YMCA thats racist

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TO: National Coordinating BoardDATE: February, 2009

FROM: Bylaws Committee/Mission Statement Subcommittee

TOPIC: Revised YWCA mission statement recommendations process report

process steps:

part I: testing the current mission statement - 2007 to early 2008

decision:

To test the use and effectiveness of the current statement (below) by organizing a major input-gathering strategy to be carried out at all 9 council meetings held during the fall of 2007. Sessions

were also held for the NCB and national staff and encouraged in a variety of YWCA settings, e.g.

around YWCA board tables.

The Young Womens Christian Association of the United States of America is a

womens membership movement nourished by its roots in the Christian faith and

sustained by the richness of many beliefs and values. Strengthened by diversity, the

Association draws together members who strive to create opportunities for womens

growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision:

Peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all people.

The association will thrust its collective power toward the elimination of racism

wherever it exists and by any means necessary.

strategy/implementation process:Stakeholders evaluated the current statement by overlaying three discussion questions. The

subcommittee focused on recording the input generated and marking where consensus and

significant majority opinions were evident.1. How has your local association embraced the current mission statement and how is it

currently used/put to use?

2. How has your local association been challenged by the current mission statement?

3. What key concepts, keywords and/or phrases should the YWCA mission statement

include in order to reflect who we are and what we do today?

participation and findings:--More than 600 YWCA volunteer and staff leaders from all nine regional councils participated.

--All nine regions expressed the need for a new mission statement. Specifically:

--9 out of 9 regions reported that the current statement is too long, complex and cumbersome,

that they consistently need to explain parts of it, and that it is difficult to connect thestatement with the day to day work of the Association.

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--9 out of 9 regions expressed that the inclusion of Christian/Christian roots presents

barriers. There is support for references to this part of our history, but not in a mission

statement.

--8 out of 9 regions expressed that the current wording and placement of the One Imperative

is problematic.

--8 out of 9 regions expressed that the current statement lacks clarity about who we are andwhat we stand for/do-it doesnt include any action pledges, and that the use of the word

thrust is problematic.

--There was strong consensus (8 or 9 out of 9 regions) for a mission statement that is

shorter and to the point, and includes eliminating racism, empowering women, peace,

justice, freedom, and dignity.

--Several regions also expressed support for the inclusion of strengthened by diversity or

embracing diversity, creating opportunities for womens leadership, growth, and

power, young women, girls, and phrases like dedicated to or committed to which

are stronger action words/pledges.

presentation development for the ncb re: the current mission statement

Studying the findings and areas of strong consensus, the subcommittee determined that a clear

mandate existed to generate a new statement that is short and to the point, positive, action and

future focused, and that incorporates the most often heard feedback.

recommendations to the ncb, february, 2008:

1. Develop a new YWCA mission statement for the membership to approve as a bylaw

amendment that reflects the conclusions drawn from the input gathered. The new statement

should:

-be more than a slogan, but easily remembered and easily articulated.-clearly describe who we are, what we do, why, and toward what end(s).

-identify our distinction and/or distinctive competence.

-clarify that YWCAs together are doing this work and pursuing the same overall goals.

-stimulate involvement, interest, and support.

2. Authorize the subcommittee or another group to begin work on a revision.

ncb decisions:

Revise the YWCA USA mission statement. Implement a combination of continued subcommittee

involvement and likely an outside firm in order to provide additional expertise. Conclude the

process in a timely manner.

part II: generation of a revised mission statement for ncb consideration and further

development -- spring-summer 2008

The subcommittee met with consultant Jennifer Rutledge to establish, given the input received

during 2007s fall Council meetings, priority themes, words and phrases to include in a revised

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statement. The outcome of this session was a draft presented to the NCB at their August, 2008

meeting.

recommendation to the ncb, august, 2008:

For acceptance or further development:

YWCA USA empowers generations of women to transform our lives and create a world of

racial and social justice, peace, freedom, and dignity for all.or

YWCA USA is a national movement that empowers generations of women to transform

our lives and create a world of racial and social justice, peace, freedom, and dignity for all.

