ABSTRACT
The encounter of business with social work laid the foundations for organized corporate philanthropy. It brought businessmen into contact with segments of the community from which they were largely separated and thus helped to broaden their understanding and enlarge their interests. The counterpart of the growing sensitivity of American businessmen to their social environment was the emergence of a businesslike approach to community welfare problems and a new interest in corporate contributions on the part of social agencies. With the creation of the American Association for Community Organization (AACO) came recognition that the community chest movement had become a national phenomenon. The AACO provided a clearinghouse for the exchange of information and experience between cities, as well as a means for extending the movement and increasing its effectiveness. The Pierce Williams-Frederick E. Croxton study was to be used for detailed discussions with business delegates, grouped by trades or industries.
