Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

Amber Thomas
Organizational Analysis: YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit
S W 4020
Wayne State University
10/16/2015

INTRODUCTION

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

Originally titled, Young mens of Christian Association, the YMCA of Metropolitan

Detroit was founded in 1852 (Ewald, 2003). My internship takes place at the YMCA I-Rise
Family Empowerment Program, which is funded by grants from the United Way. This program is
designated to support working parents through an ingenious triangular prism of career and
financial coaching, motivational forums, and a child care financial award. Each cycle, about fifty
families from Lakeshore, Wayne County, and Oakland County are eligible to participate who fall
between 100%-150% between the poverty line. The point of this paper is to give a detailed
organizational analysis of YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit.
ORGANIZATION AND SERVICES
The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization determined to
enrich the lives of the community. By affecting peoples relationships, family, health, mental, and
finances, the YMCA strives to promote healthy development. The YMCA of Metropolitan
Detroit is funded by the United Way of southeastern Michigan. Volunteers and donations are also
accepted for this charitable organization. Numerous services and programs are provided by the
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit including social services (I-Rise Family Empowerment, Detroit
swims, special needs program, project stuff a backpack, toys for tots, military outreach
initiative); a full feature fitness center (group exercises classes, adult swimming, personal
training, healthy lifestyle classes and training, adult team sports and recreation); youth recreation
(swimming, youth recreation, youth sports); child care (Child watch and Kids club, Afterschool
Care, Early Education); academic enhancement (home school, pre-school, financial literacy); arts
and humanities programs, leadership and development programs for youth ages 12-18 (Teen
Achievers, Y Magic and Y Moves, Youth Volunteer Corps); various camping options and family
time programs (Adventure Guides, Family Fitness, Family Events, Family Camp).

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

MISSION
Strengthening the community is the driven cause of YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit
(National Impact Report, 2015). The YMCA mission states, With a mission to put Christian
principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all, 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, (YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit,
2014). A strong emphasis is placed on bringing the communities together while bridging the gap
to their barriers. Honesty, respect, caring, and responsibility are the four core values of the
YMCA (YMCA, 2015).
GOALS
Established in 2007, a 10 year strategic plan was implemented into every YMCA across
the nation. Separated by three periods, the official goals of the YMCA are Mission Impact (20072010), Advancing Our Cause (2011-2013), and Delivering Our Cause (2014-2017). After
consulting with more than 1,700 YMCA staff and volunteers, the YMCA formulated three goals
meet standards of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility (Delivering Our
Cause, 2014). Currently, the YMCA is on the last phase Delivering our Cause of the ten year
strategic plan. This operating goal is defined as, what we want to achieve as a movement in
each of the ys three areas of focus youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility
and what we need to do to ensure we have the collective capacity to achieve our goals. It also
points us toward 2018 and the beginning of the next ten year planning cycle, when our
movement will be positioned to make a commitment to the nation in our areas of focus.
Basically, Delivering our cause is broken down into three components which includes frames

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

for action, Y-USAs strategic plans, and a planning supplement for Ys (Delivering Our Cause,
2014).
Frames for action is designed to increase social responsibility and healthy development in
communities across the nation. By way of holistic youth programming, experiences and a
support system, the YMCA strives to improve academic proficiency, essential life skills,
reinforce positive behavior, incorporate positive role models, and decrease academic disparity
between youth of different backgrounds (Delivering Our Cause, 2014). The YMCA objectives
for healthy living are prevention of chronic disease, reducing obesity, closing the gap on health
disparities and improve the overall welfare and health maintenance of individuals. To achieve
social responsibility, the YMCA seeks to support diverse communities that are underserved and
isolated by giving, volunteering, and advocating (Delivering Our Cause, 2014). The YMCA also
works to provide resources, increase community involvement and civic engagement, as well as
help develop local, state, national, and global solutions to issues the community face are the
desired outcomes for social responsibility (Delivering Our Cause, 2014). These goals were
determined by selected staff assessing community needs and deficits from an average of all
YMCAs.
On a macro level, the YMCA is seeking to increase membership, expand and develop
new programs. Some examples from the strategic plan are there is at least a 10 percent
improvement in key health and wellness impact measurements, at least 300 Y associates adopt
upgraded programs, and at least 70 percent of participants achieve positive outcomes associated
with the programs (Delivering Our Cause, 2014). Measurements to meet the objectives include:
increasing the number of people participating and increase the number of YMCA associations
offering the YMCAs Diabetes Prevention Program, Achievement Gap Programs, and Together-

