elimination of counties which'lacked one or more of these characteristics, five remained. The five 32 were investigated and Central County chosen due to its ' accessibility and the fact that United Fund campaign re- cords seemed to be the best records whiCh were available. Preparation and testing of methods. The study to be conducted did not readily lend itself to quantitative analysis. Questionaires did not seem to be advisable, since much of the information desired would require probing to gain recall of important facts. The interview schedule technique seemed most suitable and to this end two sched— ules were prepared. Schedule I ( See Appendix "A" ) was designed to establish the organization, integration and systems aviilable in rural social organization. Schedule II (See Appendix 'B') was designed to pro- vide an analysis of the United Fund organization and campaign. Testing of methods was carried out in a county which did not have a United Fund campaign, and thus influence ‘ 393 test. A hospital fund drive was used to test Schedule II. ' Intermiews were conducted in the test county to deter- mine the persons most likely to have the necessary know- " ledge to give valid and reliable results. At the same time notes were taken on procedure, wording and content of questions to obtain the desired information. The in. terview schedules were broadened and sharpened to meet unforseen needs that appeared during the test interviews. Twelve such interviews were conducted including: 2 Coop- 33 l erative Extension workers, 2 ministers, 1 school superin- ‘ tendent, 2 soil conservation workers, 1 Agricultural Stabalization and Conservation Committee member, 1 banker, 1 county Farm Bureau officer, 1 newspaper editor and l township supervisor. Several important factors bearing on the conduct of the study were revealed during the pretesting of methods. Those factors were: 1. Individuals holding high positions in systems relating to rural social organ- ization were reliable sources of infor- mation. Such persons as those listed labove were able to provide adequate in— formation concerning county level activ- ities. One township supervisor was inter- viewed and indications were he was biased in his answers in the direction of his political interests. Bias was also evi- denced by the newspaper editor. Many of the professional workers interviewed not only used rural social organization in the conduct of the affairs of their agency, but had received training in Sociology. 2. It was necessary to follow up contacts with officers of organizations to verify findings. 3. 4. 5. 34 It was best not to reveal the purpose of the inter- view until after its completion. Opinions and bias, irrelevant to the interview schedule were introduced when the purpose was known before the interview. Community level social organization and integra- tion could be discovered through interviews with bankers, ministers, superintendents of schools and vocational agriculture teachers. It was best to repeat what was being written down at some time during the interview. This served the double purpose of verifying infor- mation given and encouraging recall. Thus the procedure for interviews was established and carried out. Conducting the Study Adopting the procedures established by the pre- test, the study in Central county was conducted as follows: 1. Application of Schedule I. The interview schedule to determine the relevant rural social systems was applied first at the County level. Cooperative Extension ‘ Agents were the first to be interviewed, because of their extensive knowledge of the rural areas and farm organizations. 36 two or three instances of disagreement occurred. Each case of disagreement showed bias on the part of the interviewee and answers were discarded or ignored, since the disagreement occurred only once each time. For a summary of the application of Schedule I see Table l. 2. Application of Schedule II. Schedule II was applied to the lay members of the United Fund and adopted for interview of state level United Fund employees. Officers and field workers who had primary responsibility for the organization and conduct of the fund campaign were interviewed. Much of the information desired for Schedule II was in the form of records and reports which were available at the county and state level, thus extensive interviewing was not necessary. Re- sults of previous interviews were discussed in- formally with persons who were contacted to ob— tain records. This provided a means for check— ing the validity and reliability of information obtained. Since some of those contacted had a specific responsibility which did not include broad knowledge of the united Fund operation, only information concerning their responsibility was recorded. A high instance of agreement in answers to questions from the interview schedule 35 Others interviewed at the County level included: Soil Conservation workers, Agricultural Stabili- zation and Conservation County chairman, Farmers Home Administration supervisor, the County Nurse and the County Superintendent of Schools. Others included County Farm Bureau officers, County Grange officers, Michigan Education Association president, County Ministerial Association chair- man, and the chairman of the County Bankers Association. Each interview provided information about and names of officers and influential persons in rural social systems in the County. Leads thus obtained were followed up and interviews conducted with as many of the persons named as was necessary to obtain agreement on the question being asked. Members and non-members of systems were asked questions about rural social systems until answers indicated the interviewee was not sure of his information. At the community level the interview schedules were applied to the banker, school superintendent, agriculture teacher and one or more professional religious leaders. The amount of agreement obtained in answers to questions asked was remarkably high. Only 37 was again apparent. For a summary of the application of interview Schedule II see Table 1 which follows: Table 1. Systems Represented by those Interviewed and the Number of Interviews Conducted Schedule I Schedule II '— Systems Repre- Number Responsibility pgnted i d Agr. Agencies State United Fund 9 Farm Bureau 5 County U.F. Dir— 3 ectors Grange 3 Quarter Chairmen 4 A.S.C. l Solicitors 4 Bankers 5 School Supt. 5 Agr. Teachers 5 Ministers 12 County School 1 Supt. County Nurse 1 38 Chapter IV THE CASE OF CENTRAL COUNTY Central County, Michigan, is located in the center of the lower peninsula of the State. Urban industrial centers are located thirty to fifty miles from the county. Two cities and three villages comprise the "urban" influ- ence. Industrialization is represented primarily in the cities. Automotive and housetrailer manufacturing, along with the oil industry and a chemical manufacturing plant, afford most of the industrial employment. Reports in— dicate that some people are employed in industrial centers away from the County. Several trade center communities, which are not included in the 1950 census in separate counts, are scattered over the County serving rural areas. One U. S. trunkline and two state trunkline highways offer ingress and egress for residents. Two railroads, The Pere Marquette and the Ann Arbor, serve agriculture and industry. The composition of the population is presented in Table 2. This table indicates that the farm and urban Papulation are about equal at 35%. 29.9% of the people are non-farm residents in rural areas and villages. Many 0f thO village and rural non-farm residents are employed in industry while others are employed in business and services for the communities. 39 57/ Table 2. Population Make Up for Central County Michigan. Density of Population Per Sq. M1. 59 Rural Farm Population (% of total ) 35.1 Rural Non Farm Non Village Population(% of total) 17.4 Urban Population (1. of total) 35.0 Rural Non Farm‘Village 12.5 57/ ‘flpgDogs Your CountyRate1 Department of Land and Water Conservation, Michigan State College, pp. 2, 8, 10, 12, 14. The distribution of the population of Central County is shown in Table 3. Eleven thousand six hundred eighty. eight persons live in communities incorporated as cities. The remainder of the thirty three thousand four hundred twenty nine live in villages or in rural areas. Not in- dicated in Table 2 are twelve ”four corner” communities. These communities usually consist of a general store, gas- oline station, grain elevator, church, school and several homes. Many of the rural non-farm non-village residents of the County live in these communities. Agriculture of CentgglgCounty The primary farm enterprises on farmsof Central County are cash crops, livestock and dairy. With a total of 2,816 farms in the County, 2,383 are considered com- 4O mercial on the basis of $1200.00 or more income per farm. $11,993,330 gross income-was obtained by farmers in 1949.58/ The soil productivity of Central County is generally excellent. Most of the acreage in agriculture is sandy clay loam. Some problems are evident in a need for drain— age. Most farmsteads are well kept and many homes are as modern as their urban counterparts. 2,294 farms are owned or part owned by the operator, while only 517 are operated by tenants.59/ Except for a small area in the northwest corner of the county, and state owned land in the south- eastern corner, the farm area is exceptionally productive. Thus a picture of Central County emerges as primarily a rural county. Agriculture has a high productive capacity with good soil and better than average farm income and ownership. Rural areas are dotted with small four corner communities serving some of the needs of the surrounding farms. Urbanization has not developed to an appreciable extent in the County. Impacts from industrialization are just beginning to be felt. Description of the County Village T, the County Seat is located in the exact center of the County. (See Chart 1) Since it is the _— 58/ 1250 United §tates gensus of Aggicplture, Vol. 1, pt. 6, United States Department of Commerce, United States Government Printing Office, p. 125. 59/ ibid., p. 114. 41 County Seat, it is the focus of attention and interest of the rural areas. The County Extension Service, Farm Bureau, Farmers Home Administration, Production Credit Association, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation offices, Soil Conservation District, and County School Superintendent's headquarters are located at the County Seat. Many of the agencies serving agriculture have multiple functions thus increasing the importance of the County Seat to rural people. The Extension Service in particular, with the County Agents program, including special interest groups, the Home Demonstration and 4 S Club programs including many farm women and children, holds the interest of farmers. Cities A and B are the urban areas of the County and contain most of the industry to be found in the County. City A is also the home of a college. As previously mentioned outlying villages and com— munities offer markets, schools, churches and services to the surrounding rural areas. The distribution of these communities over the County should be noted, particularly the fact that each township is adjacent to or contains one or more of these communities. Apalysis of County Level Rural Social gystems Eighteen county level rural social systems were named by the forty-five persons interviewed with inter- view Schedule I. These systems were considered, by 42 Table 3.60/ Distribution of Population of Central County; Michigan. Township I. ...... ......... ........................... 