Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA - Constant Contact

[Pages:2]Case Study

Nonprofit Program

Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA

Reaching out to strengthen the community

Many people come to the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA branches in southeast Virginia for the swim classes. But they soon discover that Peninsula Y has a much bigger vision.

"Who knows that we offer art and cultural programming, social events and values-based teaching for all ages?" asks Melanie Erikson, Marketing Director at Peninsula Y. "Who knows that we provide opportunities to give back, like buying memberships or school clothes for families with limited means? Because of our regular email communication, our members and prospects know."

Strong membership Only a fraction of the Peninsula Y's 50,000 members come through a Y door every day. So to keep members informed and excited about programs, participating in events and lending a hand to the less fortunate, the Y needs more than just a sign in the lobby.

"Our members are our lifeblood," says Melanie. "Having an engaging way of communicating with them keeps us strong: in membership, in program use, in volunteerism, in fundraising." Constant Contact Email Marketing provides that strength.

Hearing from your branch Early on, the Peninsula Y realized that members are more likely to read and respond when they hear from their own branch, whether one of the family YMCAs, a camp, a child development center or the Y academy. Direct communication works well for the branches and frees the metro office from chasing content for centralized communication.

In the past, each branch would mail out a printed newsletter. "Print and mail was costly and far from timely," says Melanie. "And among the 16 branches, our voice and brand were all over the place."

So the switch was made to email. Branches would periodically email their contact lists, simply using an employee email address. "I was sending an email for every event," says Liz Allen, Branch Operations Director at the Northern Neck Family YMCA. "The more often I emailed, the more people unsubscribed. Worse, since we were well beyond the 50-recipient rule, we were in danger of getting blacklisted for spamming."

Moving to Constant Contact Even though this ad hoc approach wasn't working, it was obvious that email was the way to go for communicating with members. "When we looked at all the email systems available, Constant Contact Email Marketing was the clear choice," says Melanie. "It's a great value for the number of emails we send. It's simple to use for the wide range of people who use it, from a marketing director to a front desk volunteer. And the emails look great."

The Peninsula YMCA has been a part of Constant Contact's National Nonprofit Program since September 2007. Although the metro office sends a small number of emails to its full member list, the focus is on the far more effective branch-level communication. Constant Contact's National Nonprofit Program dashboard allows them to create and share templates

Association at a glance: Partner since 2007 ? Peninsula YMCA in southeast Virginia ? 1 metro office, 16 branches in region ? 50,000 members

Constant Contact benefits : ? Email marketing builds engagement

with members, volunteers, donors ? Templates ensure strongly

unified brand ? Predictable delivery allows

list growth ? Survey tool supports continuous improvement

| (888) 606-7313

? 2013 Constant Contact, Inc. 13-3333

Case Study

Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA

for newsletters, membership campaigns and some fundraising and volunteering messaging. By doing this, the metro office keeps the Y's brand strong in branch emails and can push specific content directly into branch-owned Constant Contact accounts. They even worked with Constant Contact's design team to have a custom newsletter template designed for the branches to use.

Engaged and connected With local stories, photos, event notices and volunteer and fundraising opportunities, the monthly branch newsletters engage members and participants. But the highlight is always the program schedule. "I always see a bump in program use after I send out my newsletter," says Bobbi Jones, Membership Director at the Hampton Family YMCA. "People always tell me how happy they are to receive it. Because more program use means better membership adherence, that monthly email newsletter really connects us and makes us stronger."

Emails also link to each branch's Facebook and Twitter accounts. "Connecting to social media lets us continue and expand that conversation," says Melanie. "Right now we're inviting people to tell us how the Y has changed their lives."

Growing membership, improving service Using Constant Contact, Peninsula Y has integrated its efforts to grow membership. Each branch participates in three annual membership campaigns, targeting lapsed members or those not taking advantage of programs. Almost half of all new members are referred by current members, enticed by direct or forwarded email communication.

The metro office also uses Constant Contact Online Survey in two interesting ways. It polls members twice a year on their experience, using the insight to continually improve. And it tests employees, after video training, on their knowledge of the Peninsula Y brand.

The broader vision "Constant Contact really helps us strengthen our community," says Liz Allen of Northern Neck YMCA. "For me, that's the most important part of our mission. Whether it's giving people the courage to lose some weight or getting kids or seniors involved, that regular contact inspires people to participate for their own health."

And email marketing helps the Y communicate its broader vision beyond fitness. "A fit community is critically important, but we go farther by helping out people in need," says Melanie. "Constant Contact makes it easy to tell that bigger story."

For more information or to get started with Constant Contact's Nonprofit Program, call (888) 606-7313 or visit ConstantContact. com/nonprofits.

"Constant Contact makes it easy to quickly reach a broad or targeted audience. I love using it."

Bobbi Jones, Hampton Family YMCA

"I can't imagine doing this without Constant Contact."

Liz Allen, Northern Neck Family YMCA

"If we didn't have Constant Contact helping us with our regular communication, we wouldn't be as strong an organization as we are today. They would have to increase my budget."

Melanie Erickson, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA

| (888) 606-7313

? 2013 Constant Contact, Inc. 13-3333

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