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Rationale

It was felt by subcommittee members that these drafts addressed most of the concerns and hopes

expressed during the evaluation process for the current statement, i.e.:-short, clear, and to the point

-describes the complex work we do and expresses the difference we are making.

-leaves out the words and phrases of greatest concern.

-is positive, and action and future oriented.

-is more than a slogan, but is easily remembered and easily articulated.

-clearly describes who we are (2nd

statement), what we do as a collective, why, and toward what end(s).-identifies our distinction and/or distinctive competence (empowers vs serves)

-stimulates involvement, interest, and support

As these drafts evolved from dozens developed, racial and social justice ended up being chosen

instead of eliminating racism because it was felt that with the corporate IDs use of eliminatingracism it would be seen as redundant, and that social justice was more encompassing given the

range of our public policy priorities.

ncb decision, august, 2008:

As a result of their discussion of the proposed drafts, the NCB voted to send a summary of the

subcommittees work and the drafts generated to the PR firm engaged to design and help launchthe YWCAs 150th anniversary celebration.

Among other comments, the majority of NCB members felt that even though the proposed

statement met many of the criteria, it didnt click. They also expressed that the words

eliminating racism, and empowering women should be explicit in the statement.

The charge to Fleishman Hillard was to return a new draft in time for consideration at regional

council meetings scheduled for the fall.

The subcommittee was asked to gather input on the new draft, report the findings, and make a

recommendation for next steps at the November, 2008 NCB meeting.

part III: testing the new draft -- fall, 2008

strategy/implementation process:

Two new drafts were delivered by Fleishman Hillard for consideration:

YWCA is a voice for eliminating racism wherever it exists, asource for

empowering women across generations, and aforce for changing lives,

communities and the world.

and

YWCA is a voice for eliminating racism, asource for empowering women, and a

force for changing lives, communities and the world.

Once again the evaluation focused on discussing study questions, recording the input generated

and marking where consensus and significant majority opinions were evident:

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1. Are these statements clear and memorable? Why or why not?

2. In what ways do these statements reflect who we are today?

3. Are the statements motivating and inspiring for you, other YWCA members, and other

stakeholders? Why or why not?

4. Given that these statements include the same major concepts, is any of the essence lost in

the shorter version? If so, what is lost?

participation andfindings:-More than 600 YWCA volunteer and staff leaders from all nine regional councils participated

-The proposed statements did not achieve universal or even near universal appeal. As

achieving universal appeal is important, the subcommittee considered this lack a large

concern.

Specifically:

- Even though the statements may be easy to remember, they arent memorable, inspiring,

motivating, powerful, or action oriented enough.- The statements dont accurately reflect what we do.

--The word source is not motivating, and the word force is of concern given the DV

work many YWCAs do.

- across generations of women is appealing.

- The rhythm/cadence is appealing to many, but many others felt it to be gimmicky.

- Inclusion of eliminating racism and empowering women is favored.

- Peace, justice, freedom, and dignity should be included.

presentation development for the ncb re: the draft circulated fall of 08

As the input gathered during 2008s fall Council meetings strongly indicated the need for

another iteration, the subcommittee met with consultant Jennifer Rutledge to generate newdrafts given the input received. The outcome of several virtual meetings was a set of newdrafts for consideration by the NCB at their November, 2008 meeting.

In addition to the drafts below, the presentation included a quick review of statements

incorporating the words committed and/or dedicated, i.e.: YWCA USA is a source for

empowering women, a voice for eliminating racism, and an advocate committed to peace,

justice, freedom and dignity.

recommendations to the ncb, november, 2008

a. For acceptance or further development:

(1) YWCA __________ empowers women across generations, eliminates racism, and creates

a world of peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

(2) YWCA __________ is a force for empowering women across generations, eliminatingracism, and creating a world of peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

(3) YWCA __________ is a force for eliminating racism, a source for empowering women

across generations, and a voice for peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

b. Next steps:

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(1) The mission statement subcommittee suggested piloting the selected draft among (at a

minimum) the YWCAs of mission statement subcommittee, NCB, RLC members, and others

as needed to ensure ample representation of locations, sizes, settings, and diversity among

YWCAs.

