The Commonpoint Queens Agency’s Volunteer Programs

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Table of Contents

Introduction
SWOT-Analysis of Commonpoint Queens’ Volunteering Opportunities
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Commonpoint Queens is an agency that has initially been created to support the Jewish diaspora in Queens, but has long since evolved into aiding the whole community. Thus, Commonpoint Queens is based on and still upholds Jewish values of justice and serving people. According to the website (2022b), the organization’s mission lies in “sustaining and enhancing the quality of individual, family, and communal life throughout Queens, through services to people of all ages, ability levels, and backgrounds” (para. 1). The goal of the agency is to provide social services to the people of Queens and other New York city residents: from mental health counselling to various classes and resources to live. Due to the fact that Commonpoint Queens strives to cover many different areas of community lives, volunteers play a crucial role in the organization’s work, dedicating their skills and time to support people. Participating in a wide variety of programs, they assist Commonpoint Queens in improving the quality of life of community members. The work of volunteers is considered to be one of the key factors that ensure the organization’s success and sustainability. This paper will review and evaluate volunteer programs that Commonpoint Queens offers using SWOT analysis.

SWOT-Analysis of Commonpoint Queens’ Volunteering Opportunities

In the conditions of changing world and globalization, it is necessary to keep abreast of an organization’s performance. There are various analytical tools that can prove to be useful for it – in particular, SWOT analysis. This approach provides an opportunity to learn the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization and its services, as well as its external opportunities and threats. Thus, SWOT analysis is both a planning method and a tool for evaluating a variety of factors that determine how an agency would develop in the market. Major market players should conduct a SWOT analysis of their performances at least once a year to maintain the organization’s relevance, as changes occur daily.

Strengths

Commonpoint Queens has a very wide variety of volunteer programs: the agency engages in almost all areas of communal work. There are many different opportunities for anyone who wants to volunteer, from tutoring, gardening, and providing mental health services to working at food pantries and assisting with sports classes. It is, perhaps, the organization’s biggest strength – with so many options, the agency can attract many different people who want to volunteer for the community. Moreover, it also supports the community in various ways rather than concentrating on one or two only, solidifying the agency’s position as vital for both the residents and the volunteers. Fichtenberg et al. (2020) support that claim, stating that “increased societal investments in resources to address social needs are necessary for integrative initiatives to yield desired individual- and population-level impacts” (p. 567). It is also worth noting that the agency’s official website has a well-designed system for applying for volunteer programs: participants can create accounts and efficiently search through the website’s catalogue of offers.

Weaknesses

The organization could improve their management of the volunteer work by training managers to become more ethical and inclusive leaders by offering them special coaching. Moreover, the volunteer programs should concentrate more on providing quality services for the community rather than reaching specific key performance indicators. According to Smith (2018), “governments, citizens, private foundations, and individual donors are expecting higher levels of performance and accountability from nonprofit organizations” (p. 369). Commonpoint Queens should reach out to the community it serves and seek the people’s feedback on the organization’s work in order to improve its programs and services.

Opportunities

Commonpoint Queens offers many specialized volunteer programs; however, with recent trends in the world, perhaps even more specific opportunities might need to be created. For example, in the light of the recent changes in the Roe vs. Wade case and subsequent abortion rights discourse, the organization could establish programs for helping pregnant women. Aiken (2019) emphasizes that “empowered by a tipping of the balance of the court away from upholding abortion rights during Trump’s presidency, state legislatures have since enacted a spate of extreme abortion restrictions” (p. 14444). Both those who would like to keep their pregnancies and who would like to terminate the process need help – in the form of counselling, legal cases, food and housing, and other aspects.

Another potential opportunity lies in support of the transgender community, as transgender people’s access to healthcare in the U.S. continues to be a significant issue. According to Walch et al. (2020), “recent introductions of regulatory policies at state and federal levels raise concerns over the politicization of gender-affirming health care, the risks of further restricting access to quality care” (p. 305). Right now, the organization concentrates more on offering sports classes, children’s development opportunities, and provision of food and mental health services, but its scope of programs could be expanded.

Threats

The organization does not compete with other agencies in the field of human services. In fact, in 2016, the Commonpoint Queens, as it is now, was created by a merger of two agencies: the Samuel Field Y in Little Neck and the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills (Commonpoint Queens, 2019). The agency is non-profit – it is funded through government grants, donations, and occasional sponsor support. Smith (2018) states that “non-profit human service agencies are now coping with greater competition for resources” (p. 369). Financial stability became a significant issue for Commonpoint Queens during the COVID-19 pandemics, as the organization lost a significant portion of funding and donations (Commonpoint Queens, 2020a). The agency had to suspend some of its programs due to the lack of finances – it would be wise to design a specific strategy for future crises of similar nature.

Conclusion

Organizations that provide services to the population such as education, counselling, food and clothing resources, legal help, and others are vital to the community. Their work helps support the people in need, facilitates ties between different groups, and offers sustainability, especially during times of crisis. Most important, human services agencies offer volunteer opportunities for anyone who wants to aid others, sharing the burden of responsibilities and creating an example of altruism and goodwill.

Commonpoint Queens is a prolific, active non-profit organization that offers a very wide range of opportunities to help one’s community. A long history of serving people – first as two separate organizations and then as one merged together – helped Commonpoint Queens build a significant base of experience in the field. The multitude of the agency’s volunteer programs allows people to choose the activities they would like to participate in and ensures a wide population reach. Despite several shortcomings, Commonpoint Queens continues to provide stable support to the community of Queens with the help of volunteers.

References

Aiken, A. R. (2019). Erosion of women’s reproductive rights in the United States. BMJ, L4444. doi:10.1136/bmj.l4444

Commonpoint Queens. (2019). Samuel Field Y and Central Queens Y merger.

Commonpoint Queens. (2020a). Commonpoint Queens in-person programs and services suspended for the immediate future.

Commonpoint Queens. (2020b). About Us – overview and mission of Commonpoint Queens.

Fichtenberg, C., Delva, J., Minyard, K., & Gottlieb, L. M. (2020). Health and Human Services Integration: Generating sustained health and equity improvements. Health Affairs, 39(4), 567-573. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01594

Smith, S. R. (2018). The Future of Nonprofit Human Services. Nonprofit Policy Forum, 8(4), 369-389. doi:10.1515/npf-2017-0019

Walch, A., Davidge-Pitts, C., Safer, J. D., Lopez, X., Tangpricha, V., & Iwamoto, S. J. (2020). Proper care of transgender and gender diverse persons in the setting of proposed discrimination: A policy perspective*. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 106(2), 305-308. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgaa816

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