Documents concerning the administration, function, management and history of the YWCA of the U.S.A. including certification, constitutions and bylaws, methods for addressing controversial issues, cooperation with other organizations, county and district associations, and the history of the YWCA of the U.S.A. The name, function, purpose and organizational structure of the YWCA of the U.S.A. are established in its constitution and bylaws. As the organization grows and adapts to changing needs the governing documents are also amended. Several versions, some final, some with suggested amendments are present. In addition, suggested constitutions and bylaws for local associations are provided for local use and adaptation. Local associations, as members of the YWCA of the U.S.A., must meet several requirements to maintain certified member association status including maintaining an updated constitution, paying dues and submitting reports. Annual certification forms include a summary of the necessary requirements and lists of local associations by region track submitted forms. Following this, guidelines and procedures for discussing and acting on controversial topics suggest best practices for engaging in such issues at a local level and avoiding disord while allowing for different opinions. Next, for making decisions about cooperating with another organization, policies and procedures outline what to consider, what is the role of cooperative relationships and how cooperative relationships are best used. Reports and handbooks for county and district associations, address issues of finance, administration and organization. Finally , the nature of the YWCA of the U.S.A.'s work in the United States, as an organization working towards the advancement of women and as part of a worldwide movement is described in several historical summaries and timelines.
YWCA
1951-1960
Leadership in women
Nonprofit organizations
Finance
Nonprofit organizations
Management
Women
Societies and clubs
Feminism
World War, 1939-1945
War work
Young Women's Christian associations
Women
Employment
Fund raising
Nonprofit organizations
Administration
World War, 1914-1918
War work
Young Women's Christian associations
420 frames (1 partial reel)
This collection is open for use without restriction beyond the standard terms and conditions of Smith College Special Collections. However, by agreement with the YWCA of the U.S.A., microdexes known to contain financial records or personal health information (usually on job applications) were not digitized and/or not published in our online repository as part of the CLIR Digitizing Hidden Collections grant. These microdexes may still be accessed on the original microfilm, and digital files may be made available to individual researchers upon request.
To the extent that it owns copyright, YWCA of the USA has retained copyright in its works donated to Smith College, but has has authorized Smith College Special Collections to grant permission to publish reproductions or quotations from the records on its behalf. Copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For reproductions of materials that are governed by fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For those few instances beyond fair use, or which may regard materials in the collection not created by YWCA of the USA, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from Smith College Special Collections to move forward with their use.
YWCA, Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History, MS 00324, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Box 3: Series 1; Series 2; Series 3, Reel 251
smith_ssc_324_r251_m005