(2) A positioning and communications plan should be developed and implemented to

maximize understanding and acceptance throughout the YWCA network of the amendment

that will be proposed.

ncb decision, november, 2008:

The NCB took note of recommendation b.(2) and approved the following mission statement draftfor pilot testing

YWCA __________ is a force for eliminating racism, a source for empowering women

across generations, and a voice for peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

part IV: piloting the newest draft - december, 2008 to january, 2009:

strategy/implementation process:

The study questions for this evaluation were:

1. Is the statement easy to remember?

2. Is the statement motivating and inspiring for you?

3. Knowing your key stakeholders and your community, is this statement likely to resonate

among members, clients, residents, donors, and others important to the YWCA?

4. What are the two or three strongest links between this statement and your YWCA's current

and planned work?

5. Do you have any other comments or suggestions to ensure the statements enthusiastic

adoption by all YWCAs?

Input was also invited for a companion sheet presenting a short history of the YWCA andguiding principles.

And,

At the Regional Leadership Committees recommendation, an update with information about

generating and relaying input was sent to each regional council for distribution so that all

YWCAs could see the latest draft and participate in the evaluation process if they so chose.

participation and findings:

--More than 350 and 22 different YWCAs formally participated in the pilot process with

representation from all 9 regions. In addition, several YWCA staff members and volunteers

from YWCAs across the country took the initiative to send in general comments, which were

recorded and integrated into the synthesis of the data.

--Demographics tracked include:

Board/Staff/OtherVolunteers# Board 113+# Staff 198+# Other Active Vols 29+

People: % AA/Black 25%% Amer Ind/NativeAmerican 1%% Asian/Pacific 2%

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Budget Size < 1M 3Bet 1-2 4Bet 2-3 3Bet 3-5 3Bet 5-7 4Bet 7-10 >10M

1Setting Rural-Small Town 2Small City 6Suburban 0Urban 10Services

Multiple Services 12A few different types 4Basically single service 2


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Isl/Native HI

% Caucasian 61%% Hispanic/Latina 6%% Other/Mixed 1%Unknown 4%Ages: > 20 1920-30 5930-40 9340-50 56

50-60 6160-70 2570+ 5Unknown 22

Generally, this newest iteration gleaned a majority of positive responses.However, the concerns

voiced, although they are in the minority of responses received, are significant enough that thesubcommittee feels they will create barriers to enthusiastic adoption among many YWCAs,

barriers that need, in the subcommittee's opinion, to be addressed.

On the plus side, a majority of those responding, including respondents under the age of 30,

reported that the new iteration is:

--easy to remember,

--inspiring and motivating,

--will likely resonate with many or most people they serve, and

--generally reflects what the YWCA is supposed to be about. Women in the under-0 groups

relayed that they are attracted to .across generations.

Major concerns are:--the statement needs to lead with empowering women, as this is the YWCAs core leadership

identity. Leading the mission statement with eliminating racism will be distracting to the

reader. Even though the corporate ID has eliminating racism first, it was felt that the mission

statement doesnt necessarily have to match that order.

--the grave concern over the use of the word force was again reiterated, as it had been during the

fall. Many expressed concern that it conjures up a picture of violence among battered women

and those that serve them and is in conflict with the new national environment of collaborationand partnering.

Mission subcommittee members feel and recognize that the word force can also mean strength,

but from the beginning we have strived to create a statement that needs no explanations alongthe way, and this is a very obvious barrier to that goal. When the committee discussed whether

YWCAs would use this statement in light of this concern, one significant concern was that those

who connect a negative tone to the word force may refuse on the grounds of basic values- a

strong stance that will be hard to counter.

--the statement needs to paint a clearer, more dynamic picture of the YWCAs advocacy and

action efforts.

