Organizational profile and community social responsibility strategies

Organizational Profile

Profile of a Community Organization: The Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach San Diego

There are many different ways that a social organization can influence and impact a community, and a great many moral and ethical implications and effects on society of the existence of these organizations and the actions that these organizations take. From gathering and consolidating funding towards various charitable causes to actually engaging in direct service to the community, these organizations are often more important in providing for the basic needs of some of the most disadvantaged members of a community than the governmental organizations in that community. Exploring one such organization in the San Diego community, and more specifically in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, will help to illuminate the importance of these community organizations generally.

The Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach, San Diego meets twice a week in order to plan a variety of activities held throughout the year, primarily dedicated to youth development and protection (Kiwanis Club, 2012). From the upcoming annual Kite Festival to charity drives to the ongoing support of local youth sports leagues, the Kiwanis Club strives to remain very actively involved in the community and the community has come to depend on the organization in several key areas (Kiwnis Club, 2012). Because this non-profit and no-governmental organization has taken on the responsibility of maintaining the sports league and several other key community activities and services, there would now be a shortage of service supplied if they suddenly left, and this creates a definite responsibility (Minkler, 2005). In this way, as with most community organizations, the Kiwanis Club has created its own social responsibility.

While the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach, San Diego does not explicitly list the factors that led it to develop its specific sense of social responsibility or the strategies it uses to maintain pursue this social responsibility, however some of these factors can be inferred from what the organization does say about itself. The focus on youth development and on providing activities and opportunities for healthy, entertaining, and productive youth involvement in the community points to a perception of lessened opportunities for youth in the community at the heart of the organizations (Kiwanis Club, 2012). Identifying a need to address is the basis for almost any successful project, including the building of an effective community organization, and thus it is reasonable to assume this is how strategy development and a sense of social responsibility developed here (Minkler, 2005).

Just as the Kiwanis Club does not explicitly state how its social responsibilities and strategies were developed, it does not state an outright social initiative. It's stated objective is to respond to the needs of the community, emphasizing youth involvement, with a goal of helping to properly shape future generations of leaders (Kiwanis Club, 2012). What could be termed its social initiative, then, is to ensure that today's youth grown into the type of adult citizen that is beneficial to society and to the community's cultural progress (Kiwnais Club, 2012; Minkler, 2005). This type of social initiative is rather broad and abstract, and can be difficult to implement or to measure success in, however there is not a clear social initiative of this group that is more concrete (Minkler, 2005).