Dear Friends,
Over the past three weeks I’ve spoken to a number of our Y partners as well as friends in the JCC and Community Rec Center worlds to learn about what they are doing during this period of social distancing.
Three big ideas keep coming up – communicate with your members, be of service, collaborate & tell your story.
Communicate with your members
Many Ys are using their websites and social media channels to keep members apprised of virtual and on-line opportunities for wellness and family engagement. (see #2 below)
Some are using videos and other reports-to-the-membership to get the word out.
Some, but not all, Ys have made it a priority to have a personal telephone conversation with each member. Staff check in; see how the member is doing; ask if the member is having any special difficulties or issues. If there is a problem or issue, the staff person collects information and gets back with the member to arrange for assistance or to refer the member to another community resource.
These calls provide a great opportunity to offer a suspension of dues to the many members whose finances have suffered. All membership benefits remain available to members on suspended dues.
Ys tell us that this proactive, personal approach is engendering expressions of gratitude and loyalty. They’re also proving to be an excellent fundraising opportunity for members who have the resources and are waiting to be asked to help.
Be of Service Here are some of examples of what many Ys across the country tell us they are doing:
Low-cost or no-cost childcare for children of “essential workers”
Food distribution programs
Virtual Y experiences including access to canned exercise classes (like Les Mills, MOSSAC, YMCA 360); live streaming of group ex classes, and on-line coaching and personal training
Blood Drives
Stay-at-home family activities
Mobilizing member volunteers to reach out to vulnerable populations
WHAT OTHER THINGS ARE YOU DOING AT YOUR Y? Let me know and I’ll make sure to socialize more good ideas in our next post.
Collaborate and Tell Your Story We Searched What are YMCAs doing to help during the pandemic? Here are some ideas, resources, and references we found:
For virtual Y programming check out the Asheville, NC Y https://ymcawnc.org/virtual-ymca This Y is at or near the top of every Google search we’ve done; that means their site is getting a lot of traffic.
For an unusual approach that mobilizes volunteers to engage and serve vulnerable populations, consider the YMCA of the Twin Tiers “shepherding” program. According to the Olean NY Times Herald “the program involves Y staff and volunteers being given their ‘flock’ of people that they will ‘shepherd’ during this period of isolation. It is an organized effort to leave no one forgotten, alone or isolated.” How appropriate at this Easter/Passover season! Read more about it here:
Many have watched Tim Joyce’s heartfelt message and read the accompanying letter to the membership of the Richmond VA Y. If you haven’t seen it take a look: https://www.ymcarichmond.org/coronavirus-update/
The Y of the Twin Cities has initiated multiple community collaborations and done a terrific job of organizing their content to make it accessible in the Minnesota community and beyond. Here’s a story that ran in bringmethenews, the Twin Cities’ Maven-affiliated website:
And here are links to the Y’s press release archives in March and April.
https://www.ymcamn.org/news/ymca_news_archive/2020/03
https://www.ymcamn.org/news/ymca_news_archive/2020/04
In our backyard three Florida associations, St. Pete, Tampa Metro and Suncoast (Clearwater) have worked together to provide a Bay-spanning network of location where the children of essential workers can participate in fun, educational, and healthy activities at the Y.
And now, thanks to a $100,000 gift from Florida Blue, the State’s largest Health Insurer, parents pay just $10 per day for this outstanding service. Read about it in a series of articles on the WFLA-TV and Tampa Bay Times websites
And, please look at the post put together by the Y Alliance in North Carolina
To find out what’s happening in specific areas around the country to can easily customize this google search string What are YMCAs doing to help during the pandemic? by adding a geographic qualifier e.g., What are California YMCAs doing to help during the pandemic?
Here’s a great LA YMCA collaboration story told from the perspective of the University of Southern California:
https://news.usc.edu/167297/usc-food-drive-covid-19-pandemic-partners-community-outreach/
I hope you have found this useful, and if you have any other examples you’d like to call out, please get back to me with them.
While no one knows how long the social distancing rules will be in force Ys will be back eventually. In my next email, I’m going to share some ideas and tips about planning and preparing for an effective re-opening.
Bill Lazarus