The American Red Cross Bulletin (Vol. IV, No. 4, October 1909)

by American National Red Cross

AMERICAN RED CROSS CHRISTMAS STAMPS

Terms and Conditions Governing their Sale and Disposition of the Proceeds.

Practical experience in the Red Cross Christmas stamp campaign in the season of 1908, and in the distribution of the proceeds from stamp sales, has shown the necessity of certain changes in conditions and methods. The rules which will govern in the sale of stamps and disbursement of proceeds from July 1, 1909, until further notice are as follows:

Rule 1. The American Red Cross will appoint agents to sell the stamps and dispose of the proceeds. The stamps will not be sold to agents but will remain the property of the Red Cross until sold at retail by the agents. Agents will be such State branches and sub-divisions of the Red Cross and such anti-tuberculosis societies or other organizations as may be appointed.

Rule 2. Before entrusting the sale of Christmas stamps to any society, the Red Cross will require satisfactory evidence of the reliability and standing of the society and its ability to creditably carry out the Red Cross purposes in the expenditure of the proceeds from stamp sales.

Every State branch or subdivision and every other society desiring to sell Christmas stamps is required to first submit to the Central Committee a statement of the particular anti-tuberculosis work which it proposes to support or promote with the proceeds from the stamp sales. If the organization desiring to sell stamps intends to expend the money itself, the statement should make plain the exact character of the work proposed to be carried on. If it intends to turn the money over for expenditure to one or more other societies or agencies, the names of such other societies or agencies and the kind of work for which the money will be expended by them should be explicitly stated.

All the information called for in rule 2 should reach the National office of the Red Cross during the summer in order that there may be no delay in the appointment of agents or the forwarding of stamps when the selling period arrives.

Rule 3. The appointment of agents will be for the period ending March 1, 1910. During the term of its appointment an agent shall have the exclusive right to sell Red Cross stamps within the city (including suburbs) in which such agent is situated and the expenditure of the proceeds of the sale of stamps will be under the immediate direction of such agent, in accordance with the general plan approved by the Red Cross.

Rule 4. The American Red Cross will supply Christmas stamps to agents free of charge. It will also supply, free of charge, posters and printed matter intended to assist in the sale of stamps.

Rule 5. When the stamp sale is ended the agent will return all unsold stamps to the National office of the Red Cross. The Red Cross must pay for all stamps printed whether they are sold or not. Unsold stamps returned are a total loss. In view of this all agents are requested to order stamps with the utmost care. It is expected that all orders can be promptly filled. There will, therefore, be no necessity for trying to make a first order large enough to cover all the demands for the entire season. This advice is especially urged upon agents who have not heretofore sold the stamps.

Rule 6. All express charges and all postage required in forwarding shipments of stamps or in returning unsold stamps will be paid by the Red Cross.

Rule 7. Christmas stamps are to be sold at the uniform price of one cent each. The stamps will be printed in sheets of 100 each and shipped in packages of 10,000 stamps or multiples of 10,000. No broken packages will be shipped. Stamp books will not be issued in 1909.

Rule 8. In ordering stamps as Christmas approaches, it is important to consider the congested condition of business with the express companies and post offices, and the distance which the shipment must travel. By careful forethought it will usually be found possible to estimate needs early enough for orders to be filled in good time. The Red Cross will respond promptly, but cannot prevent express and postal delays.

Rule 9. On or before February 1, 1910, every agent which has sold Red Cross Christmas stamps shall pay to the American Red Cross an amount of money equal to one-third of the face value of all stamps sold by such agent. Any expenses incidental to the sale incurred by the agent will be paid from the two-thirds retained by the agent and the remainder will be applied to local anti-tuberculosis work in accordance with the plans previously approved by the Red Cross.

Societies which sold Red Cross Christmas stamps in 1908 will note that the plan of selling stamps and disposing of the proceeds described above marks a considerable departure from the plan of last year.

This change is the result of careful thought and is believed to be in the direction of better business method and greater justice to all concerned. It seems eminently fair that the important direct work of the Red Cross should in some measure profit from the sale of stamps. The loyal and generous support which the American people have given to the Red Cross leads to the belief that the buyers of stamps will be pleased to know that a portion of the money comes direct to its great work.

In making the societies which sell the stamps its agents the Red Cross is giving them certain concessions which are extremely important. They will require no cash capital or initial expenditures. The provisions for a free supply of posters and printed matter and the payment of express and postal charges by the Central Committee will assure every agent against loss. If all the work of selling stamps is carried on by volunteers, there will be no expense to the agents connected with the campaign. In any event the necessary expenses will be trifling and there is no risk of loss involved in undertaking the agency for the stamps.

The total cost to the National office of the Red Cross of printing and handling of Christmas stamps in 1908 was about $13,000. This amount was repaid from the proceeds of the wholesale price at which the Stamps were sold to agents. In 1909, under the proposal set forth in the rules above, the expenditures by the National office of the Red Cross will include not only the printing and handling of the stamps but the printing and distribution of posters, circulars, etc., and the payment of all express and postal charges upon shipments of stamps and other supplies. Instead of charging these expenses directly to the agents, as in 1908, they will be covered by the one-third share of the proceeds of stamp sales reserved by the Red Cross, as described in rule 9 above.

With a double incentive to the purchase of stamps on the part of the public, an absolute absence of risk or initial expense on the part of agents, and the great favor of the public established last year, the campaign for the Christmas season of 1909 should bring a generous return to all concerned.