1,498 Township II..... ................ ..................... 1,459 Township 111... ..... . ................................ 1,205 Township IV... ..... .......................... ....... . 2,348 Township V............. ............ .... .............. 1,192 Township VI.. ...... . ........... ....... ............... 1,047 Township VII... ......... . ........ . ................... 968 Township VIII...... ........ . ......................... 993 Township 13.... ............... . ..................... . 840 Township x........ .................................. . 937 Township XI...... .............. ...................... 1,097 Township 111...... ...... ... .......... ... ............ . 546 Tomahip1111.........OOOOOOOOIOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOIOI. 862 Township 117.. ...... ........ ............... . ........ . 1,608 Township XV....... ..... .. ............................ ‘982 Township XVI ........ .................... ........ ..... 1,495 City.A......................... ...... . ........ ....... 8,341 City B... ..... ......... .............................. 3,347 Village C....... ..... ......... ..................... .. 985 Village p............... ............................. 449 Village r;........ .............. . .......... ..... ..... 383 Village T.. .................... ....... ............. .. 2.377 Total Population. ..... .......... ..... ........ ........ 33,429 60/ 1950 Census of Population Vol. II Pt. 22 Michigan. United States Department of Commerce, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 43 Chart I. MAP OF CENTRAL COUNTY I Ci y B: 4 11 III “1"”: [it I'A City A~ F v1: v1: V '1 l a 1’- llage r s , “ J ‘7' J m x ' 111 I ,n I 5+ F Village D Village - :11: fl. xv: HT IV . Lil K 1-,ml Roman numerale-Townships Capital Letters-—Cities, Villages and Four Corner Communities h a“; 44 those interviewed, to be highly regarded by rural people, and to include a high percent of the rural population in their membership. The eighteen systems are presented in the following categories: A. Farmer organizations. 1. Farm Bureau 2. Farm Grange 3. Central Michigan Feeder Calf Association 4. Swine Breeders Association 5. Bean Growers Association 6. Michigan Livestock Exchange 7. Michigan Milk Producers Association 8. Holstein Breeders Association 9. Dairy.Rerd Improvement Association 10. Artificial Breeding Association 8. Gowernmental Agencies Related to Agriculture: 1. County Cooperative Agricultural Extension Sbrvice 2. Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Committee 3. Farmers Home Administration 4. Soil Conservation District 5. Production Credit Association C. Educational organizations: 1. Central County Chapter of the Michigan Education Association 45 2. Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association D. Religious Organizations 1. Central County Ministerial Association The foregoing categories are arbitrarily establish- ed to serve as reference points. Several of the systems could be assigned to two categories, however, the method used will serve the best purpose for the study. Determining Relevant Rural Social Systems The importance that a system may have for United Fund purposes has been established as depending upon the charact- eristics of the component elements. The component elements of the Rural Social Systems of Central County are examined to determine their relevance to United Fund objectives. In- formation obtained in the interviews is the basis for the analysis presented. Fprm Bureau Membership and organization. According to the Sec- retary, Central County Farm Bureau has 1384 families as members. The membership is organized into community groups on a township basis. Distribution of members can be seen in Table 4. Membership extends into all areas of the county. A County board of directors com— posed of eleven members elected annually offer access at the county level. The Farm Bureau women's Group is organized separately as a part of the County program. Members are wives of the member families. About 1,000 46 of the family memberships are full time farmers, while the remainder are part-time farmers employed away from the farm for additional income. According to the County chairman most Farm Bureau members belong to commodity interest groups. The County Agent believes a high per- centage of Farm Bureau members are cooperators with the Extension Service. A few are also members of the County Grange. Agriculture teachers indicate younger families have children in High School Vocational Agriculture and several younger farmers are members of adult classes at Village T and Village C. The consensus of opinion of members interviewed is that most Farm Bureau members are church members. 'ngectives. The primary objective of the Farm Bureau is to represent farm interests in legislative and policy matters. Among manifest objectives listed on a poster in the County office which relate to united Fund objectives are these: ”Promote the opportunity for the individual to earn greater security. Strengthen education to insure better self— government. Encourage farm families to join with others to promote a better America. Build effective leadership for the challenge of tomorrow. Keep homes secure in Christian Peace." Farm Bureau has already been involved in behalf of 47 health and welfare. Through the Women's group a cooper- ative project is carried on with the Sister Kinney Found- ation. Those interviewed believed that the Farm Bureau could assist with a United Fund Campaign but could not initiate a drive. There seemed to be a lack of interest in and knowledge of the United Fund. Igggmg. A democratic procedure is followed in the decision making process. State and National problems are initiated through discussion topics at local meetings, acted upon, and the decision returned via the County Board to the point of origin. Local matters seem to follow a different procedure. Regarding the question concerning the United Fund effort to enlist the Farm Bureau as a sponsor for the rural drive, the following answer was given: ”Some years ago Mr. , the County United Fund Chairman, asked us (The County Farm Bureau Women's Group) to sponsor the drive. We couldn't act without consent of the directors. Mr. , fieldman, was at that meeting and said that this was not a part of the Farm Bureau work so a resolution was passed stating that if individuals wanted to help it was up to them." The implications are that the Farm Bureau either cannot or will not commit its members to decisions recluiring individual compliance. The need for an edu- cational program concerning the United Fund objectives is clearly indicated. 48 ‘ggfluence of the System. The Central County Farm Bureau was named consistantly as an organization able to get things done. Interviewees, whether members or not, reflected a high regard for the organization. Agencies serving farmers of Central County consistantly praised Farm Bureau. Leadership. The Farm Bureau leadership structure presents a chain reaching from the County Board into each township. Over 80% of the leaders and persons of influence named by those interviewed were affiliated with the Farm Bureau. ~Committees and boards of direct- ore of farm organizations and agencies were consistantly represented by Farm Bureau members. Facilities and Interaction. The Farm Bureau has an office located at the County Seat. The office is manned by the County Secretary, a clerk and an insur- ance adjuster. A mineographed news letter is prepared 'and sent to members monthly from the County office. The County Board of Directors meets monthly throughout the year. The local groups have a chairman, vice-chairman, secretary-treasurer, discussion leader and committee chairmen. Meetings are held, usually monthly, except during the busy summer months. Meetings are held in community or township halls, schools and homes of members. A considerable amount of interaction of 49 members is provided for. Since many belong to special interest organizations, the interaction both with mem_ bers and non-members continues outside the organization. Since well over half the farmers of Central County be- long to the Farm Bureau, and since the membership is well distributed over the County, kinship and friendship ties, along with membership in other organizations makes Central County Farm Bureau a potent organization for any program aimed at reaching rural areas. Opposition and Conflict. All interviews indicated no particular opposition or conflict between the Farm Bureau and other systems in Central County. Some evidence of concern, on the part of Farm Bureau, that the Farmers Union has obtained a foothold in the County was disclosed by the County chairman. Since the Farmers Union is very weak and small in number, this concern had not reached the point of active opposition or conflict. Grange Membership and Organization. The County Grange for Central County has about 450 farm families represented in its membership according to the Grange Master. The members were found to be older in age, many retired and living in towns. Five local Granges made up the County Grange. (See Table 4.) Similar to the Farm Bureau in organization structure it differed somewhat, however, in nature. This difference is in the fact that it functions 50 similar to a lodge, having a secret ritual and a manifest brotherhood atmosphere. Like the Farm Bureau a Master, Lecturer, Secretary-Treasurer and other officers are elected annually by a democratic process. Table 4. Grange61/and Farm Bureau Membership Distribution Township No. of Farm Bureau No. of Grange Families Families I 47 __ II . 113 __ III 118 _ IV 164 50 v 104 __ VI 30 130 VII 16 135 VIII 14o __ 1x 102 _____ X 71 50-60 x: 103 __ XII 33 .____ 1:111 '76 __ XIV 53 75 xv so~ __ XVI 4s __ .__. Total '7fi§§f_' 135::350 l/ A roster of members could—not be obtained. The _ gures presented are estimates of the County Grange Master. The Township is the center for the group. 