Foster Parents Plan International, Volume I (Mss. Gr. 117.1)

The records of PLAN International (Foster Parents Plan International, Inc.) were removed from the organization's then International Headquarters in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and deposited in the Special Collections Department of the University of Rhode Island Library in 1994. The bulk of the records span the years 1980 to 1992 and document the activities of the organization throughout the world. Records of PLAN International, the bulk of which date from 1937 to 1978, were deposited in the Special Collections Department in 1986 and are described in a separate finding aid appended as Volume II of this document. These earlier records were originally organized by PLAN employee Henry Molumphy preparatory to his writing a history of the organization entitled For Common Decency: The History of Foster Parents Plan, 1937-1983. (See Series XX, PLAN History Research Files, for records used by Molumphy in writing his history of PLAN). The earlier records were reorganized to make them more accessible to researchers.

The records in this record group consist of documents generated by or sent to PLAN's International Headquarters by field offices, national organizations, consultants, and firms with which PLAN did business. The records are in a variety of formats including paper, photographic prints and negatives, microfilm, and electronic (both 3.5 inch and 5.25 inch floppy disks) . Most of the records are in good to excellent condition, though some of the early enrollment case files are in only fair condition. In addition, there are 863 reels of microfilm, many of which duplicate the paper records in the collection, organized as Series XLVIII. The organization of the microfilm is described along with other non-paper items in Non-Paper Formats. The condition of most of the 855 floppy disks is unknown since the software necessary to read them is either unknown or unavailable in the Special Collections Department.

The scope of the records is comprehensive in that the records represent and document a broad range of the activities of PLAN, from fund raising to budgeting to administration to programs and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the programs. PLAN is a worldwide organization operating programs in thirty underdeveloped nations and soliciting donations from foster parents and corporations in eight industrialized nations. The records reflect the global nature of these activities. They also reflect the evolution and development of PLAN from a relatively small child welfare agency to a multi-million dollar community development agency whose central focus remains the welfare of the child.

The records of PLAN International have been organized into nine sub-groups and 48 series. The sub-groups reflect the organizational structure of PLAN and correspond to its departments.

PLAN has made their records for historical research. Certain restrictions may apply on the use of some of the records, specifically the Human Resources Department Series and other records which may contain personal or sensitive information. These records may be made available at the discretion of the Archivist in consultation with PLAN.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

Series I, International Executive Director Correspondence Series II, International Board of Directors Series III, Senior Management Group Correspondence Series IV, Policy Manuals Series V, Publications

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

Series VI, Human Resource Administrative Files Series VII, Terminations and Transfers Series VIII, Employee Council Series IX, Assistant Director Training Program Series X, Sandra Benjamin Case

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

Series XI, Designated Contributions Series XII, Grant Funding Unit Series XIII, Enrollment Unit Series XIV, Monthly Enrollment Reports Series XV, National Director Memos Series XVI, Informal Reports Series XVII, Field Office Photographs Series XVIII, International Communications Coordination Unit Series XIX, Income Generating Projects Series XX, Plan History Research Files

PROGRAM/FIELD OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT

Series XXI, Program Administrative Files Series XXII, Field Office Program Budgets Series XXIII, Field Office Country Contracts/Agreements Series XXIV, Field Program Outline Reports Series XXV, Field Office Program Reports Series XXVI, Country Reports/Studies Series XXVII, Program Coordinator/Area Manager Briefings Series XXVIII, Child Survival Program Series XXIX, Health Management Grant Program Series XXX, Micro-Enterprise Development Program Series XXXI, Technical Leadership Program Series XXXII, Impact Evaluation System Series XXXIII, Field Office Evaluation System Series XXXIV, Field Office Target Impact Evaluation System Series XXXV, Institutional Learning System

REGIONALIZATION

In the late 1980's PLAN began to decentralize the administration of field operations, moving the management of program activities from International Headquarters to six regional offices located in or closer to program countries. Each regional office is managed by a regional director who has responsibility for the overall administration of programs in the field offices of the region. The six series listed below contain records relating to the establishment of the respective regional office and to the interaction between the regional office and the staff of International Headquarters.

Series XXXVI, Region of Eastern and Southern Africa (RESA) Series XXXVII, Region of the Caribbean and Central America (ROCCA) Series XXXVIII, Region of South Asia (ROSA) Series XXXIX, South American Regional Office (SARO) Series XL, Southeast Asia Regional Office (SEARO) Series XLI, West African Regional Office (WARO)

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

Series XLII, Finance Administrative Files Series XLIII, Ledgers Series XLIV, Year End Financial Reports

AUDIT DEPARTMENT

Series XLV, Audit Administrative Files Series XLVI, Audit Reports

TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Series XLVII, Technical Services Administrative Files

MICROFILM

Series XLVIII, Microfilm Box List

A NOTE ON CORPORATE NAMES:

The official corporate name of the organization (International Headquarters and field organizations) is Foster Parents Plan International, Inc. Under the laws and regulations of the State of New York, where the organization is incorporated, it is possible to register an assumed name which can then be used for business/operating purposes. PLAN (all caps) International is the business name under which Foster Parents Plan International, Inc. operates throughout the world and by which it is popularly known.

ACRONYM LIST:

Below is a listing of many of the acronyms used in the daily operations by Foster Parents Plan International that will found throughout the records and their definitions.

• AEA - American Evaluation Association
• BIP - Basic Indicators Project
• CASP - Community Aid and Sponsorship
• CHF - Cooperative Housing Foundation
• CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency
• CINDE - Centro International de Education
• FOCL - Field Office Circular Letters
• FOES - Field Office Evaluation System
• FOPS - Field Office Planning Office
• FOTIE - Field Office Target Impact Evaluation System
• FY - Fiscal Year
• IGP - Income Generating Project
• IH - International Headquarters
• IMPACT - International Marketing Advisory Board
• MED - Micro-Enterprise Development
• NGO - Non-Governmental Organizations
• NO - National Organization
• NOCL - National Organization Circular Letters
• NOFOCL - National Organization/ Field Office Circular Letters
• ODA - Overseas Development Administration
• RESA - Region of Eastern and Southern Africa
• ROCCA - Region of the Carribbean and Central America
• ROSA - Region of South Asia
• SAGE - Situation Assessment and Goal Establishment
• SARO - South American Regional Office
• SEARO - Southeast Asia Regional Office
• SEEP - Small Enterprise Evaluation Project
• SIFS - Sponsorship Information Flow Study
• SORO - South American Regional Office
• UNESCO - United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
• UNKO - United Kingdom National Organization
• USAID - United States Agency for International Development
• USNO - United States National Organization
• WARO - West African Regional Office