--the use of force, source, and voice, ends up sounding gimmicky and therefore detracts

from the serious work and intents of the organization.

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presentation development for the ncb re: the pilot

Given the input received during the piloting process, the subcommittee met with consultant

Jennifer Rutledge to generate new drafts for presentation along with the piloted draft.

The subcommittee reviewed and drew from all the feedback received and its extensive work todevelop several new iterations. After looking at many ways to have a short, inspiring statement

that also includes across generations, source, and voice, e.g:

YWCA _______ is a source for empowering women across generations, a voice for eliminatingracism, and a champion (or beacon) for peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

the subcommittees work resulted in the evolution of a alternative b, to be presented alongwith the iteration piloted during December, 2008 and January, 2009:

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alternative a: (the piloted iteration)

YWCA ______________ is a force for eliminating racism, a source for empoweringwomen across generations, and a voice for peace, justice, freedom, and dignity forall.

alternative a pros:This is the statement that was piloted during December, 2008, and January, 2009 and which has been

posted across the country. There were many positive comments expressed in the pilot returns, specifically:

-easy to remember, inspiring

-will likely resonate with many or most people they serve

-generally reflects what the YWCA is supposed to be about

-inclusion of .across generations

alternative a cons:As outlined in the process report, major concerns were expressed in the pilot returns, specifically:

-leading with eliminating racism vs empowering women

-the use of the word force

-that it is not dynamic enough

-that the trio of force, source, and voice sound gimmicky

If this is the statement moved forward these concerns will need to be addressed to ensure passage of

the amendment and universal adoption.

alternative b:YWCA ________ is dedicated to empowering women, eliminating racism, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

alternative b pros:This iteration was developed to address the expressed concerns yet still be short, be inspiring,

resonate, and reflect the YWCA of today and the future.

alternative b cons:This statement is different that what has been circulated and to date only the subcommittee and

NCB have seen this iteration and provided feedback. Those YWCAs with large girls and female

teen programs may prefer the inclusion of across generations, which makes the engagement of

this constituency visible.

Added note: For this iteration, a decision will also need to be made about which way to start the

statement, e.g: YWCA________ or The YWCA of _____________.

Added planning notes for the roll-out:

Every YWCA needs to understand that this is the mission statement they will be using once it is improved

meaning that if a local YWCA mission statement exists, it would need to appear as a local vision

statement, not as the organizations mission statement.

Several YWCAs cautioned that whatever the statement, it needs to be adopted and used universally. And,

that the day to day work of YWCAs needs to visibly reflect what is in the statement and our corporate ID.

This means that work in our advocacy and racial justice areas needs to be stepped up.

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list of mission statement sub-committee members and profiles

(Ethnicities include African American (27%) and Caucasian; ages range from 30+-70+; and YWCAinvolvement ranges from 2 to 30+ years. Although the subcommittee ended up to be staff heavy, therewas frequent and regular contributions from YWCA volunteers throughout the process.)

Barbara Dawson, Board Member, YWCA Cambridge, MA/New England Region

Rowie Taylor, Executive Director, YWCA Schenectady, NY/Northeast Region

Maureen Powers, Executive Director, YWCA Lancaster, PA/Mid-Atlantic Region

Caroline Hudson, Executive Director, YWCA Central Virginia, VA/Southeast Region(through early 2008, Phyllis Martin, YWCA Greenville)

Carol Fitzgerald, Executive Director, YWCA Sauk Valley, IL/Great Lakes Alliance Region

Janeen McGee, Director of Shelter Services,YWCA Wichita, KS/Greater Heartland Region

Felicia Collins Correia, Executive Director, YWCA Tulsa, OK/Southwest Delta Region

Debi Robinson Smith, Volunteer, YWCA Washington St Univ, WA/Northwest Region

Diane Masseth Jones, Executive Director, YWCA North Orange County/Pacific Region

Volunteer Scribe - Martha Breunig, Resource Consultant, New England Regional Council

Supporting Consultant - Jennifer Rutledge, Delphi Consulting Group

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YMCA thats racist

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