New York Junior League

We provide a positive force for change through direct service, collaborations with other community organizations, and advocacy.

NYJL volunteers strengthen the health and well-being of children and families of the greater New York area. Volunteers serve on committees that meet regularly with over 20 community partners in New York City—schools, neighborhood centers, senior residences, hospitals, transitional housing, to name just a few. Our 30 community committees are organized into five distinct Councils that focus on specific community needs.

Community Councils

• Adult Education & Mentoring Council

  This area focuses on adult life skills training and support; self-esteem and self-advocacy; companionship and guidance; and tools and resources for success. NYJL volunteers counsel and advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault victims in New York City hospitals in partnership with New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Domestic & Other Violence Emergencies program; focus on goal-setting, housing, job/career search, and finances with the Women’s Prison Association, prepare recent immigrants for their job search at the English-Speaking Union, and develop friendships with the elderly at the Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged.

• Read more about our committees and partners

• Children’s Education Council

  Working with community partners such as Mott Haven Academy Charter School and Women in Need, the underlying goal of the Children’s Education Council is to empower parents, guardians and caregivers with the tools that will help them build a positive future for themselves and their families. For families who are homeless, headed by a single parent or experiencing other difficulties, the stress of daily life can be overwhelming. NYJL volunteers participate in programs intended to help alleviate some of the pressures faced by today’s families and enable their children to lead fuller, healthier, and more independent lives. NYJL volunteers work with many established community partners to provide educational support in a variety of disciplines including math, science, art, financial literacy, reading and writing. In conjunction with community partners through our Done in a Day program, the NYJL also completes episodic projects, such as emergency relief events, food pantry and clothing bank services, education, mentoring, and brick and mortar improvements. In addition to these time and talent contributions to the community, the Community Improvement Project establishes a one-year partnership with a selected facility to assist in increasing the facility’s community impact through a $50,000 capital donation, accompanied by hundreds of volunteer man-hours.

• Read more about our committees and partners

• Culture & the Arts Council

  To help bring arts education and appreciation to underserved New York children and teenagers, NYJL volunteers design interactive projects to encourage self-expression while building confidence and self-esteem. Research shows that exposure to art and music facilitates social and communicative development in children, and NYJL volunteers provide these opportunities via robust visual and performing arts curricula and supplemental trips to venues from The Met to Carnegie Hall. Other community partners in this area include P.S. 64, Grosvenor Neighborhood House YMCA,The Harbor for Boys and Girls and the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center.

  For more than 20 years, NYJL volunteers have designed, planned, funded and completed a playground renovation each spring in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

• Read more about our committees and partners

• Child Health & Welfare Council

  A mentor is a trusted adult with a long-term, consistent commitment to provide guidance and support to at-risk youth. NYJL volunteers work to teach these young people that challenging life circumstances provide opportunities to learn, grow, and persevere. The NYJL works with a variety of community partners, including the Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network, Mentoring USA, Andrew Glover, and Good Shepherd. Volunteers provide programming that uses a positive approach, harnessing individual strengths and aiming to foster responsibility, self-esteem, initiative, and development of life skills.

• Read more about our committees and partners

• City Impact Council

  The City Impact Council addresses the NYJL’s community projects partnering with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for the Playground Improvement Project as well as other Manhattan-based organizations through our Community Improvement Project, Done in a Day, and Done in a Day on Demand committees.

• Read more about our committees and partners
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    How can I apply to be a Community Partner?

    Step 1: First, determine if your proposed project meets NYJL requirements. Is your project located in Manhattan? Is it designed to utilize trained NYJL volunteers? (Please note, NYJL volunteers cannot participate in fundraising-related activities for other organizations.) Does it fall within one of our five Community Program areas — Adult Education & Mentoring, Children’s Education Council, Culture & the Arts, City Impact or Child Health & Welfare? Please read the descriptions of each area above to determine whether your organization’s mission and proposed project would fit within the NYJL’s existing community priorities.

    Step 2: Formally propose a program which takes into account the following: The NYJL volunteer year runs from September through May – volunteer activities must take place within this period of time, with daytime programs running from 10:00 a.m. to noon and evening programs which start at 6:30 p.m. or later. Volunteer activities do not take place during the summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Committees typically meet weekly or bi-weekly for 1.5 to 2 hours. Weekday projects are preferable.

    Step 3: If approved, work with NYJL’s Community Programs Research committee to determine the appropriate partnership level. Partnership may take the form of either an ongoing NYJL volunteer committee – a project that is on-going and requires establishment of a formal NYJL volunteer committee and regular and consistent attendance by a dedicated group of NYJL volunteers on specific day(s) of the week; a regular “Done-In a Day” one-off volunteer event that occurs up to several times per year, but does not require a formal volunteer committee.

    Timeline: Your expression of interest in partnership will be considered on a rolling basis throughout the calendar year. (Please note that delays in the normal consideration time may occur during the months of June, July, and August when the NYJL volunteers are not as active.) Any and all newly established partnerships will begin in September at the beginning of the NYJL volunteer calendar year. The submission process (listed below) must be initiated by the organization by December 31 of the year prior to the proposed partnership start date. The deadline for proposed projects which would commence in September 2017 is December 31, 2016. In some instances expressions of interest will be considered after the deadline.

    Process:

    1. Organization submits initial Expression of Interest in Partnership on the NYJL website.
    2. An auto-generated email will be sent to the organization to confirm receipt.
    3. The Expression of Interest in Partnership is reviewed and evaluated by the NYJL within thirty (30) days of receipt.
    4. Email sent to organization contact indicating whether or not the NYJL will proceed further with the review process.
    5. If approved to proceed, an in-person interview and site-visit with the organization at the proposed project site will be arranged.
    6. If approved, organization may be asked to help coordinate and schedule a one-off volunteer event, also known as a “Done-In-A-Day (DIAD) On Demand” test event that would closely model the proposed volunteer project. Both the organization and participating NYJL committee complete an event evaluation.
    7. The NYJL Board of Directors vote whether to approve the new Community Partner – the partnership will either become an ongoing, long-term NYJL volunteer committee or a DIAD project that requires NYJL volunteers less frequently.
    8. If approved, the organization and the NYJL execute a formal Letter of Agreement establishing a long-term partnership.

  • Ready to start the application process? Complete the application

  Questions? Or do you know of an organization that might be a great Community Partner? Email the Community Program Research committee at cpr@nyjl.org.

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    Interested in learning more about the NYJL’s current programs and initiatives?

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