:: CHALLENGE



Despite being the nation’s oldest and largest women’s organization, the YWCA of the USA faced difficulty presenting itself to the public and the media in a way that captured the tremendous breadth of services it provides and the diversity of the communities it serves. While many local YWCAs in large cities were major community players, many more YWCAs were struggling and the organization lacked a contemporary national identity.

These challenges enabled a fragmented organizational culture where the YWCA national leadership often had difficulty convincing many local YWCAs to participate in national initiatives.

:: SOLUTION



Purpose Networks created and launched the YWCA Week Without Violence national public awareness and action campaign to highlight positive alternatives to violence at home, at work and in communities. Our analysis indicated that many of the services, programs and advocacy provided by local YWCAs directly or indirectly addressed violence, its causes and consequences. Since stories about violence regularly dominate media, the YWCA Week Without Violence offered annual opportunities for local YWCAs to highlight their relevance and importance.

We organized the campaign for one week in October with each day devoted to a particular form of violence and its alternatives. We designed the campaign materials to let local YWCAs create their own events and programs within a branded framework that built national momentum. After creating and launching the campaign, we managed its implementation for five years.

:: RESULTS



The YWCA Week Without Violence was an immediate success and enthusiastically adopted by local YWCAs. Corporate sponsors were engaged in local communities and at the national level. A torrent of local media stories built into solid national media coverage. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton participated in nationally televised public service announcements.

Now in its second decade, the YWCA Week Without Violence is celebrated by millions of people throughout the United States and in more than forty countries worldwide.