Tag Archives: YMCA

State of the YMCA Industry: Post-NAYDO 2013

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We’re smack dab in the middle of two big YMCA events – NAYDO 2013 Conference back in April and General Assembly coming up in July. So as we travel mentally and physically from Vancouver to Philadelphia, let’s take a look back at some trends and happenings from NAYDO:

Top trends for YMCAs in 2013

1. How mobile can help YMCAs engage their members - About 80% (informal poll) of the YMCAs we spoke to at NAYDO are focusing on providing their members with some sort of mobile app or mobile site. These organizations are focusing on providing mobile access to programs, particularly group fitness classes. 

Download a free ePaper about mobile.

2. Understanding donor history and needs - YMCAs want data on their donors and easier access to it. They want to be able to look at donation history and target emails to the individual rather than spray messages to a huge list.  Continue reading →

3 Negative Trends to Reverse in Your Community

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In recent years, humans (and particularly kids) have become increasingly sedentary. This trend is affecting mental and physical health as well as healthcare costs. But a few weeks ago, ACTIVE customers from parks and rec agencies, collegiate rec departments, YMCAs and other community organizations gathered at our user conference to discuss these issues.  Continue reading →

24 Activities That Will Get Young Professionals Through Your Doors

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Yuppies. Say what you want about them, but they have incomes and a general affinity for the hottest fitness trend, class, and activity. They also take to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram before, during and after participating in a cool activity. Doesn’t that sound like an ideal customer? Depending on the demographics of your community, you could tap into the young professional market with some new and trendy offerings.

To help you understand what young professionals are looking for, here is a list of activities that are currently trendy in the 20 – 30 year old range:  Continue reading →

Top 4 Myths About ‘The Cloud’

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Even in 2013, ‘the cloud‘ is still confusing. I guess that’s what we get for using such a wispy term to describe what pretty much is ‘the internet’. But when people reference ‘the cloud’, it’s usually in relation to things like software, storage and computing. So it’s fair to consider ‘the cloud’ and ‘cloud computing’ to be virtually the same thing: software that is passed over the internet.
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4 Ways To Engage Your YMCA Members (Outside Its 4 Walls)

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If you’re reading this, you are probably involved with YMCAs in some capacity. And since you’re in the industry and we’re a software company, we won’t be talking about how you can better engage your members on a human level or in person. You’ve got that down.

But we do know technology, so this blog post will cover some ways you can interact with your members through newer media and tools. Here are 4 ways to improve member engagement when they aren’t at your facilities: Continue reading →

Y the Cloud? On Greater San Antonio YMCA’s Move to the Cloud

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One of our biggest YMCA customers, Greater San Antonio, is migrating from Class® software to ACTIVE Net™. I know, I know. What’s the big deal, right? A customer is switching from one of our software systems to another. Although the move itself may not directly impact you today, it speaks to a much more important trend across the YMCA industry: YMCAs are moving to the cloud.   Continue reading →

4 Content Marketing Ideas for Your YMCA

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Here’s a quick test to see if you do content marketing: Does your YMCA have a Facebook page that you post to regularly? Does it have a blog? Do you distribute flyers or program guides? If you answered yes to any, you’re officially a content marketer.

But content marketing encompasses so many channels and techniques that it is kind of vague. So let’s take a stab at understanding the goal of content marketing in order to demonstrate it’s importance for your YMCA. Content marketing is done in order to “attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action” (CMI). Translation: you want to increase participation and want more families, members, and participants. In order to attract them, you create marketing materials like articles, flyers, tweets, and brochures so your audience can find you.  Continue reading →

How 10 ACTIVE Customers are Celebrating B. C.’s First Family Day

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Source: WhistlerBlackcomb.com

Source: WhistlerBlackcomb.com

Today British Columbia added Family Day as an official holiday for the first time. Happy inaugural Family Day B. C.! As for the other provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan) that have celebrated Family Day on the third Monday of February for years, happy early Family Day to you, too! For those of you not familiar with this holiday, it was created for families to spend quality time together. In addition, the long weekend breaks up the stretch between New Year’s and Good Friday.

ACTIVE wants to take this opportunity to wish our Burnaby office and B.C. customers a Happy Family Day! But on top of that, our mission is to connect people with the things they love, want and need to do. Since family time fits right into ACTIVE’s mission, we’re excited that Canadian families are celebrating by engaging with some of our customers:  Continue reading →

Top 5 Things You Can Pickpocket from e-Retailers

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As a recreation professional, you may be wondering, “What does my website have to do with Amazon and eBay?” Although you probably won’t be selling billions of dollars online, you share the same strategy. Whereas Staples.com wants a website visitor to buy a printer or reserve paper for in-store pickup, you want customers to sign up for a Yoga class, buy a membership to the gym, or book the indoor soccer field for a birthday party.

Since four of the biggest e-retailers have this process down to a science, it’s time for you to steal some ideas. Check out these five website strategies you can implement today:  Continue reading →

6 Ways to Capitalize on Resolutions Through Facebook

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Resolutions are in full swing (and you know a lot of them are exercise based), so it’s time for your recreation agency to capitalize. Some organizations have already put a plan in place through social media. Check out these six Facebook posts below to get some ideas about how you can inspire your own customer base to fulfill resolutions:  Continue reading →