51 Most Grange members who are active farmers cooperate in the Extension Program. Many are members of special interest groups. Objectives. Grange members interviewed indicated that what was said for Farm Bureau regarding objectives related to United Fund needs can also be said for Grange object- ives. Organized primarily to represent farm interests, the Grange also reflects goals for community betterment for its members. Like the Farm Bureau, the Grange in Central County is particularly interested in promoting security, education, family life and leadership for its members. .Epgpp. Again like the Farm Bureau the Grange acts forcifully on matters relating to legislation and the welfare of agriculture as a whole. It only discusses and recommends action on problems affecting the in- dividual at the local level. Again the Grange cannot or does not attempt to commit its members on a local basis. Influence of the System. Since many of its members are retired and living in towns in Central County, the influence in these communities seems to be stronger than that of the Farm Bureau. Rural area interviews reflected a high regard for the Grange, especially in the areas heavily populated with Grange members. Members of other BYstems seem to hold the Grange in high regard as well. 52 gendership. Because of the age factor, Grange members were regarded as less agreesive and given to security rath- er than an active program. Although held in high regard, the leadership of the Grange is felt to be more interested in social activities rather than carrying on community pro- jects. This opinion was reflected by members as well as non-members. Fgcilities and Interaction. Six.to eight meetings of the local Grange are held during the year. These meet- ings are usually held at community centers or schools in the rural areas. Programs are more social than action in nature. Members seem to exhibit a high value for each other and interact outside as well as inside the organi- zation. The leadership structure does influence some areas in which the Farm Bureau seems to be weakest. (See Table 4.) Qpposition and Conflict. Again a concern for in- roads by the Farmers Union was evidenced. No opposition or conflict internally or between the Grange and other systems that might adversely affect United Fund purposes was evidenced. Commodity Interest Grogps Systems represented by commodity groups such as the Beef Growers, Bean Producers, Dairy Interests and others are combined. The relevance to United Fund objectives Which this group of systems evidence are similar, accord- 53 ing to information obtained. Membership and organization. The focal point of interest of the commodity interest groups is the County Agricultural Agents office. Having primarily economic and educational objectives the systems have a membership which is variable and voluntary in nature. Spread through— out the County wherever the commodity is produced, the members belong to other systems which have objectives more suitable to united Fund needs. ijectives. An integrity of purpose exists which does not provide a solid basis for social cultural link— age with the United Fund organization. Primarily econ- omic needs brought the organization into existence and this objective is the specific interest of the members. Personal considerations rather than broad community in- terest leaves this group without direct relevance to United Fund objectives. ‘gpgpp. Commodity interest organizations carry on programs and activities directly related to needs of the group as individuals. Attempts to broaden this interest would only lead to opposition from the group. Influence. Although influential among the members, Persons without direct interest do not regard these or- ganizations as important to them. Leadership. Leadership is represented by commodity Groups in a board of directors directly responsible to 54 their members. Although evidence indicates many of these leaders are members of other systems they have a specific role to play which is not related to United Fund. This is especially true in the capacity they hold in the organ- ization. Friendships and interaction developed in these organizations would be important to United Fund in carry- ing out the action process. The interaction patterns would offer points for entry between the formal and in- formal systems at the neighborhood level. However, ac- cess might better be obtained through another source. chilities and Interaction. Bulletins and circu- lar letters from the County Extension office provide assess to the commodity groups. Meetings are held only two or three times a year and then for specific purposes. The groups do provide interaction and friendship systems which might well be utilized by the United Fund in the execution of its program. Qpposition and Conflic . Evidence of opposition and conflict within these groups or between them and other systems was not discovered. Cooperative Extension Service The Cooperative Extension Service office of Central County is located in the County Beat. A government agency, the three Extension Agents assigned to the office carry out programs with adult farmers, farm 55 housewives and the farm youth. Information presented here was obtained from the agents interviewed. Membership. The Extension Service is the initiator for many programs and organizations relating to rural affairs in Central County. Crossing and working through other rural systems with its programs, Extension reaches to all corners of the County. All of the commodity in— terest groups depend largely upon the County Agent for information and aid. Most farm organizations depend upon him for advice and as a resource person. The 43 Club program reaches over 1,000 youngsters in about 750 homes, while the Home Demonstration program reaches some 600 families in about 36-40 groups. (See Chart 2.) Thus the Extension Service has access to all rural systems and provides a focal point for rural interest in Central County. An advisory board composed of members from special interest groups, 43 Club leaders, and Home Demonstration leaders represents the County Extension Service. Through this group education and action programs are extended through a system of committees to people in the County. The County agent's program functions through the special interest groups at the County level, while 43 Clubs and Home Demonstration Clubs are organized around schools and four corner communities in the rural areas. 56 Objectives. The primary objective of the Extension Service is to help people to help themselves by extend- ing research and education to them through the County office.63/ As they relate to United Fund objectives, several projects related to health and welfare of rural people are carried on by the Extension Service. 4H Club work carries health projects, Home Demonstration work has been developed along lines of the health and welfare of farm families. Home Demonstration groups have carried on projects in cooperation with the Cancer Society. Ex— tension effort is generally bent in the direction of im— proving the welfare of rural people through education. .flpgpp. Although the Extension Service initiates programs, it does so within the accepted beliefs and values of the systems it wishes to affect. Thus the Extension Service reflects the norms of the systems with.whom they work. Democratic procedure, without requiring commitment of members of the system is follow- ed. Although the figure of the Extension worker is held in high esteem by cooperators in his program, he must achieve his results by democratic means. lpfluence of the system. The Extension Service of Central County is held in high regard by rural people. Reaching into all corners of the County, the County office “ E‘s / Miscellaneous Publication No. 285, United States Depart- ment of Agriculture, January 1946. Washington, D. C. 5? Chart 3. Concentrated 411 Club and Home Demonstration Group areas in Central County MAP OF CENTRAL COUNTY A _ A Rolan Numerals - Townships Capital Letters - Cities, Villages and Four Corner Communities “trees with concentrated 411 Clubs ~Ereas with concentrated Home Demonstration Clubs 58 is a focal point of rural interest. With objectives re- lating to education for betterment of rural people, the Extension Service is an important force on opinions and values. Although it could not commit rural people to United Fund objectives it could well provide impetus in that direction. Leadership. Through the advisory board and com- mittees described above the Extension Service provides an access point to rural leadership in Central County. Facilities and Interaction. Through meetings, cir- cular letters, Extension news letters, radio and news- papers in the County, the Extension Service is in con- tinuous contact with all areas of the County. Through these same meetings rural people from all areas are brought together, become acquainted and friendships de— velop. Thus the Extension Service provides a point where social interaction originates. ,Qppggition and Conggict. Evidence of active op— position and conflict between sysfems and within the Extension Service was not found. Agricultural Stabilizationfigpd Conservation Interviews revealed that the ASC program in Central County is held in low regard by many farmers. This agency has a particular purpose to administer the agri- cultural conservation program payments and enforce acre— age and marketing quotas for farm commodities. These 59 factors led to the conclusion that ABC would not serve a useful function in the United Fund program. Farmers Home Administration The FHA is a government agency serving farmers of Central County. Objectives are related to those of the United Fund since the purpose of FHA is to give economic aid to low income farmers, especially younger families. The intent is to improve the welfare of those families who cannot obtain help elsewhere. Interviews with the supervisor of the program revealed that cooperators are not organized in a system, do not interact regularly and membership is not on going. FHA is not a system which United Fund can use. Both A80 and FHA were excellent sources of inform- ation for the study. Soil Conserypgion District Information about the Soil Conservation District,re- vealed by the District Planner, shows that it is similar to the special interest groups, in that it works with farmers with a specific objective of economic improvement. A duly constituted political body, the SCD is manned by a staff of technicians who provide service to farmers. Assistance is rendered to improve and conserve soil re- sources. Unlike the special interest groups, the SCD organizes neighborhood groups to carry out the program. These groups 50 are highly interactive and provide an excellent point of access. Six to twelve families are represented in the neighborhood groups. Although an integrity of purpose exists in the objectives of the SCD, the neighborhood groups cooper— ating in the program would be excellent to provide United Fund solicitors. SCD personnel would be the means through which information about these groups could be provided. Production Credit Asaaciation The PCA is very weak in Central County. Service to a few cooperators is rendered on a part time basis. This agency would not provide resources of value to United Fund. Information obtained from all interviews indicate that PCA is not influential in rural affairs of Central County. Michigan Education Association Eleven professional educators interviewed agreed that the Central County Chapter of the MEA can well provide valuable resources for the United Fund. Teachers in schools of Central County make up the membership of the County MEA. Through high school super— intendents and the County School Superintendent's office, families who have school age children are influenced. Although a professional association, the MEA provides a policy making group having to do with school programs. As individual members of the MEA, teachers have access to 61 the PTA's, Mothers Clubs, and other lay groups sponsored by the schools. Since no other county wide organization exists through which these lay groups can be reached, the MEA offers access. Representatives of the MEA could pro- vide resources and facilities for discovering leadership and getting educational material into the hands of parents at home. Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association Hembership. Five vocational agricultural depart- ments are located in Central County. The teacher in each department was interviewed. City A, City B, Village C, Village T and Village E high schools have departments. Village D has been approved for a de‘ partment to start operating in the 1955-'56 school year. The influence of the departments is important in the rural areas served by the school. (See Chart 3). The extent of the influence can be seen in the number of farm families represented in the departments. (See Table 4) ,Qbiectives. The vocational agriculture departments each have a Future Farmers of America Chapter. Hembers of the Agriculture classes are also members of the FFA. Objectives of the FFA include health and welfare and the improvement of community conditions. All agricul- tural teachers indicated they believed the FFA Chapters could assist locally in a United Fund drive. 62 Norms. Activities of the FFA are carried on by members under the supervision of the agriculture teacher. Health and projects related to community improvement are a part of the program of work for the Chapter. Through the Chapter, educational materials and parent interest could be brought to bare on United Fund ob— Jectives. lggluence of theflgygtgg. Table 5 is presented to give an indication as to the extent of the influence of the FFA Chapters in Central County. Table 5. Members in FFA Chapters in Central County High Schools School No. Members No. Farms Represented City A 80 75 City B 32 30 Village C 74 68 Village T 67 53 Village E 48 43 The agriculture teacher is held in high regard in the area covered by the high school enrollment. Adult Classes are also taught at Village T and Village C involv- ing about thirty young adult farmers. Leadership. Through vocational agriculture teachers access may be obtained to community leadership. These 63 leaders working and living in the community are able to supply considerable information about the influential farmers. Although doubtful if the leadership represent- ed by the youthful FFA members would be helpful, they are a source of influence for parents and their neighbors, especially for an educational program. Facilities and Interaction. Through the agriculture teachers, educational materials could be distributed to farm families. Through annual fairs, banquets and other Chapter activities involving parents of boys, agriculture teachers provide a focal point for rural interest in the community. Opposition and Conflict. There was no evidence of any detrimental Opposition or conflict related to Vocap tional Agriculture departments. linisteri Association Membership. Protestant ministers of Central County are members of County Ministerial Association. Twelve of these ministers were interviewed and the information Presented here was obtained. Twenty—one Protestant churches dot the rural areas making at least one to every township. Cities A and B and Villages C and T have over thirtyafive Protestant church groups. [any of the small rural churches are serviced by ”circuit rider” ministers who handle two or three services each Sunday. 64 Fully 80-90% of the rural population of Central County are Protestant, most attend churches in the rural commun- ities and villages. Estimates place only 3-10% of the members of churches in Cities A and B and Village T as rural people. The rural population is considered fairly “church minded" by the ministers interviewed. The community affairs of the churches are handled through a system of lay committees and boards. Many of the members of the churches are active in other organizations. Qhfiectives. The objectives of the ministerial association are: “To bring about a working fellowship, to encourage temperance, to bring together the community as a unit and to combine efforts of church groups in community projects”. Youth groups, a boys club and other efforts on behalf of community betterment were evidenced. floral and ethical considerations were eivdent having to do with mutual aid, the spirit of brotherhood and doing unto others. ,fipgpg. Iinieters agreed that they could commit their membership on affairs directly related to their church through the activity of lay boards and committees. Doubt was expressed that they could commit their member— ship on bread community projects, unless their church had a specific responsibility in the project. Any commit- 65 ment would have to be made through democratic action by lay boards and committees. Influence of the System. As a system the ministerial association is an in—group without direct influence in public affairs, according to the members interviewed. Decisions made by the group, and acted on by individuals in their church, seemed to be fairly effective in reach- ing people. A considerable amount of feeling seems to exist which sets the church apart from most community affairs. Lay people interviewed seemed to respect the church as a religious symbol, but held it apart from interest in public affairs. Leggership. Church membership included most of the leaders named by interviewees. Ministers were utilising these leaders in their organization. The church seemed to be a source of knowledge and contact for much of the rural leadership. rgcilities and Interaction. The church is a legitimising force for United Fund objectives. Help- ing others, moral obligation to the community, and the Good Samaritan are basic to Christian beliefs. The church in rural areas is often a focal point for inter- action of rural people. Facilities are provided for social activities and educational meetings. Qpposition and Conflict. Considerable oral oppo- sition to Catholic influence was evidenced in inter- 66 views. A highly Catholic area of the County in the Southeastern corner around Village D and Community I were known as the "Foreign Element”. The people were largely first, second and third generation Hungarian and Czechoslovakian. Increased industrial activity in Cities A and B has brought an increase in the number of Catholic families living in these communities. The resultant impact on the traditional Protestant communities has brought about a feeling of resentment on the part of ministers and some lay persons. It is questionable that the opposition voiced will ever develop to the stage of conflict, but the ability of the two groups to work together as a team might be hampered. Agricultural Council The professional workers representing agricultural agencies of Central County are organized as a group in the Agricultural Council. Extension Agents, Boil Con- servation workers, Agricultural teachers, the ABC office manager, FHA supervisor, and PCA secretary are members of the group. V The council would seem to provide an excellent ac— cess point for group action related to United Fund ob- Jectives. The Council is purely a professional organi- zation, but, approached on an informal basis, would be an excellent source of ideas and information concerning agencies and community groups. 67 WW County wide systems reaching and influencing rural people have been described in the foregoing section. A summary of these systems along with their usefulness for United Fund objectives is presented in Table 6. Table 6 shows that the rural social systems which would be most suitable for United FUnd use would be: (1) Farm Bureau, (2) Grange, (3) the Cooperative Ex- tension Service, (4) The Michigan Education Association, (5)_Vocationa1 Agriculture Teachers Association, and (6) The Hinisterial Association. Integration of Rural Social Organization The focal point around which rural social activities and interaction occurs is the point at which legitimation and selection of the execution set should take place. Communities of Central County are analyzed to determine their importance as points of rural social interest. All information presented is based upon interviews. City A. City A is the largest and most highly in- dustrialized of the communities in Central County. Em— ployment is provided for rural residents by City A's in- dustrial plants. Retail stores serving farm needs are found here but not to a great extent. Central County's leading newspaper is published in City A and enjoys a widespread rural circulation. Items of interest to rural PGOple are carried in the paper. 8 6 msmmu aways o. measmm< om nocsew hmdmw mnemw meowww mwmnmam. $2.3 ” 3.32:: m mmwmwmm $2.35 Wsmnwwsg m mmmmmmg Ill " u c. w. . u u Hmdmdmonwos ” ” massage do n ” mmmUHw so: u “ moss wcmmmc " mHH mmmmm " wow u mesa amcw " mxdmsmw. mac." noomeemdoem" zo "mwmrww so: u u can we» ” " ”menace. >mn u hwsHaen ” ,ZOUe u a "man pa» wot u ” Sugars ” 5H nos.- ” ”1! u " macomdwon ” scswdweu F n u mwmsww no: a u >mmoowmdwom ” enemy one: " «mm ” mmeasa " mxaammwme. eomosn ” venom ” «cm " modded u ” one >mmm. ” u u u u " >HH oosacsr” " n " Swswueaewmw ” Haw-m can u ” mwmsww so- ” mxaasmweo ” zoos >uus. ” acme mummy " Mom ” mended u " 69 The Agricultural Department of the High School in City A, along with the County Fair, are the main source of activities for rural people. Neither of these offer widespread influence except during the period of the Fair. Banks in City A report only a small proportion of their business as rural. Churches number only a few farmers among their membership. City B. Considerably more of a rural trade center than City A. City B provides services and trading points for agricultural needs. Markets for grain and livestock are present. The bank reports doing about 50% of its business with farmers. Some rural activity occurs around the school PTA and agricultural department, although in neither case was this significant. No other center of rural activ- ity could be found. Churches reported a higher membership of rural people than did City A. Estimates were made that about one—third of the church congregations are farmers. Seemingly some rural interest is directed toward City B. However, interview results indicate that little interaction takes place between city and rural people except in the business sense. Villgge T. Village T, the County Seat, contains the offices of the agencies serving agriculture in Central County. As could be expected these offices, and 70 the activities they sponsor, command the attention of the rural people. Beyond this point however, there is little interest evidenced. Although the Bank does 50-60% of its business with rural people, and markets and trading points for services and goods exist and are patronized, little rural social