Over the last two years, the YMCA has conducted an extensive national market research project to determine perceptions and understanding of our organization from both the general public as well as key influencers on a local and national stage. The results of this research told us something that may not be a complete surprise: while the YMCA enjoys high name recognition, the majority of our members as well as the general public do not clearly understand or grasp the YMCA’s greater impact on its community.
Most individuals see the YMCA as offering a wide variety of activities, but they do not identify a consistent cause or unifying purpose behind them. In other words, most people see us as more focused on offering programs and activities for individuals to take part in than being an organization that is driven by a consistent, common cause to help its community.
In order to re-educate and make people more aware of the great work being performed by YMCAs across the county, the YMCA Movement is launching a national revitalization to re-establish our YMCAs as a cause-based organization working with a common goal of strengthening our communities.
To help us accomplish those tasks, you will begin to see a change in the public face of the YMCA. This will include new messaging centered around three main key points and a more contemporary logo with vibrant color combinations. These changes will provide a fresh look to the YMCA logo but they retain the inverted triangle to connect us to our 160-year legacy as an organization.
Many things important to us all remain unchanged – the YMCA Mission, our core values and our local Vision and Strategic Plan will remain central to our work.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth has begun a plan for local implementation which include a series of presentations about the YMCA’s new message and branding initiative for our volunteers as well as staff training, member education and more.
We believe the brand revitalization can help us uncover significant potential within our YMCAs and help us to better communicate our greater impact. It is expected that this process can take up to three years to fully incorporate, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth is committed to putting our resources, our time and our best efforts into the implementation of this effort. This will be an exciting time for the YMCA as we work together to strengthen the foundations of our communities.
To learn more, visit www.ymca.net.