YWCA South Florida: Driving its Next Century of Social Impact through Design
In June 2021, the YWCA South Florida celebrated 100 years of social impact, standing at the forefront of some of the most critical social movements in history and addressing the need for civil, social, and economic justice in its community. Affirming the motto, “Everything for HER,” the organization is a leading voice for women, girls, and all marginalized individuals across South Florida, offering programs and services that center around economic empowerment, women’s health and safety, early education, and youth development — all as a means to eliminate the social justice issues that disproportionately affect women and people of color.
Ushering in its next century of social impact, the YWCA South Florida looks to drive empowerment through design. On today’s episode of the Gensler Design Exchange podcast, Gensler Miami Senior Associate, Co-Studio Director & Client Relationship Leader Jorge Bernal sits down with Gensler Miami Principal & Co-Managing Director Diana Farmer-Gonzalez, YWCA South Florida President & CEO Kerry-Ann Royes, and Kaufman Rossin Director of Risk Advisory Services Glenn Davis.
Davis — the YWCA’s first male board member in its 100 year history — met Gensler when CPA and advisory firm Kaufman Rossin hired the team to design its revamped headquarters in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood. In light of a successful collaboration, Davis introduced Gensler to the YWCA South Florida, who at the time was in search of real estate expertise to anchor the organization’s Properties Committee, which is dedicated to evaluating strategies that optimize impact among the YWCA’s various territories in South Florida.
“So often you get these committees where, at the first meeting, eight people show up, and then at the next meeting, it’s seven, and then it’s four, and then it’s three, and then we start to get ‘Oh, Gensler can’t make the meeting.’ But every time there’s a meeting, there’s more and more Gensler professionals joining in...”
— Glenn Davis, Director of Risk Advisory Services, Kaufman Rossin
Culminating in a powerful partnership, Gensler is now a proud member of the YWCA South Florida’s Properties Committee as well as a sponsor of the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge alongside fellow corporate partners. Excitingly, it is also poised to help set the stage for the next 100 years of the YWCA South Florida through design services for the non-profit’s Economic Justice Hub and Social Innovation Village, set to break ground in late 2021. The Economic Justice Hub will provide headquarters workspace for YWCA employees, in addition to space for YWCA community impact programming. The Social Innovation Village will serve as a model of collective impact for resident non-profits, including The Arc, HisHouse Children’s Home and Center for Family and Child Enrichment, with plans to reimagine service with dignity and equity at its forefront.
Building Purpose-Driven Spaces for Not-for-Profit Organizations
Mission always comes first for organizations founded to create meaningful social change. Thoughtful and transformational design is necessary to create spaces where civic leaders can learn, converse, and do purposeful work. Such spaces will only garner more attention as the non-profit sector takes on a bigger role in supporting communities challenged by recent events.
According to Gensler research, the not-for-profit employee is intrinsically rather than extrinsically motivated. In fact, when surveyed, these employees are four times more likely to be motivated by mission than the average employee in another sector. According to Imperative, a leadership development platform dedicated to helping leaders unlock the potential of employees in the “Purpose Economy,” purpose-driven employees are also consistently among the top performers across all industries.
And yet, despite being the third largest industry in the American workforce in terms of employment, the not-for-profit world suffers from tattered facilities, poor workplace design, and generally subpar infrastructure. Many blame it on the “Overhead Myth” — the misconception in the world of philanthropy and among the general public that donations should go directly to programming costs, rather than to an organization’s operating costs, or overhead. As a result, many organizations are judged by the metric of how much of their budget they spend on their overhead. It’s common to see donated furniture, secondhand computer equipment, dark or unsuitable spaces, and other office hacks in many a not-for-profit office space. Gensler is intent on changing that. In fact, we think for-profit organizations can learn a thing or two from non-profits.
“I wanted people to walk into the building and feel like people believed they were their very best selves…and I didn’t know how to bring that to life in architecture.[Gensler] allowed us to dream really big around that and continue to challenge us in our sometimes scarcity mentality and not allow anyone to think we‘re going to get the leftovers.”
— Kerry-Ann Royes, President & CEO, YWCA South Florida
Organizations in all sectors are heeding new calls for equity, community, and inclusive organizational culture, but nonprofits are perhaps best prepared to set the new standard because the sector’s prior performance in these areas has been relatively high. In-person connection and collaboration will remain the lifeblood of non-profit organizations in the long run. Aligning physical space with values is only a first step; organizations seeking to maximize effectiveness will do so by using space to actively bolster their mission.
To create more equitable, inclusive cities, we need to recognize that we’re all part of something that is greater than ourselves. For non-profits, that’s always been their focus. And that’s something that the rest of us can learn from, especially in this moment. This is what real leadership looks like.
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