activity is evidenced in the community. The school provides service for some 100 farm families. The participation is focused on the Agricultural Department. Churches report only small attendance by rural people. One minister reported: "There seems to be a line drawn between town and farm people in Cities A and B and Village T. They seem to each want to be left alone." Village C. An entirely different picture is present— ed for Village C. The community depends almost entirely upon rural areas for its economy. Lodges, churches and even luncheon clubs have farmers involved in their member- 'ship. Churches report 50—60% of their membership are farmers. The school provides facilities for Farm Bureau meetings and other rural oriented groups. A Farmers Cooperative elevator is operated here and the village grain and livestock markets are heavily patronized by the surrounding countryside. The American Legion Post has strong rural representation in its membership. Village C provides a focal point for much of the rural social activity for the surrounding farm area. 71 Indications are that Village C could well be a center for the Rural United Fund drive in the area. Village D and Communitny. A small rural community, Village D is completely dependent upon the surrounding farm area for its economy. Grain elevators, farm stores, a lumber yard, general stores, service station and garage comprise the business district. A high school, lodges, a luncheon club, church and community hall make up the focal points of social activity. Farmers have a high percentage of membership in lodges, church and school groups. Farm Bureau and other farm activities center around the community at the school and church. Village D is the center for the integration of rural social activity. The "Foreign Element", centered around Com- munity K to the south, also impinges upon Village D. The center of their activities, however, is in Community K. The Catholic Church and the Community Center provide the focal point of interest. Interviews indicate that access to the "Foreign Element“ can be obtained best through the Priest in Community K. (See Chart 3.) Village E and Communitng;_ Like Village D, Village E is a center for rural interest and activity with much the same characteristics and facilities. Village E and Community u, only one mile apart, are linked by the town. ship school serving the area. The High School is located in Community h thus providing added interest there in the Chart 3. High School Districts, Mennonite Group 72 and Ebreign Element in Central County MAP OF CENTRAL COUNTY a I. S «‘ g l’ 1 IV C B E I II “' I III 3 Q i L ' f l + i I 7 VII V VI ‘ ”Mav~»~ rvwdhtri - ’ ll L—~~. ,- ,.../’ G \ P ,. A -. II { T H X 4 J l - 3"" g", , J ..-;- XII IX’ 5 x. x II F’fl i '1 ""““ 1 % .5“ . g ""'l i f ./f LLfl. ‘5 . Illage D x”; ‘ ~ 1 PW /' , , E is .x L Jm—ww-a-a - ' \ Roman.numerals -- Townships Capital Letters -- Cities, Villages and Four Corner Communities .. High School Districts F Location of Schools -*- Foreign Element Group -—- Hennonite Group L. 512:; P “H 73 Agriculture Department and school activities. The Mennonite population of the County encompass these communities. The Mennonite group does not cc— cupy the entire area. (See Chart 3) Many non-Men- nonites own farms in the community. The non-Mennonite population hold their activities in the communities, while the Mennonite group focus interest on their church located north of Community M and Village E. The church and school form the focal point of interest for the non-Mennonites. Although the Mennonite population are a close in—group, a very liberal attitude is evidenced in that many homes have radios, automobiles and modern conven— iences. Most of their children do not finish school and many of the traditional Mennonite values and beliefs are evidenced in their attitude toward amusement, edu— cation, dress and frugal living. Other Communities. Other communities are similar to Villages E and D, in that they form a point for rural social activities. Schools, churches and community halls provide facilities used by Farm Bureau, Farm Grange, Community Clubs, lodges, 43 Club, Home Demonstration and other farmer groups. .Qgggggy. Rural social integration in Central County is focused in the school district and four corner communities or villages. A barrier seems to 74 exist between social systems in the larger communities, re- presented in Village T and Cities A and B, and rural social systems. Although these communities provide goods and services to the farm population, evidence of further inter- action and mutual obligation is lacking. Commodity inter- est groups use the County Seat for a basis of operation, but maintain an integrity of purpose in their objectives. Rural social activity in Central County evidences a strong orientation to the rural school and rural community. A 1314133 and Beliefs Related to United Fund Rural people interviewed evidenced important values and beliefs which must be considered by the United Fund in planning its rural activities. A highly conservative attitude was expressed in al- most every case. Where their money went, how much stay- ed in the County, what rural people got for their money, and why United Fund agencies existed were questions ask- ed at close of interviews, when the purpose of the study was made known. Farmers felt that their way of life was healthy and expressed beliefs that they did not require such services as were offered. Their children did not have time to be delinquent. A high regard for moral integrity left them cold to Aid for Dependent Children. Farmers expressed considerable indifference of inter- est in charity. They act as individuals and an expressed 75 interest in United Fund by State and National farm organ- ization leaders was not reflected in attitudes in Central County. Farmers did not recognize a line of authority related to their organizations or farm agencies. A need to “sell“ the individual farmer on United Fund objectives through education is implied. The education should be carried out through farm organizations and agencies of which farmers are members in Central County. Not until a majority of farmers express an acceptance of United Fund objectives will their officers and leaders attempt to commit their organizations to objectives of the United Fund. The leaders can help to sell United Fund to the members, and until this is done farmers will render only token cooperation. Predicting a Rural Organization for Central County Uhited Fund Based upon the theory and the ideal scheme for a County United Fund organization presented previously, the foregoing analysis of the rural social systems can now be useful in predicting a United Fund organization for Central County. Since none of those interviewed felt that the rural social systems for Central County would initiate a United Fund campaign, initiation would have to be brought about by business and industrial leaders. The organization should encompass the farm organizations 76 and agencies which were found to have objectives and norms suitable to United Fund needs. Several ways are open to plan the organization any of which could be expected to be successful. The method pre- sented here considers the factors which are believed to be important. Any alternative plan would need to include these factors. W The rural section of the county organization should include representatives of the County Farm Bureau, Grange, the County Extension office, Vocational Agriculture teachers, Michigan Education Association Chapter and the Ministerial Association as active participants. The Soil Conservation District Planner and the Farmers Home Administration Super- visor should be included as resource persons. The Rural Section should be chairmaned jointly by Farm Bureau and Grange representatives. These systems effer direct farmer representation and access to commun- ities in the County. An organization of sub—committees to be chairsaned by other representatives of the rural section should be established. Complete responsibility for the rural campaign should be assigned to the Rural Section. Representatives of the Rural Section of the County organization should be included on the County Admissions and Budgets Committee. This committee, acting upon budgets 77 of member agencies of the United Fund and establishing quotas for political subdivisions for the county, is an important source of information and legitimation for rural areas. Thus rural members on the committee would be in a position to learn about member agencies. Committees of the Rural Section should include the Executive Committee composed of Rural Section officers and representatives of out-county rural areas. The function of this Committee would be to establish policy and programs for the rural campaign and set up the schedule for the campaign. In Iducation Committee, composed of the Extension Agents, Agriculture Teachers, ministers and Teachers should be established. This Committee would schedule educational meetings, allot personnel as needed and develop training programs for rural community committees and solicitors. In Accounting Committee should be established to develop a means for receiving, recording and reporting the progress of the drive. Community representatives would report to this Committee. A Publicity Committee should be developed which would have the responsibility of reporting progress in rural areas. In addition it would develop a system for using facilities of rural organisations and agencies to direct information about United Fund to rural areas. 78 Other committees may be needed but the foregoing seem to be the essential ones. Through these committees, area representatives are brought into the planning process. All committees would report to the officers of the Rural Section. WW Schools, churches, community buildings or other focal points of rural social activity should be established as community centers. Evidence indicates that villages and four corner communities will usually provide these facil— ities. Some fifteen of these communities exist in Central County. 1 Community United Fund Committee should be estab- lished in each case. Personnel of these committees should include representatives of the rural social systems funct- ioning in the area. School groups, community clubs, Farm Bureau groups, 43 Club, Homo Demonstration groups and church organisations found in these communities are probable sources of members for the Community Committee. The function of this committee would be to supply personnel to the County Committee, schedule educational meetings, select solicitors, provide training meetings and collect funds and report to the County Committee. In—groups such as the lennonites and the ”Foreign Element“ should be brought into the organization through their church affiliations. The Priest in Community I would 81's access to the “Foreign Element“. Data shows that 79 church leaders of the lennonite group are cooperating with the County Extension office and would afford access for United Fund. Solicitors should be selected on a school district basis, since evidence shows rural social integration takes place there. Each solicitor should represent one or more social system. Each solicitor should have no more than ten to fifteen families to solicit, according to United Fund workers. Political boundaries should not be adhered to in the selection of solicitors, since rural social systems do not follow these boundaries. 