YMCA Ten Thousand

The YMCA of the Kanawha Valley is a wonderful community organization. I've been a member for a long time, and I am also a member of its board of directors. As such, I have had the pleasure and privilege of leading a marketing and membership retention committee. This work enables me to collaborate with the talented staff of the YMCA, plus a cadre of talented and tireless business leaders from the community.

Here's the big news: recently the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley hit a new, all-time high membership number. As of the end of March, there were 10,000 members across its three branches. This has been a long-time goal for the YMCA, one that has never before been achieved.

"How did they do it," you might wonder?

What was the one thing that put them over the hump? It was not one thing. It was a combination of things that led to success. The power of a strategic marketing plan enabled the YMCA to reach its goal of 10,000 members. In December 2006, the staff began implementation of a strategic marketing plan that the marketing committee had created and the board had approved. That strategic marketing plan, assembled over the course of six weeks, included the following tactics:

• Three-part direct mail campaign
• Radio advertising
• New tailored, program offerings
• Web site redesign and integrated e-newsletter
• Segmentation of the market
• A special-price offer
• Television advertising
• Print advertising
• Special events

None of these tactics were new or revolutionary. What was different this year ... the thing that enabled the results ... was the fact that all of the effort, investment, energy and awareness (in fact all of the tactics) were aligned around a few common, concise, clearly defined goals.

As the marketing genius understands, this alignment, backed by planning & coordination, with its synergistic result, is the true power of marketing. While you are here, take a moment to check out the brand-new, gorgeous, content-rich YMCA Web site.