By a Life-boat Worker of Twenty-five Years' Experience.

Now that the Ladies' Life-boat Guild has been formed and many new members are being enrolled who are not yet acquainted with the methods which the Institution employs for raising its funds, it seems an opportune moment to call attention to one of the best and most inexpensive methods of making appeals —the " House to House " Collection.

There is no surer means of reaching the generosity of the public, and old Life-boat workers, as well as new, may like to be reminded of it, and of the different ways in which it can be carried out.

There are three such ways. The first, and perhaps most comprehensive, is what is known as the "Envelope" system. The town, or district, is divided into streets or roads of, roughly, a hundred houses, and the Collector is given a card showing the precise locality, with instructions to deliver the Appeal, attached to which is a small donation envelope, at each house, and to state that the reply will be called for the next day. Experience has shown that few householders fail to avail themselves of the opportunity to show practical sym- pathy with the '"' Life-boat," and, very often, the multiplicity of coins in the envelope proves that father, mother, and the other members of the family have all contributed individually.

The " Appeal " itself is an attractive reproduction of the Wreck Chart of the British Isles, with short concise facts about the Institution's work. The Collectors receive their supplies, badges, and instructions on the Thursday ; on the Friday they deliver the appeals ; and on the Saturday call for the responses, which are taken to the Committee Room and opened, all contributions of 5s. and upwards being acknowledged by formal receipt.

The second method of " House to House " collecting is by personal solici- tation. This is a happy way of interest- ing the " Lady of the House " in the Institution's work, and of securing her as an Annual Subscriber. For this system the Lady Collector is provided with leaflets dealing with Life-boat work and an official receipt book, and, generally, a well-defined district is taken.

One lady who had " done " a district for many years, called during the recent j coal strike at a house in a working-class street, and was told, " I'm sorry I can't help you this year, as my husband is out of employment; but, you know, I'm i doing what I can for the Institution by buying its soap " ! It was quite some time before the Collector could get the lady to believe that the Institution was not the owner of that soap which is ; advertised so conspicuously with a Life- boat man in a life-buoy.

The third method is by the use of ,' the new Collecting Card, issued to members of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild; but, as the space on this card | is limited, it is best, in systematic " House to House" collecting, to use one of the other two methods, reserving the 1 card for obtaining, from time to time, personal contributions from among one's own friends and acquaintances.

It is becoming more and more evident that those who help the Institution in its task of raising the funds to maintain the Service—and it now needs £250,000 a year—must use each and every method of approaching the public and asking for their help if this sum is to be obtained.

New workers may be encouraged by this fact, which older workers will already have discovered for themselves : The national claims of the Service are so clear, and the appeal of its heroism so simple and direct, that those who work for it may depend on being received with sympathy, and, in the great majority of cases, on obtaining an immediate re- sponse to their appeal..