80 Chapter V THE UNITED FUND IN CENTRAL COUNTY From the foregoing description of a desirable rural organization Figure 4 is developed. Figure 4. Recommended Rural Organisation for United Fund in_0entral County v fv‘ County Co-chairman Executive Committee Ce be 00 me 00 me .0 .0 O. .0 :Education :Committee Publicity Committee Accounting Committee 12 - 15 Community Committees l Solicitors for each 10-15 Families Comparing Figure 4 and Figure 5, which follows, brings out some important differences. Figure 5 is compiled from interviews with United Fund board members in Central County. 81 Figure 5. Actual United Fund Rural Organisation for v Centrg; County County Chairman .0 .0 .0 4 Quarter Chairmen Township Chairman 0‘ O. .0 .0 .0 O. Solicitor for each square mile Data collected points out many important facts. The County Chairman for the 1954 Campaign was a machinery deal- er located in the Northwest area of the County. No attempt was made to involve local communities through a system of committees.- Instead the County was divided into quarters each with its own chairman. Each Quarter Chairman was selected on the basis of having assisted before, rather than systems he might have represented. The Northwest Quarter Chairman is an insurance agent. The Northeast Quarter Chairman is a farmer, Farm Bureau member and Exten- sion cooperator. He was not named as a leader by any of those interviewed. The Southeast Quarter Chairman is a 82 housewife living in Village D. She apparently had no con- nection with farm organisations or rural social systems. The Southwest Quarter Chairman is a farmer, Farm.Bureau member and School Board member. No attempt was made by Quarter Chairmen to utilise influential members of rural social systems in selecting township chairmen. One of them said: 'I just tried to get anyone who would do the Job. Every year I find it hard to get a person who will take care of the drive.‘ Solicitors were equally difficult to obtain. [any of the names submitted to the County Chairman were not those who actually did the work. [here ten or twelve solicitors per township would be necessary to adequately cover the area, three or four did the work. Thus the County organisation did not plan to provide a chain of leaders representing the desirable rural social systems in Central County. ‘ ggglysis of Results of the Fund Drive Table 7 presents the 1954 Campaign Quotas, quota ful- fillment, percent fulfillment and the rating of the township Quota fulfillment on the basis of the continuum previously set up (See Figure 3) to verify results. The data was obtained from the County United Fund directors. He expected, all four Quarters in the County rated only fair or poor in achieving their quote. The rural 83 Figure 7. Quota Assignment, Results of the 1954 Rural Campaign, Percent of Quota Fulfillment and Rating on the Continuum for the 1954 United Fund Drive in Central County : : I954 : Fu : Rating on Township : Quota : Drive : ment of : Continuum : Assigned : Resultg» :Quota : d : : ‘ : : Goo -- I : 518 : 489 : 94.4 : .gerfect : : : : Very I; : 634 : 265 : _4l;6 : gpor III E 727 3 398 : 54.7 E Poor £1, E 358 E 2;2 : 59.2 2 £90: : : : : Fair-- V : 8;; : 258 : 83.5 : Good VI 3 507 E 449 3 88.5 2 Good 1;; E 855 E 468 E 54.7 2 Poor VIII 2 855 E 498 E 58.0 3 Poor 1x 3 858 E 412 E 82.8 E Poor ;_ 3 855 E 829 E 73.6 3 Fair x1 E 761 E 555 : 72.9 3 Fair 3 : 63/ 2 : _£II i, 271 : 270 ‘i_ QgéB : ‘;gerfect : : a . XIII : 761 : 405 : 53.2 : Poor £1! E 338 : 2;7 : 64.2 : ;§oor 3? E 507 § 595 2 77.8 : Fair xvx E 338 E 29; : 88.;_ : good NW Quart-z : : : er : ;;t72 : 1461 : 74.17 : Fair NEQuart— : g g : er : 2795 : 1574 : 56.5 : Poor SW Quart-: : : : ....g: : 2612 : _6§§ : 63.6 : Poor SE Quart-z : : : er : 1877 : 1311 : 69:8 : Fair W : : : Poor-- .ggfial = 9258 : 8299 : 67.1: r51: Appropr a e rom ta x monies by Township Board 84 drive for the County rated fair with a quota fulfillment score of 67.l$u Interesting to note is the fact that the Northwest Quarter and the Southeast Quarter having the poorest agricultural area, rated above the Southwest and Northeast Quarters in achieving their goals. Observation shows that a high proportion of rural population in these areas is residential rather than farmer which may account for the difference. Solicitors were business and industrial workers, according to the Quarter Chairman. The Southeast Quarter is helped along by the appropriation of tax monies to meet the quota by the Township Board in Township III. This does not conform to the “voluntary giving“ concept of the United Fund. The fact that Northwest and South- east Quarters have a higher rural residential population contradicts the contention of United Fund workers inter- viewed that rural areas fail in the drive because so many industrial workers are giving at their place of employ- ment. This is an important consideration which presents a problem which needs solving. The fact remains, however, according to the results farmers are not giving their fair share according to the quota established for the purpose. Township 1, the only township which solicited the money and qualified good, was the home township of both the County Chairman and the Quarter Chairman. It was in this township that the Quarter Chairman pressed his wife 85 and secretary into the drive when assigned solicitors fail- ed. Also the four corner community in which the County Chairman has a machinery business was included in the Town- ship quota. griticg; Analysis of the United Fund Using the functions of the elements of the action process established in Chapter III, and the specifications set forth for a United Fund Rural campaign, the following analysis of Central County United Fund organization and campaign is presented. Initiatigg Set. The Executive Board of the County Chest is made up primarily of business men and industrial leaders. Rural representatives were found to include (1) a representative of the Farm Bureau.womens group, (2) a Township Supervisor, farmer and Farm Bureau member, (3) a Township Supervisor and retired farmer, (4) the County Agricultural Agent, (5) a farmer who is also the County Orange Easter, (6) a Farm Bureau representative. The rural members of the board are well distributed over the County, and should serve to involve rural people in United Fund objectives, providing they are assigned responsibility and carry it out. Rural members were appointed by the Board but did not participate regularly in the activities of the group, according to directors. Usually two of the farmer direct- ors were present at eaCh meeting. Only one of these dir- ectors was reported to participate actively in the dis- 86 cussione. None attended meetings regularly. The County Agent did not participate in any meetings. No responsibil- ity for the rural drive was given to farmer members of the board. Instead a machinery dealer was appointed to the post of Rural Chairman. Farmers were not members of the Admis- sion and Budgets Committee and were not active in assigning township quotas. According to the secretary of the board, publicity and promotional material were largely distributed through the two weekly newspapers located at Village T and City A. The local radio station also carried publicity for the 1954 campaign. Articles and releases were based on "canned“ material prepared by the State Office of the United Fund. Examination of newspapers showed that local adaptation, “Giving the United Way“, was the theme of most of the publicity. This theme emphasized the United Fund giving as ”giving once for all“ instead of several drives for each agency. Actually this was not true, since Polio and Cancer agencies held separate drives. Additional articles covered the local agencies, their budgets and results of programs for the past year. No specific reference to rural people was made in the articles published. “House organs” of the Farm Bureau and Extension Service were not used for promotional purposes according to repre- 8? sentatives. Information in folder and bulletin form, pub— lished by the united Fund, was handed out to workers, but no reports could be obtained as to how it was used. Data indicates that leadership of rural systems was not approached to assist in promoting the campaign. Al- though a movie made in Central County concerning the United Fund was available, and scheduled out for use, no rural persons were found who had seen it. Reports indicate that two or three farm groups had scheduled the film. Posters and additional promotional material were placed in stores in various communities, but their effect— iveness could not be measured. Broad objectives of the United Fund research, education and service were noticeably lacking in publicity materials used. The obvious reluctance of farm families to give to United Fund has not resulted in a concerted educational campaign to overcome this resistance. No active opposit- ion to United Fund goals was observed. A noticeable lack of interest and enthusiasm on the part of farmers was evident. The manner in which the county level organization was extended into the rural communities did not offer them an opportunity to participate. No attempt was made to follow up and determine who could do the best job of carrying United Fund to rural communities. 88 The County Rural Chairman said that he was appointed eight days before the Drive was due to start. Obviously there was no time to do a creditable job in organizing the areas. The County chairman drove over the County contact- ing persons to carry out the work, left promotional material, quotas, lists of possible solicitors and other materials with those who would assume the responsibility. Time did not allow for training solicitors or scheduling educational meetings. Only one Quarter Chairman thus obtained had been named as having influence in rural affairs. Summing up the initiation of the United Fund Campaign in Central County, the conclusion that the County Executive Board is not oriented to rural participation is obvious. A director's answer to a question in this regard verifies this conclusion: "If it weren't for the fact they (state office) want rural participation, I'd be glad to give it up. As it is, we are determined to stick to it and sell the idea. ......... . Legitimation. Since no effort was made to involve local communities, the legitimation is left to the status of the initiation set and the Quarter Chairmen along with solicitors. The rural persons named for positions on the County Board were influential leaders of rural social systems. All had been named as leaders several times by persons intervieweda\ The extent to which they participated, however, does n0t reveal a cooperative attitude. It is 89 probable that this attitude reflects the attitudes of mem— bers of systems of which they are leaders. The need for a strong educational program is evidenced throughout. The objectives of the United FUnd could have been used much more effectively than they were to legitimize the effort. Little effort was made to publicize the cases handled by United Fund agencies. Local agencies repre- sented by the United Fund (See Table'?) in Central County were: Table 7. Agencies in the United Fund in Central County Local Headquarters in Central County 1. Red Cross 2. Boy Scouts 3. Salvation Army 4. Michigan Children's Aid 5. Lansing Mental Health 6. Cancer Committee According to directors most of the activity of these local agencies is centered in urban areas. No agency or organization is serving farm areas directly. The County United Fund does not provide an office or directory which Can be used by local persons to obtain information about, or service from member agencies. 