Diversity and Inclusion

Brand Impact

The Y is community centered – For over 150 years, we’ve been listening and responding to our communities.

The Y brings people together – We connect people of all ages and backgrounds to bridge the gaps in community needs.

The Y nurtures potential – We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.

The Y has local presence, national reach – We mobilize local communities to effect lasting, meaningful change. Every day our impact is felt when an individual makes a healthy choice, when a mentor inspires a child and when a community comes together for the common good.

Mission and Business Plan Priorities

Strategic Initiative #1: PEOPLE FIRST — Improve our organizations’ attraction, retention, and development of staff resources to ensure we are meeting our members, employees, and organizations’ needs

Strategic Initiative #2: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP — Improve our ability to lead and manage our staff, volunteer, and financial resources and assets to ensure we achieve our mission

Strategic Initiative #3: QUALITY PROGRAMS & FACILITIES — Design, deliver, and manage the best quality programs and services that achieve our mission

Strategic Initiative #4: FINANCIAL INTEGRITY — Ensure our success by completing our capital campaigns, developing new locations, enhancing existing ones, and achieving annual financial plan

Vision

The YMCA, throughout history, has asserted the dignity of all people. We will always be known for practicing inclusion by valuing the diversity of all people in our associations and the communities we serve. Our picture is a mosaic made up of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, beliefs and competencies as assets to the YMCA. When we practice inclusion, we address our society’s trends and remain relevant to them while we remain true to the YMCA mission, goals and values.

Commitment to Diversity

The Y is made up of people of all ages and from every walk of life working side by side to strengthen communities. Together we work to ensure everyone, regardless of gender, income, faith, sexual orientation or cultural background, has the opportunity to live life to its fullest. Y Diversity champions are everywhere. Their mark is indelible. Our success is based on our shared values and commitment of our team members who are building our YMCAs for the future. Our team members are discovering innovative and streamlined ways to do things, improving the value of services to our members, participants, donors, volunteers and communities, and working collaboratively together seeking excellence in everything we do.

We share the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility— everything we do stems from it.

Commitment to Inclusion

The YMCA, throughout history, has asserted the dignity of all people. We will always be known for practicing inclusion by valuing the diversity of all people in our associations and the communities we serve. Our picture is a mosaic made up of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, beliefs and competencies as assets to the YMCA. When we practice inclusion, we address our society’s trends and remain relevant to them while we remain true to the YMCA mission, goals and values.

Equal Employment

The YMCA provides equal opportunity in employment to all team members and applicants for employment regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission, disability, age, or other legally protected status. Equal employment opportunity applies to all facets of employment, pre-employment and the terms and conditions of employment, as well as discharge from employment.

Affirmative Action

The YMCA is firmly convinced that people of color, minority groups, women, persons with disabilities and other protected groups under municipal, state and federal law must be brought more fully into the mainstream of American social and economic life.

We are committed to a policy of taking all reasonable steps to steadily increase team member representation throughout our workforce from these groups. Our commitment is not based on obligation, but rather a conviction that affirmative action is the right thing to do.

Our Affirmative Action program is designed to ensure that:

• Recruiting, hiring and training for all job classifications are done without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, disability, age or other legally protected status.
• Employment decisions further the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity.
• Promotion decisions further the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity and that non-discriminatory criteria for promotions are used.
• All Human Resource policies and procedures governing compensation, benefits, transfers, training and recreation programs are administered without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability or other legally protected status.