The basis for the thesis research was the examination of the extent to which YMCAs in the United States incorporate public relations skills and corporate mission statements into the training of their employees.A mail survey was sent to the total population of 913 corporate YMCAs which represent all 2,170 locations in the United States. The first of two mailings was sent on July 5, 1984. A total of 530 responses were received from forty-nine states representing 58 percent of the total population. Of the returned surveys, 514 were usable in all aspects of the study, or 56.2 percent of the total population.The findings show the typical YMCA is served by a male director with eighteen years of YMCA work experience who has been in his current position just less than ten years. He oversees the management of a YMCA serving an average of 6,700 individual members.Public relations duties are performed by an average of 2.5 persons in the responding YMCAs including the executive director himself. The training and preparation for handling these responsibilities most often comes in "learn-by-doing" situations. Workshops enhance on-the-job training in most cases. Fewer than 20 percent of the professional directors performing public relations functions have had university or college coursework in public relations.Approximately 70 percent of the responding YMCAs have made a specific attempt to determine how their organization is perceived by the community. Two-thirds of the associations which have attempted to measure community perception stated they used formal research methods to do so. Only 32 percent of the YMCAs responding have prepared a written statement of their mission with 28 percent having a formal action plan for achieving their goals and objectives.Just less than 60 percent of the 514 respondents budget public relations items as a planned expense at an average of 3 percent of the total operating budget.Three of the conclusions drawn from this research are:1. The lack of formal training of employees performing public relations functions, in the YMCAs responding, suggests some disparity between job preparation and the generally accepted guidelines for training public relations practitioners.2. The marked increase in the number of YMCAs which have formulated written mission statements and action plans since 1980 is one indication of an increased awareness of the need to operate these nonprofit organizations under traditional management principles.3. Not only must more YMCAs develop and implement formal action plans, but more employees at all job levels must be informed of these plans if their YMCA is to experience the degree of membership growth and the improved community image possible through a total organizational effort.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/183092 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Creators | Hopkins, Elaine Marie Smithson |
| Contributors | Sharpe, Melivn L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 3, viii, 99 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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