90 The procedure used for getting the campaign under way in Central County did not fall within the norms ex- hibited by the rural social systems. Democratic pro- cedures were not followed in selection of the rural memb- ers of the United Fund Organization. The effort was aim- ed entirely at involving rural social systems through their leaders and reaching members in this manner. The fact that leaders exhibit the norms and objectives of their system, which in turn are established in rural social systems by the members, was not considered. Many urban systems, especially business, industry, and labor organizations, have an authority hierarchy which will allow leaders to commit their members. The rural social ‘ systems in Central County did not exhibit this structure. No effort was observed which indicated any attempt to hold or conduct meetings on a community basis. The rural community as a point of interest gave way to the township as a unit of organizational effort. Thus per- sons to be affected by the drive did not have an Oppor- tunity to participate in community planning or educat— ional meetings. [Execution Set. An execution set for a United Fund Campaign would be the solicitors. No accurate record could be obtained as to the number and affiliation with rural social systems of solicitors in each township. Records had been lost or destroyed containing this infor- 91 mation. No records were kept showing the results each solicitor had achieved. Time and finances did not allow for interviewing to reconstruct the activity and affil- iation of solicitors. Names of solicitors for five town— ships were obtained and checked but so much contradiction between county officials and Quarter Chairmen appeared that records were considered unreliable. Quarter Chairmen reported many substitutions were necessary in various town- ships and in no case were there more than five or six solicitors per township. Reports as to the nature and activity of the execution set used here are taken from interviews with the Quarter Chairmen. The ggrthwegt Quarter Chairman was an insurance sales- man. Solicitors were selected on the basis of getting some- body to do the work. No regard was given to rural social systems in selecting the solicitors. A few farmer's wives acted as solicitors but for the most part they were busi- ness men or factory workers. A lack of interest and enthusiasm among solicitors was apparent in the fact that the wife and secretary of the Quarter Chairman had to be pressed into service to finish the campaign. No effort was made to train or inform solic- itors as to how the work should be done. Pressed into service at the last minute they did not have time to plan or prepare themselves. Duties and goals were not adequately explained. Another factor entering the situation in the Northwest 92 Quarter is, that much of the population are rural resi- dents rather than farmers. The farming area in Townships I and II are considered by the Soil Conservationist to have poor productivity. The Northeast Quarter Chairman for the 1954 Drive was a farmer, Farm Bureau Member and Extension Coopera- tor. Friendships and interaction patterns developed in these systems were used to obtain township chairmen and solicitors. Three of the Township Chairmen were Farm Bureau women, and one a school teacher. Again, difficulty was found in getting solicitors to work in the campaign. Attempts were made to obtain a solicitor for each square mile but only four or five per township actually worked in the campaign. This reflects a reluct- ance to accept and lack of interest in United Fund object— ives on the part of farmers. Time to train and develop skill in the solicitors was not available. The Quarter Chairman used his contacts through Farm Bureau to obtain workers, however, this was not done in an official capacity. Thus the assignments were not made through the Farm Bureau as a system. Duties and goals were not emphasized and a lack of time was a.prime factor in prohibiting careful planning. The Northeast Quarter is an exceptional wealthy farm area.' Townships III and IV contain a number of rural residents who work in industry and business in nearby 98 urban centers. The Southwest Quarter is chairmaned by a farmer, Farm Bureau member, Extension Cooperator, and School Board mem- ber for the township school in his district. Friendships and interaction patterns were again used to obtain workers. Again difficulty in getting people to work in the campaign was experienced by the Quarter Chairman. Disinterest in United Fund objectives was evidenced in the fact that only 4—6 workers could be obtained in each township. Grange, Farm Bureau and Extension cooperators were repre- sented in the soliciting team. Time to train solicitors and a schedule for training were not available. Al- though friendships and interaction patterns developed in rural systems were used to select solicitors, they were not selected or assigned duties and goals through their own systems. The Hennonite population in the area further hamper— ed operations in the Southwest Quarter. The lennonites as a group contributed directly to the County Chest, thus making unreliable the results from this Quarter. The Southwest Quarter is a wealthy farm area. Again there is a problem in that a school survey showed about 20% of the farm area population to be rural residents rather than farmers. The figutheast Quarter was chairmaned by a housewife living in Village D. The family had been farmers but are 94 now retired. Using a wide acquaintance of farm friends and business people, solicitors were obtained. Farmers were again reluctant to take on the responsibility for the drive. As a result several business people and industrial workers were pressed into service. Farmers who worked in the drive were Farm Bureau members. Again, interest on the part of farm people was lack— ing. Time to train and inform solicitors of duties and objectives was not available. No effort was made to ob— tain the solicitors through the rural social systems of the area. Duties and goals for the campaign could, there- fore, not be assigned to solicitors through his system. The Southeast Quarter is not as wealthy a farm area as are the Northeast and Southwest Quarters. Township III has a large portion in State owned land and Town- ship XVI has a drainage problem in agricultural areas. Townships XI and IV are good productive farm areas. Another problem in the Southeast Quarter is the “Foreign Element" group in Township XVI. The Farmers Union has made some friends here, but could not be identified as an on-going system upon investigation. Apparently a core group was developed but has not follow. ed through to become an on-going organization. guggggz of Analysis The lack of legitimation of United Fund objectives is apparent as a prime factor in unfavorable farmer attitudes 95 towards the campaign. Generally the analysis of the action process of United Fund in Central County raises the question as to whether county officials feel the rural drive is important. lost of the specifications for the action process were not met in the 1954 United Fund campaign. The results of the United Fund Campaign in Central County indicate that the analysis used is valuable in ex- amining the organization and action process of a change system, as it attempts to bring about cultural change. through social cultural linkage with target systems. Objectives and norms of the rural social systems were ignored in the action process in Central County's United Fund Campaign. Leadership, focal point of ac- tivities, internal communications, decision making pro- cessee and spatial arrangements of rural social systems ‘were not utilized. Training and educational programs were not carried out and the publicity and promotional materials failed to answer the questions farmers raised about the United Fund. Additional study, under controlled conditions, needs to be carried on to determine the effect of the various functions of the elements of the action process. Data from non—givers and their reactions to the fund campaign would 96 be valuable information. Individual introduction of specif- ications, set forth in this study, in situations where they are lacking and careful recording of results would serve to measure their effect. W A case study of the United Fund organization and action process in Central County was attempted. The study is based upon the theory that the degree of accept- ance of social change by a target system would depend upon obtaining social cultural linkage and the appli— cation of the elements of the action process. The County 'was examined for relevant rural social systems. Object- ives, norms, membership and leadership of these systems were analyzed to determine the possibilities for social cultural linkage with the United Fund as a change system. Communities were examined as centers for rural social integration. Ideal functions for initiation, legitimation and execution as they apply to the United Fund were de— veloped. These functions were used to analyze results of the United Fund Campaign in Central County. The 1954 United Fund Drive results were used to verify the analysis. T he analysis illustrated the fact that the functions of the action process were not carried out and were poorly planned. Thus social cultural linkage between the United Fund, as the change system, and rural social systems, as the target 99 systems, could not take place and change was not affected to the extent desired. The results of the Rural Campaign in Central County were poor, with 67.1% of the “fair share" quota fulfilled. W l. The case study demonstrates that the probable success or failure of an action process can be determined. 2. Relevant rural systems can be determined and examined. 3. Functions of the elements of the action process can be prescribed for a given change. 4. These functions can be applied to an action pro- cess to determine whether social cultural linkage will occur. 5. The method can be used to compare action process- es under variable conditions. 