Rebranding a Household Name: A Look at the New YMCA

1. FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
FOR HEALTHY LIVING
FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
BRINGING OUR
CAUSE TO LIFE
The YMCA Story
Presented by
Sandy Morander
President and
CEO

2. HOW WE
GOT HERE
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3. FOR A LONG TIME WE’VE ASKED
OURSELVES THE SAME QUESTIONS
We do important, life changing work every day.
Why don’t we get the recognition we deserve?
Why doesn’t our membership, giving and volunteerism
reflect the benefits we bring to the communities we serve?
Why do other nonprofits receive so much media
attention while we often are overlooked?
3 | BRINGING OUR CAUSE TO LIFE | ©2010 YMCA of the USA

4. SO, WE TOOK A HARD LOOK AT HOW
WE PRESENT OURSELVES TO THE WORLD
We conducted research with key influencers and the
general public to see if they really understand who we are,
what we do and why we do it.
The findings shed light on why our organization is not reaching
its full potential, and why we need to act to change that NOW.
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5. WE REVIEWED WE LISTENED
Strategic materials Qualitative research
& communications audit
Competitive audits
Quantitative research
Media audit
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| BRINGING OUR CAUSE TO LIFE | ©2010 YMCA of the USA

6. HOW WE ARE
PERCEIVED
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7. THERE’S UNDERSTANDABLE CONFUSION
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8. WE ARE INCONSISTENT

9. WE DON’T TELL OUR STORY
IN A COMPELLING WAY
Talks about improving lives
but doesn’t explain how
Leads with statistics rather
than human stories
Focuses on the Y’s size,
programs and initiatives
rather than how they
allow us to better meet
audiences’ needs
Doesn’t have a call to action
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10. … AS A RESULT
People know our name … but they
don’t support us because they don’t
understand we are about more than
just the programs we offer.
People LOVE us … but because they
don’t see us as a cause-driven
organization, they don’t realize we rely
heavily on their donations of time and
money.
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11. OUR CURRENT POSITIONING
HAS CONSEQUENCES
Successful nonprofits effectively turn public
goodwill (which we have) into abundant, active
support from the public (which we lack).
In fact:
• We are not reaching our potential when it
comes to donations of time and money
• Our peers consistently perform better than we do –
and receive more attention for it
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12. THE BOTTOM LINE
If people do not understand
what we do and why we do it,
we cannot expect them to
donate their time and money
to support us.
We have a responsibility
to those who depend upon
us to clarify who we are
and what we stand for so that
more people can benefit from
what we have to offer.
12 | ACTIVATING A CAUSE-DRIVEN MOVEMENT | ©2010 YMCA of the USA

13. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY …
to present ourselves in a clear, credible and
compelling way that speaks to our unique
capabilities using terms that people understand
and value.
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14. THE
IMPORTANCE
OF BRAND

15. WHAT IS BRAND?
Our brand should be a discipline for the way we think, act and
communicate.
It involves every aspect of our organization.
People form opinions of a brand based on their interactions with it. If
we do a good job of managing our brand, we can shape perceptions
so that people respond accordingly.
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16. ELEMENTS OF A BRAND
A brand is composed of many elements, among them: Our promise,
our values and our voice.
PROMISE VALUES VOICE
Our Our Our
Cause Behavior Communications
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17. HOW DO WE STRENGTHEN OUR BRAND?
People are already aware of us, so we don’t need a new brand.
What we need to do is:
Clarify the confusion
Simplify the complicated
Build upon and strengthen
what’s already familiar
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18. DEFINING
OUR CAUSE
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19. OUR PROMISE
STRENGTHENING THE FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNITY
The Y is a powerful association of men, women, and children of
PROMISE all ages and from all walks of life joined together by a shared passion:
to strengthen the foundations of community.
With a commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy
living, and fostering a sense of social responsibility, the Y ensures that
PROOF every individual has access to the essentials needed to learn, grow, and
thrive. Anchored in more than 10,000 neighborhoods around the country,
the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just
to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change.
PAYOFF
Though the world may be unpredictable, one thing remains certain – the Y
is, and always will be, dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected
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and secure children, adults, families, and communities.

20. OUR VOICE
NURTURING
To care for, support, and help develop through encouragement
GENUINE
To be honest and open in relationships with others
HOPEFUL
To take an optimistic or positive view of future outcomes
DETERMINED
To devote full strength and concentrated attention to the cause
WELCOMING
To accept neighbors eagerly, warmly, hospitably, and as equal participants
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21. OUR VALUES
CARING
Show a sincere concern for others
HONESTY
Truthful in what you say and do
RESPECT
Follow the golden rule
RESPONSIBILITY
Be accountable for your promises and actions
Faith
Putting our Christian principal's into action
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22. STRUCTURING
FOR SUCCESS

23. WE’RE SIMPLIFYING OUR COMPLEXITY…
CATEGORIES
World Youth & Teen Sports & Community Health & Arts & Camping Family Childcare Aquatics Adult Internal Other
Development Recreation Development Fitness Humanity & Outdoor Strengthening Programs & Scuba Development Departments
& Resources Enrichment / Initiatives
PROGRAMS
INITIATIVES
EVENTS
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24. … BY GROUPING ALL THAT WE DO INTO
THREE AREAS OF FOCUS
FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Nurturing the potential of every
child and teen.
FOR HEALTHY LIVING
Improving the nation’s health
and well-being.
FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Giving back and providing
support to our neighbors
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25. THIS IS HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER
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26. CELEBRATING
OUR TRUE
COLORS
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27. WE ARE AN APPROACHABLE, VIBRANT
AND DIVERSE ORGANIZATION…
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28. …AND OUR NAME SHOULD REFLECT
THAT TOO
We’ve decided to adopt our nickname – the Y – for our collective
organization because it suggests a closer, friendlier relationship with
people.
28 | ACTIVATING A CAUSE-DRIVEN MOVEMENT | ©2010 YMCA of the USA

29. HERE ARE ELEMENTS OF OUR VISUAL SYSTEM
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30. 30

31. A CALL
TO ACTION
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32. OUR TRANSITION TIMELINE
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33. The San Antonio Y
Story

34. 9 years of Rapid Growth
Categories 2003 2011
YMCA locations 4 12
Early Childhood Ed Centers 2 5
# of Members 3,000 48,000
Membership Revenue $1,381,928 $7,856,829
# of Staff 300 1330
Annual Y partners $480,000 $1,445,750
* Note: This assumes 100% familiarity with the new brand promise and excludes any new units coming
from non-donors.

35. New Strategic Plan
Vision 2015-
• Youth & Families
Nurture the potential of every child and adult to strengthen the family and engage
them for life.
• Health & Well-being
The Y will offer a path for all to live balanced, healthy lives in Spirit, Mind, and
Body.
• Member Engagement
Create and sustain a member centric culture.
• Expanding the Y’s Reach
Establish a Y presence in all communities.
• Staff Development
Become the employer of choice in the San Antonio area by 2015.
• Enhancing Mission Awareness
Reinforce the Y’s image as a cause-driven, mission-based organization.

36. Areas of Focus for us:
Youth Development- Early Childhood Education, Youth obesity
prevention and intervention, sports and aquatic safety
Healthy Living- serving health seekers, partnering with the medical
community on continuity of care and providing our own line of
Diabetes prevention and intervention services, Livestrong and
wounded warrior programs
Social Responsibility- Community wellness with our signature event
of Siclovia,SA202, community partnerships and facilitation of
brining more folks together to leverage our collective energy

37. QUESTIONS
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38. THANK YOU!
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