United Way of Minneapolis records

The records provide extensive systematic documentation of the planning, fund-raising, and budget-allocation activities of the United Way of Minneapolis -- previously known as the United Fund and as the Community Chest and Council -- for the period 1920-67, with more limited coverage of activities before and after that time span. The records include minutes of meetings, studies and reports, correspondence, memoranda, financial records, pamphlets, photographs, and scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings and campaign literature and memorabilia.

Viewed as a whole, the collection represents a remarkably comprehensive source of information about health and welfare programs and needs in Minneapolis and Hennepin County. The United Way was directly involved in analyzing such needs and coordinating and supporting the services of its many affiliated agencies, and it displayed an active interest in programs not under it auspices. The records reflect the complex structure and process through which issues were deliberated, so that materials relevant to a particular area of research interest are typically found in many locations throughout the collection. Topics include the full range of social services provided under United Way auspices, among which are day care, family services, group work, health care, recreation, settlements and neighborhood centers, and services for children, youth, and the aged.

The collection is arranged in seven major series, reflecting the filing system employed in the United Way offices. The History and Policy Series(boxes 1-8) comprises corporate documents, records relating to the origins of the organization, historical summaries, and studies of the council and its effectiveness. TheBoard and Committee Minutes Series(boxes 9-50) contains the minutes (and, in some cases, the supporting documents) of the board of directors and the many committees, thus affording an official record of all decisions and activities. Included is a comprehensive index to the minutes. The Alphabetical Files Series(boxes 51-180) includes working and reference files formed around studies and reports, projects, internal administrative units, other agencies and organizations, and subjects. These provide the most detailed information about activities and conditions. The Reports Series(boxes 181-190) contains copies of reports and studies prepared between 1968 and 1983 by the Community Health and Welfare Council and the United Way Planning Department. The Agencies Series(boxes 191-238) documents the relationship with member agencies whose programs were supported and coordinated by the Council. Records contained in this series are primarily concerned with issues related to budget allocations. The War Chest Series(boxes 239-250) documents World War II-era activities, during which time the Community Chest fund-raising activities were merged with those of the War Chest. The Scrapbooks Series(oversize boxes 1-22) contains compilations of publicity materials, photographs, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia, mostly related to annual fund drives. The descriptions, which follow, provide more detailed descriptions of the contents of each series.

Cross references.The files, as originally received, included numerous cross-reference cards (particularly in the alphabetical series) pointing to related items in other folders, some of which were destroyed before transfer to the archives. In cases where such cross-reference cards represent the only item in a folder, the archives staff added the box and folder number of the alternate location if it could be found (e.g., "53:27 American Library Association, See instead: Victory Book Campaign, Folder 178:19"). Additional cross-reference cards that are interfiled with other documents in a folder have not been checked to see whether the link is still valid.