YMCA of the University of Illinois
Leading Change Since 1873
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Since 1873, the YMCA at the University of Illinois has served as a place for meaningful dialogue and interaction between students, faculty, staff and community members. As the oldest non-profit in Champaign County, the University YMCA has a legacy of responding to community needs and serves as a bridge between the campus and the community. For decades, the University YMCA has focused on building student leaders who in turn become community leaders dedicated to addressing community problems and needs. Specifically, our mission statement reads: The University YMCA develops campus and community leaders committed to social justice, environmental protection, interfaith cooperation and global engagement by fostering dialogue, reflection and action.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Student Programs
The University YMCA works with students at the University of Illinois to develop cause-driven leaders, ready to affect tangible change in today's world, centered around our four core values of social justice, environmental protection, global engagement and interfaith dialogue. We currently sponsor and work with 12 Registered Student Organizations at the U of I, as well as a Student Board that includes representatives from student organizations and other programs of the University YMCA:
-Alternative Spring Break
-Amnesty International UIUC
-Engineers Without Borders
-Grow2Give
-I-CAUSE
-Interfaith-in-Action
-La Colectiva
-Philippine Student Association
-Rural Area Student Initiative (RASI)
-Save the Children Action Network (SCAN)
-vermiCUlture
-VIS-A-VIS Tutoring
Bailey Scholarship
The Fred S. Bailey Scholarship program was created by Fred S. Bailey to provide financial support to University of Illinois students who demonstrated unique skills and talents that would allow them to flourish as community leaders who could make a difference. It is the largest scholarship offered to University of Illinois students that is not administered by the University.
Nearly $200,000 in scholarships are awarded each year to students who demonstrate a record of leadership, scholarship and intelligence, evidence of thoughtful consideration of issues, involvement in their community, a commitment to giving back to their community, a history of community service and volunteering. Since 1957, the Bailey Scholarship has been administered by the YMCA of the University of Illinois.
Art @ the Y
Some of the most profound insight, critique, and creative thinking around the issues which comprise the mission of the Y happen in and around the arts. Art @ the Y seeks to engage issues of social justice, international understanding, environmental activism, faith and cultural understanding through quality arts programming. Art @ the Y includes a revolving exhibition space in Murphy Gallery on the first floor of the University YMCA. All Art @ the Y events are free and open to the public.
Dump & Run
Dump and Run keeps over 30 tons of used, quality goods out of Champaign-Urbana’s dumpsters and landfills each year. During August we collect donated items from community members and students, sort through them, price them, and sell them at our Big Sale. The Big Sale is always held over move-in weekend at the University of Illinois, provided new and returning students the opportunity to purchase needed goods at low cost. This project reduces litter and consumer waste, saves space in landfills, lowers dumping costs for certified housing and apartments and provides inexpensive items for folks to purchase in the fall.
Facilities & Services at the University of Illinois conducts a May collections for UI Housing during move-out week, in partnership with the University YMCA. Items collected during this phase are donated to several area non-profits.
Friday Forum + Conversation Cafe
Friday Forum + Conversation Cafe is a weekly lecture series held during the fall and spring semesters that strives to raise awareness about local, national and international issues. Friday Forum has been actively running since 1927 at the University YMCA, continually adapting to the times while remaining committed to providing talks that address topics of relevance and urgency in our society. Since Fall 2021 the Y has partnered with Conversation Cafe through Diversity and Social Justice Education at the University of Illinois, and offers free lunch from the Y Thai Eatery for all attendees, to help combat food insecurity on campus.
All lectures are held at noon in Latzer Hall for approximately one hour.
Interfaith Action
It seems like wherever you look, you’ll find stories of religious strife and images of hatred and violence. It’s no wonder the narrative around religious difference is constantly about conflict. Let's come together to tell a different story.
Faith has always been an important part of the mission and programming of the University YMCA. The Y has become a hub for student-led initiatives and community engagement around issues of faith, ethics, justice and equality. Recognizing that for many people their faith calls them to serve and work for justice, Y staff work to generate programs which connect faith with justice issues, and to provide a safe, thoughtful interfaith space for both campus and community members, that can be a gathering place to talk, process and pray for students and faculty of all faiths.
International Dinner
Since 1984 the University YMCA has hosted its Annual International Dinner & Performance Night, a fun-filled evening with family and friends, featuring food from all over the world and entertaining performances from community and campus members.
At this critical time in history, the YMCA of the University of Illinois stands by its work as a builder of bridges between campus and surrounding communities. In Champaign County, we can show all that our differing identities are actually assets in making our communities and nation stronger. In light of our collective work to lift up the welcoming efforts of our communities, we see the Y’s International Dinner and Performance Night as a key community bridge-building event that raises awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone and bringing together newcomers and U.S.-born residents in a spirit of unity.
