The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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December 14, 2009

YMCA aims to broaden its appeal

More than a swim and gym

By Robb Murray

MANKATO — The Mankato Family YMCA is just another swim and gym. Right?

Just a place to pump a little iron, take the kids for swimming lessons or challenge your buddy to a game of racquetball. Not much more to it than that. Right?

If you agree, you’re probably not alone. You’re also in possession of the mindset the YMCA leadership hopes to transform in the coming months.

The Y’s attributes are many and well known: state of the art workout equipment, on-site day care, gorgeous aerobics studio, etc.

But what most people don’t know is how much work the Y does to help the community’s less fortunate.

John Kind, the YMCA’s new CEO, has launched a new campaign to let the community know the good the Y does.

Case in point: A year ago, 8 percent of the Y’s membership received some kind of financial assistance. This year, that number has jumped to 13 percent.

“I’ve had people crying in my office, telling me they don’t want to lose their membership,” Kind said. “I’ve told them, ‘Of course we’ll help.’ And people are surprised to hear me say that.”

The challenge for the Y is this: To help those who can’t pay their full membership fees, they need to attract more people who can.

Kind says the money to help those less fortunate comes from the many members who can afford to pay full price. Getting more of those in the door is at the heart of the effort to continue the Y’s mission of helping everyone.

The economy hasn’t helped much, either. David Wittenberg, chairman of the Y’s board of directors, says the membership numbers have dipped slightly. That’s to be expected, he said, when the economy worsens.

But he said he’s not worried about the Mankato Family YMCA.

“We feel you get such a great value from the Y,” Wittenberg said. “We’re much more than just a fitness center.”

Said Kind, “I tell people, ‘You need the Y now more than ever. You need something that can make you feel good.’”

And with the new awareness campaign, “feeling good” is being defined in several ways.

Joe Tougas, the Y’s relatively new marketing director, has put together a new advertising strategy that is steeped in casualness. They’re running print and broadcast ads.

The central message — “Who knew working out could make you feel so good?” — is to remind people that a portion of their membership dues are used to help those who can’t afford to come.

“We haven’t made a conscious effort to communicate who we are until now,” Kind said.

Tougas said they plan to transform the Y’s image a bit, too. Instead of a place just to come and work out or swim, they hope people begin to consider the Y as a community gathering place.

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