6. The variables found did not allow for highly accurate measurment of the individual functions of the action process. figgommendgtiong The study has several possibilities for application. Especially important might be the evaluation of programs involving voluntary participation of members of target systems. Evaluation of County Extension programs and other educational efforts involving cultural change 9E3 which are difficult to measure statistically, might be adaptable to the methods of this study. The United Fund needs to adopt more of the functions of the action process to its organization and campaign in Central County. Some of the more important considerations would be: 1. Utilize rural directors of the County Board in active roles related to the rural drive. 3. Involve rural social systems which have rele- vance to the objectives of United Fund. V/ 3. Adopt the program to communities which are focal points of rural interest instead of townships. 4. Involve community persons through a system of committees in the planning of the drive. f/ “5. Assist county boards to orient themselves to rural norms, values and beliefs. -V/ 6. Develop and carry out an educational program based upon the questions farmers ask. 7. Involve the state level representatives of rural systems in more than “lip service” capacities. 8. Develop a training program for rural solicitors. 99 APPENDIX A Interview Schedule I. ggpnty Social Organization. Systems gvailable: 1. Farm Organization (i.e. Farm Bureau, Grange, etc.) 3. Church Organizations. 3. Town and Country — Rural Urban (C of C, Luncheon Clubs etc.) 4. Farm.Agencies (Co. Agt., 908, ABC etc.) 5. ‘Bealth and welfare Organizations Reaching Rural People. 6. Economic Organizations ( Coops etc.) 7. Social Clubs (Garden Clubs etc.) as organizations. 8. Educational Organizations. 9. Overall Organizations Crossing Systems. 10. In-groups (Ethnic, religious etc.) Legdership and Symbolic Figures 1. Influence and Prestige Leaders. 2. Traditional Families. 3. kuthority Leaders (Bankers, Extension lorkers, etc.) 4. Success History of Individuals. Goals of Relevant Systems 1. Ianifest as related to United Fund Goals. 8. Latent as related to United Fund Goals. a. Directly related. b. Allies for. 0. Neutral. d. Allies against. 100 e. Committed Against. 3. Limited purpose goals. (Commit membership) to single purpose) 4. General purpose goals (Vague) Ismbershi of relevant s stems: 1. How organized in sub-systems. 3. Number and how distributed. 3.. 1» total farmers. 4. Focal point of interest. 5. Commitment to goals of organization. 6. Commitment of time and energy. 7- Likelyhood of commitment to United Fund Goals? 8. On-going organizations. 9. Stratification and membership. Prestige and Influenog of Relevant Systems: 1. Nembers accept and act on decisions. 2. Non-members influenced by organization. 3. Organization offers high degree of interaction to members. 4.’ Leadership represented in organ. 5. Length of time organized in area. 6. Success history. Integration of Relevant Socig; Systems: 1. Amount of cross membership. 2. Join together in community service projects. 3. Mutual access between organizations. 4. Exchange information freely. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 101 Federated organization - mutual exchange. Decision process. (Democratic or vested). Joins with non-farm organizations in community projects. Focal point of activities. Part-time farming as influence. osition as F star of Relevant S stems: 1. 8. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Rural vs urban ideology. Conflict within organization. Conflict between organizations. Conflict between organization and United Fund agency. Conflict between communities. History of conflict between groups. Recent events detrimental to United Fund goels. General wealth of area. 102 APPENDIX B Interview Schedule II. United Fund Organization and Action Process. Organizgtion of Initiation Group. ( County Chest) 1. 3. 3. 4. 5. 6. Structure of organization. Decision making group. (Execut. Comm.) A and 9 Committee (Admissions and Budgets) Integration of committees and campaign structure. Communications - sow organized and utilized? As innovation agent? Membership on County Chest Board. 1. 8.. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. General representation of members. Rural representation - Ihat sources? Row membership selected? Iho selected? Influence and prestige leaders enlisted. Authority leaders enlisted. Committee make up - Related to rural people. Participation of rural members in activities. Eglicy and Goals. 1. z. 3. 4. s. 6. Responsibility of over-all groups. Delegation of duties to perform. Establishment of quotas. Community projects in package. Attitude towards rural participation. Participation of rural members in relation to rural goals. 7. 103 Campaign strategy and tactics. a. As related to rural drive. b. Rural membership participation. Promotion and Publicity. 1. 8. 3. 4. 5. Amount used. (Movies, newspapers, posters, etc.) Emphasis placed.mhere? Orientation to rural people. Rural participation. Appeals to core values of people. Training Programs. 1. 2. 3. 4. Content. (Localized) lethod of application. (flbw and by whom?) Attendance by solicitors. Orientation to rural solicitors. Initiation and Legitimation. 1. 2. 3. 4. Leadership and organizations represented in County Chest. Linkage - county to community in organization. Acceptance of goals of County Chest. Fair share of gift budget. Convergence of Interest. 1. Appeals used as relate to values and beliefs of people in the community. a. United Fund Agencies serving local people represented in package. b. Local service received in past. c. Appeals to goals and objectives of organization. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 104 d. Appeals to core values of the people. Rallies, meetings and movies presented. Orientation of appeals to rural people. On—going publicity through year. Enthusiasm generated. Local items in United Fund package. Goal fusion between United Fund and target systems. Iobilization of Resources in Communities. 1. 3. 3. 4. 5. What organizations asked to participate? How organizations approached? Responsibility given to local people for decision making. Encompass influence organizations and persons. Training programs and influence. Techniques gpd Legitimgtion. 1. 2. 3. lethod of approach used to influence people: a. Emotional appeal . b. Coercion. c. Ethical considerations. Access to community groups. Express felt needs of community. Opposition. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Community crisis. Conflict with United Fund Agency. Competing project. Community conflict. Division of community interest. 105 Training Programs: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Effect and usefulness. Attendance at. How to approach. Know goals of United Fund. Methods of approach. Areas Reached: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Location of systems reached. Number of systems solicitor represents. Number contacts had to make. Successful contacts. Boundries limited to interaction groups. Non-organization contacts. Physical Factors: 1. 3. 3. Save time. Have means and space allocated. Number of contacts related to amount of time. Integgation of Entire System: 1. 2. How linked to community and County groups? Opposition factors. 106 BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Biddle, Willaim R., The Cultivation of Community Leaders. New York: Harper Brothers Publishers, 1953. 203 pp. Brown, Josephine C., The Rural Community and Social Case Work. New York: Family Welfare Association of America, 1935. 165 pp. French, David G., Neasuring Results in Social Work. New York: Columbia university Press, 1952. 178pp. Goods William J. and Hatt, Paul R., Nethods in Social gesearch. New York, Toronto, London: NeGraw-Hill, s 350 pp 0 Gouldner, Alvin W , ed., Studies in_ggadership. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1950. 736 pp. Gunn, Selskar and Platt, Phillip 8., Voluntary Health Agencies. New York: The Ronald Press 00., 1945. 364 pp. Haiman, Franklyn 8., Group Leadership and Democratic Action. Boston, New Yor , Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Ban Francisco: Houghton Nifflin Co. 1950. 309 pp. Hillman Arthur, Community Organization and Planning. New York: The acm 1 an o., 9 0. 3 pp. Homans, George C., The Human Group. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1 50. 48 pp. Jones, John P., The Technigue to Win in Fund Raising. New York: Inter-River Press, 193 . 30 pp. Landis, Benson Y., Rural Welfare Services. New York: Columbia University Press, 1949. 201 pp. Lazarsfeld, Paul F., Berelson, Bernard and Gaudet, Hazel, The Peoples Choice. New York: Columbia university Press, 1950. 178 pp. Loomis, Charles P. and Beegle, J. Allen, The Nature of Social Systems and Social Change. Unpublished. 1955. Loomis, Charles P. and Beegle, J. Allen, Burg; Social Systems. New York: Prentice Hall Inc., 1951. 873 pp. 107 Mahaffey, Stanley Allen, A Comparative Study In Selected Rural Areas In IMichigan of Contributors and Non—Con- tributors to Voluntary Health and Welfare Agencies. Michigan State College, Department of; Sociology and Anthropology ( A Thesis in Process) Miller, Paul A., Community Health Action. East Lansing: Michigan State ollege Press, 1953. l92pp. Sewer, Holland, Tiedke and Freeman, The Patterns of Com- ihunity Involvement. Unpublished. 19 5. 265 pp. Bulletins §pecia1 Bul. . Michigan State College Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Unpublished. 1955. eci Bu . 352. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. p . 19 . ast Lansing. Extension Sp}, 319. Michigan State College, Cooperative Extension Service, June 1953. East Lansing. Miscelippeous gpblication No. 285. United States Depart- ment 0 Agriculture, Jan. 1946. Washington, D. C. Sew Does Your Count Rate? Department of Land and later Conservation, iIchIEan State College, July, 1954. East Lansing. 1950 United States Census of Agriculture. V. 1, pt. 6, Un to States Dept. o ommerce, U. . Gov. Printing Office, WashingtonJD. D. 1950 Census of Population. V. II, Pt. 22, Michigan. nite tates epartment of Commerce, U. S. Gov. Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 1954. Articles Helping Run Community Drives. Business Week, July 25, 953. p. 1 One Shot Charity: Detroits United Foundation Drive Business ee , c . . p. 8. ' A Leader is a Persuader. New York Times, May 31, 1951. p. 3 . 108 ‘lhy Give Money Awgy?, American Magazine, 148 Dec. 1949 -- Pp. 3 3 . United Fund For Farmers7, The Farm Journal - 77, Nov. 1953. p. 130. United Fund Bulletins and Mimsograph Remarks by Benjamin E. Young, Vice-President of The National Ban 0 etroip. July 15, 1947. Declaration of Intents and Pugposes gs Formulated by The t zens omm ttee u on cas on o ncogporat on o the United Health and Welfare Fund of Michigan. Aug. 1 , l . -- A Is let. United Giving in Michigan. A Leaflet. ‘United Health and welfare Fund of Michigan, Inc. A handbook. Eighth Annug; Report, Michigan United Fund. fldmissions, Budget and Distribution Committee. A leaflet. Miracles Every Tuesday. A.bulletin Farfi ?.;E u"":' r :73: :iuuw 3 ‘24“? P“ m b. "7"" ., ‘ ' cv- I 1‘ .i ‘ . 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