New American Welcome Center
Established in 2016, the New American Welcome Center at the University Y helps immigrants fully integrate into American society and prepares receiving communities around Champaign County to be welcoming and inclusive. By engaging local institutions and mobilizing community resources, we help make our community a place where newcomers and immigrants can thrive and flourish. Programming includes citizenship classes, legal aid, translation services, emergency assistance, economic development, the Lalinea Helpline and Welcoming Week.
Sierra Leone YMCA Partnership
As the world continues to become more interconnected, Y USA has committed to engaging in activities and programs that promote global awareness and engagement. The University YMCA has taken this idea to heart with both locally focused programs as well as international work in Sierra Leone. The YMCA has begun forging a strong partnership with the local YMCA in Kenema, SL. Our work focuses on needs identified by the Kenema YMCA and local leadership and includes three main areas: Youth development and job training, water projects, and mental health.
The University YMCA continues to serve as a connecting link between students, community members, organizations, and our international partners at the YMCA of Sierra Leone. Through these connections, the Y fosters the growth of the next generation of globally-minded leaders and promotes partnership-based strategies in community development.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Today the University YMCA focuses on building student leaders into community leaders who are ethical, responsible and committed to making positive change at home, on campus, in Champaign County and in the communities they join after graduation. The Y remains the central point of support on campus for students looking to develop the tools and understanding necessary to become cause-driven leaders and give back to their community by influencing system change and bridging social divides.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
With a dynamic, cooperative and interfaith setting, the YMCA facilitates partnerships between diverse groups of individuals and creates a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds. The University YMCA provides students new and challenging opportunities that expand their view of the world, deepen their understanding of community, and effectively integrate the ideas, knowledge and skills gained in school by applying them to real life experiences. Although we are based on campus and work closely with a number of colleges, departments and offices at the University of Illinois, an emphasis of the University YMCA has been to strengthen the ties between
the University and our community.
Our key practices include a community-higher education institution partnership, an emphasis on student engagement, community engagement through deep partnerships, cause-driven leadership and character development, workforce development programs, and an emphasis on impact through an ongoing culture of reflection and innovation to ensure the relevant, measurable impact of programs and experiences.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Over the past forty years, much of our programming has focused on the development of student leaders through student and staff programs. We currently sponsor 11 student programs and provide 7 additional programs, providing community service, promoting cultural awareness and tackling environmental and social justice concerns. Each year nearly 1,000 students participate in our student programs. All of our programs at the University YMCA focus on linking their work with the community and serve our four core principles of social justice, environmental protection, interfaith cooperation and global engagement.
Our organization is led by a diverse Board of Governors made up of community leaders, campus faculty and staff, and students representing all of our programs. The Board of Governors also approves the nomination of members to to our Board of Trustees, who oversee an endowment of just over $3,000,000 and steward the long-term financial health of the organization. The staff of the University Y consists of individuals dedicated to student engagement and community outreach, with positions that focus on each of our core principles, as well as a staff that work directly with the New American Welcome Center.
Through our endowment, revenue from our historic building, individual and foundation donations and grants, we are able to consistently provide the resources necessary for our staff and students to accomplish their goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The history of the University YMCA is one of change. The University YMCA began the first programming with International Students at the University of Illinois in the early 20th century, supported the rights of African-Americans in our community in the Civil Rights Era and started the first serious environmental work on campus in the late 60s with the founding of Students for Environmental ConcernS. More recently, in the past ten years the Y restructured its Fred S. Bailey Scholarship, increasing the amount of financial aid given to UI students to nearly $200,000 each year, established Art @ the Y which presents exhibits that highlight issues surround our four core values and began a series of Interfaith Dialogues that take place on the first Tuesday of each month. In 2016 the University Y was selected as a New American Welcome Center, which works directly with the immigrant community of Champaign County on issues of citizenship, legal aid, economic security and emergency relief. As we move forward we hope to explore the affect of all our programs on the campus and the community, finding ways to deepen our impact.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
YMCA of the University of Illinois
Board of directorsas of 01/18/2024
Joseph Chamley
Law Offices of Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley
Term: 2021 - 2024
Lauren Aronson
University of Illinois - College of Law
Nathan Alexander
University of Illinois - Graduate Student
Ria Bawiskar
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Nikia Brown
University of Illinois - Liberal Arts & Sciences
Joseph P. Chamley
Law Offices of Evans, Froelich, Beth and Chamley
Tracy Dace
DREAAMHouse
Betoel Escobar
University of Illinois - Office of Minority Student Affairs
Kev Murphy
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Ruta Rauber
Retired Community Member
Desiree Rios
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Leah Robberts-Mosser
Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign
Stacey Robinson
University of Illinois - School of Art & Design
Steve Rugg
Retired University of Illinois Administrator
Lily Rybka
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Ken Salo
University of Illinois - Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning
Will Schermer
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Monica Scott
University of Illinois - Spurlock Museum
Eric Vargas
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Ross Wantland
University of Illinois - DEI
Bailey Witter
University of Illinois - Undergraduate Student
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/03/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.