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

hood Programs (Delivering Our Cause, 2014). Basically the YMCA measures its objectives by
increasing the number of branch associations offering programs, increasing the number of
participants, and members showcasing improvement in key metrics.
GOAL DISPLACEMENT
At my Internship at YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, I noticed that theres a disconnection
with outreaching to the community. I work with the I-Rise Family Empowerment Program which
ended their first cycle of programming over a course of three years. The program was slated to
launch in October, yet barely anyone filled out an application. This was mainly due to lack of
advertising and outreach on recruiters end. The YMCA I-Rise family empowerment program was
potentially in danger of losing funding and grants. These influences could potentially prevent
parents from gaining free childcare and attaining their socioeconomic goals. Results of the I-Rise
Family Empowerment Program were so successful that it would be an injustice to the community
not implement it. Statistically, the YMCA I-Rise Family Empowerment Program has passed the
standards of YMCA strategic plan. If the program discontinued from lack of participants, staff
would have to find other jobs to supplement their income which means the YMCA loses
influential great staff. Different staff may not be able to implement the program as successful.
Low-income working families could miss the educational, mental, financial, and interpersonal
benefits from participating in I-Rise.
The responsibility of the recruiters shifted onto the director and the interns. Now we have
to redirect time away from our regular responsibilities to attempting to recruit as many people
allotted. Although it makes a great learning experience, I-Rise could have been more advanced if
time were dedicated to developing the program further.
DISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND CONTROL

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is a unique organization located in the heart of the
city. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is built on a solid institutional hierarchy called the Y of
USA. Y of USA corporate offices dictates the expectations across all YMCAs. The Y of USA
establishes all rules and regulations including whats expected of front desk, swim coaches, life
coaches, program directors, etc. Although the Y of USA creates the rules and regulations for
program design, each branch determines how they want to implement the programs. Depending
on the community, a specific YMCA branch can make adjustments or changes in order to align
with the needs of the community (YMCA of USA, 2015). Some YMCAs prescribed tasks are
different whereas they are able to challenge certain policies. For example, the YMCA Plymouth
branch eliminated all of their Y community based programs due to low membership and
participation. Now Plymouth YMCA only offers sports related programs and recreational
programs and services.
Generally, the YMCA of Metropolitan hires from within. Due to the YMCA non-profit
status, there are caps in the salary to find people. They want to hire people who knows the
culture, are loyal and are familiar with the procedures and responsibilities.
LINES OF AUTHORITY AND APPROACHES TO MANAGEMENT
My Y is run by Nicole Richard, the Metro youth director who manages YMCA
programs. Nicole Richard directly reports Scott Walters, the COO of YMCA of Metropolitan
Detroit who oversees all authority. He is the Vice President and he answers to Scott Landry, the
CEO at YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit follows a loose
structure not managed well at all. Basically it is a one man show The directors have too many
responsibilities where there is a lack of accountability. Interns have to make up, when you
implement a program it is good to come together as a group, but instead one person takes the

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

assigned tasks and carry them out. The YMCA has a laid back strict hierarchy. Certain
expectations, certain policies they have to align with the goals of the Y of USA. Managers
expect positive results and maintain programs.

DIVERSITY
The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit has very little diversity. The racial, and sexual
orientation of staff are not indicative of the population YMCA serves. Gender, on the other hand
is well mixed within the organization. Twelve women at Metro YMCA has higher positions
which includes from VP of Mission resources, Metro youth director, Y-Arts director, Senior
Youth and Family Director, Regional Director of Childcare, VP of Finance Control, Accounts
Receivable, Accounts Payable Specialist, Director of Y Enrichment Services, Program
Coordinator, CFO, and Director of Phoenix initiatives. From personal observations, I could tell
that my internship YMCA I-Rise Family Empowerment Program lacks diversity. Not one staff
member apart of I-Rise is a minority. The Program director, the Senior Youth and Family
Director, and the five life coaches are all Caucasian. Out of thirty branch directors only four are
African American which is not reflective of the community the YMCA serves. Employees who
are gay or lesbian practice self-disclosure so that information is not available to the public. The
YMCA Metro branches would disagree because they have over 10 branches serving the
community (Cunningham, 2015).
Discrimination, exclusion and being stereotyped are issues that ethnic minorities may
face. Most of the employees are white and have white privilege. They socialize and sit separately
from people of color within the cubicles of the office. If a minority and a white person applied
for the same position with similar backgrounds, experiences, and education; more likely than not

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

the white person gets hired. When that bias is not addressed specifically it opens the door for
discrimination.

INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
There are a few different ways clients become affiliated with the YMCA of Metropolitan
Detroit. In order to participate in the I-Rise Family Empowerment Program, one must already be
a member or participant in a YMCA program, or have a child in one of YMCAs afterschool
program, or purchase a YMCA gym membership.
Internally, the YMCA should implement some structural changes to enhance
programming. For instance, the YMCA I-Rise Family Empowerment Program is very
understaffed which inhibits the service delivery quality to members and participants. During the
I-Rise monthly forums, there is typically only two people available for child watch. Sometimes
the child care watchers will use their nieces or nephews to help which is not ethical because they
have not taken YMCAs childcare training classes and they do not have YMCAs consent. The
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit also needs to develop more structured activities for the child care
room to align with the organizations goal of healthy development. The kids are free to roam
which makes them restless and hard to manage because they have so many different
personalities. By designing structured activities, children can gain more out of the I-Rise
experience. Specifically, the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit should develop activities centered
on the four core values of the Ys: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility (YMCA of USA,
2015). Understaffing also causes role displacements whereas the program coordinator does four
people jobs. The YMCA I-Rise Family Empowerment Program needs to form some type of

