June 9, 2010

Dear Friends of the YWCA Chester County,

In early 2009, following many years of poor financial performance and unsuccessful programs, the Board of Directors of the YWCA Chester County, hired the Leland Leadership Group to evaluate our organization and recommend a course of action. At our April retreat in 2009, the Board of Directors voted to accept the Leland proposal which included:

• putting our building at 123 S. Church St up for sale
• suspending all programming as of June 30, 2009
• negotiating a larger line of credit to allow us to continue operating so that we may work toward turning the organization around
• lay off staff
• hire an accountant
• discontinue outside use of our building in preparation for its sale

We presented the report and actions to our membership at our last Annual Meeting in May 2009. The period since that meeting has been one of transition for the YWCA Chester County.

Our first action was to put the building up for sale. While the building was up for sale, we met with other non-profits to discuss the potential for operating synergistically from the Melton Center. The idea was a good one. Several non-profits would share space and resources which would result in lower operating costs. Unfortunately, the key non-profit, OIC pulled out leaving the idea in limbo.

Between July and September 2009, the Board met with our funders to find out what programs they thought were needed in Chester County, who we might ask to join our Board to help us rebuild and would they, the funders, support us in our efforts to rebuild. We learned that all believed that there was a need in our community for the types of programs the YWCA could offer in accordance with its mission. They would stand behind our efforts to offer new programs only if those programs were relevant and were operated in an efficient way. However they also told us that as a result of our long history of mismanagement, poor leadership and questionable finances, they did not believe anyone with the type of experience we needed would want to join our Board. They suggested that we start by building volunteer committees to do the job of rebuilding. Acting on their recommendation, we worked toward recruiting people for the two most important committees: programming and development.

By suspending all programming during the summer, as recommended by the Leland proposal, we were able to concentrate on improving our TEAM program and finding space for its operation. We found space for TEAM at First Presbyterian Church. Our TEAM program was always our most successful in terms of attendance, but it was never fully funded and there were security issues. We instituted measures to tighten security such as background clearances and sign in/out sheets. We also, for the first time, assigned a fee for attendance. The fee could be partially or wholly waived upon proof of financial condition.

TEAM started in September 2009 with 11 students enrolled. That grew to 14 by end of September. The numbers never increased from there.

Despite extending our line of credit, during the course of the year, our financial positions continued to worsen and it was clear we would soon run out of money. We didn’t have enough volunteers to successfully organize the Holiday House Tour so we were forced to cancel it. Recruiting people to work on committees was proving difficult. The building hadn’t sold. Our United Way funds were discontinued. And we were required to repay a grant given to us by the Longwood Foundation in 2008. The grant was for renovating the building to enable the YWCA to institute a daycare program. The renovation never occurred and therefore the money had to be repaid.

With funds running out and attendance low, the Board decided to discontinue TEAM as of the end of December 2010. Parents were notified in time to find other programs.

By the end of the year, we accepted an offer on the Building and subsequently closed in February 2010. In January we met with the YWCA Delaware to discuss a potential merger. They were already interested in offering programs in SE PA and a merger with us would fit well with their strategy. Ultimately we did not believe merging with them would be in the best interests of our Community. They intended to use the reserve funds from the sale of the building to study the market to determine what programs to offer. While this is not an unreasonable thing to do prior to offering programming, we felt that it was possible that all of the money would be spent studying a market they ultimately might not enter.

In February, we began talks with the YWCA Lancaster, also a very strong and successful organization. We met with them in April to discuss the potential merger. They felt that as a first step, they would like to offer programs in Chester County to see how things might operate before committing to a merger. They would like to start by offering their most successful and low cost programs in areas that they believe could use them the most. The initial plan is to offer Racial Justice Study Circles in West Chester and a Girl Power program in Coatesville. Our reserve fund would be used to fund the programs.

We support the YWCA Lancaster’s plans wholeheartedly and hope our supporters in Chester County will embrace their efforts to serve our community. They will contact funders, potential partners, and community members over the summer with the intent of offering programs in the fall 2010. If you are interested in finding out more about the YWCA Lancaster, you can read about all their wonderful programs at www.ywcalancaster.org.

And finally, to honor all of the Chester County residents who have generously supported the YWCA Chester County over the years, we have established the YWCA Chester County Scholarship Fund. The Fund was established as an Endowed Scholarship Fund and as such will remain in perpetuity. It is being held at and managed by the Chester County Community Foundation. Scholarships will be provided annually to women living in Chester County seeking training to improve their job status or to enter the workforce. The initial endowment is $20,000.

We thank you for your support.

Ellen Zadoff
President, YWCA Chester County
ywcacc@yahoo.com

Update

The YWCA has suspended programming indefinitely. If you are interested in a homeshare program, please contact Home of the Sparrow www.homeofthesparrow.org at 610-647-5256.