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

accountability system. Theres no one accountable to take a second look at program results or to
even uphold anyone to their actions.
As far as staff, interaction is minimum and nonchalant. Since everyone is situated in one
big office it should be natural for people to collaborate. The organization should find a way to
integrate the employees more because there is an obvious tense division amongst the workers.
Efficiency, networking, and working well under pressure are major strengths of the
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. During my internship, the YMCA connected with Make Room
USA to donate a YMCA I-Rise family a year full of paid rent. Make Room USA arranged for
national singer Miguel Jontel to perform at the familys house. It only took four days to set this
event up from when the program director first collaborated with Make Room USA. This event
was taped and uploaded to VEVO and YouTube. The accumulation of Vevo and Youtube views
will shed a positive light on the YMCA organization. As a result, viewers will be either
motivated to become a member, join a community based program, give a donation, or all the
above.
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
Externally, YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit has a huge advantage over other organizations
competing for funding. Grants and foundations typically award more funding to organizations
that offer health and nutrition programming. Grants look to fund organizations having a strong
membership and need for childcare (Ewald, 2003). Middle-class families that are 100%-150%
between the federal poverty line are eligible for subsidized grants to off-set membership costs
(Cunningham, 2015). On a broader level, the YMCA affects the health of the community by
decreasing the risks of short-term and long term health related issues such as chronic diseases,
obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart failure, etc. People can essentially save on future increasing health

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

care costs from participating in a YMCA fitness membership or enrolling into a YMCA nutrition
and health program. YMCA members can potentially live longer.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit differ from other non-profit organizations because
the Y operates like a for profit organization. Funding sources are an external threat because if
membership is low that makes it difficult to fund, pay employees, and to pay the facility utilities
(Cunningham, 2015). If the YMCA does not get adequate funding, they run the risk of not
operating. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit hosts fundraising events to keep the doors open
and the lights on. To keep non-profit status, the YMCA provides financial awards and incentives
(Ewald, 2003). If there is a high level of competition from local gyms, recreational centers, and
fitness centers (Fitness Works, Powerhouse Gym, Planet fitness, Curves) it jeopardizes business.
The YMCA is unique from the competition because they offer beneficial social services and
programming.
Another external threat is the ambiguity of what the YMCA intends to do versus what the
Y actually does. Their goals consist of achieving a multi-outcome care centered environment to
increase self-confidence, foster positive relationships (Cunningham, 2015). It is challenging to
show the data because parents set their own goals. Its a subjective process for clients in
determining whether or not they achieved their goals. The YMCA I-Rise Family Empowerment
program continue to get programming because they offer clients a childcare financial award.
THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT OF ORGANIZATION
Human relations describe the organizational structure of the YMCA in relation to overall
functioning, management structure, decision making practices, and organizational culture.
Workers creatively implement programs based on the needs of the community. Motivated by
social factors, employees strive to achieve the goals of the group rather than pursuing individual

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

goals. For example, the YMCA I-Rise program is spearheaded by one employee, the director. He
does the work suited for three people without complaining because he wants to see the program
thrive. Since this organization is non-profit, employers are usually taking on more responsibility
than they should. Leadership is informal. Although the Senior Youth and Family director is
above the program coordinator, more times than not the program coordinator is telling the Senior
Youth and Family Director the responsibilities. The Senior Youth and Family director is usually
offering suggestions which showcases that leadership is informal. The YMCA of Metropolitan
Detroit has the characteristics of teamwork, cooperation, leadership and positive attention from
management (Netting, E., Kettner, P. Kettner, P., McMurtry S & Thomas, M. 2012 ).
RECOMMENDATION
It is pretty difficult to solve the understaffing issues of the YMCA. But a great way would
be to incorporate more volunteers and interns. The YMCA should recruit high schoolers and
form a relationship with schools from the community so that students can work at the Y for half
the school in exchange for class credits. Students can learn valuable skills that go beyond
classroom learning such as timeliness, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. After the
SWOT analysis, much of the problems derive from understaffing. The YMCA could increase
communication, promote diversity and cultural competence between the employees by
sponsoring employee-only events and outings such as bowling, board game and card game
nights, potlucks, or even volunteering or raising money as a group. As a result, work morale and
productivity will increase.

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cunningham, M. (2015, October 10). Personal Interview.
Ewald, D. (2003). Celebrating 150 years: The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. Detroit. United
Way.

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

Netting, E., Kettner, P. Kettner, P., McMurtry S & Thomas, M. (2012). Social Work Macro
Practice (5th ed.) Allyn/Bacon

YMCA of USA. (2015). About us. Retrieved from http://www.ymca.net/about-us

YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. (2015). Retrieved from http://ymcadetroit.org/?

gclid=CPnN5qnNyMgCFQasaQodxl4NZg