How the YMCA of the North Shore became part of the Daxko family with streamlined processes, accurate and robust data, and more.
The YMCA of the North Shore is comprised of seven locations, 70,000 program and facility members, 2,000 employees, and spread throughout 25 communities. As an organization with such a large reach, it was important to have the right customer relationship management (CRM) partner, and Daxko was able to address that need for the North Shore team.
“Daxko has been a valued and trusted partner of the Y for years,” said Gerald MacKillop, the chief operations officer at the YMCA of the North Shore. “Daxko is going to be so much more than a CRM and operating system for us, and that’s what our team is most excited about.”
The YMCA of the North Shore has been a customer of Daxko for a few months now, and while they haven’t begun the configuration process yet, MacKillop said everything they’ve expected since formally engaging Daxko has been realized. “We’re in the process of readying our Y for this monumental change and we’re already experiencing the partnership and collaboration we expected based on feedback from other Ys,” he said. “The Daxko team is in tune with our organization’s ambition to configure and launch this technology to the best of our ability. They have listened, offered advice, and held our goals and priorities as their own.”
Luke Ellerman, an account executive at Daxko, said MacKillop and his team were gracious to allow Daxko to spend hours learning about the Y’s current processes and desired state. “Without this information, it would be nearly impossible to show value in a new system,” said Ellerman. “My favorite part of working with the North Shore team is the opportunity to take in current pain-points and big picture strategic plans to find solutions that will provide the opportunity for growth to meet their goals.”
While there’s a variety of partners available in the industry, MacKillop said they decided to partner with Daxko because it provides the best solutions to its two highest impact priorities: member engagement and the ability for the leadership team to better understand the Y through robust reporting and data.
“We want our members to have the same exceptional experience electronically as they do in our Y,” said MacKillop. “And if the pandemic has taught us anything, organizational leaders must rely on accurate and timely data to help inform decision making.”
Learn More: Communicate Your Impact with Daxko, the Digital Storytellers
Because member engagement is one of the highest priorities for the Y, MacKillop added Daxko’s ability to provide a 360-degree view of members is a key benefit. With this new view, the Y will better understand member engagement and needs while gaining opportunities to foster a more fruitful relationship with them. Daxko’s streamlined communication tools, simple registration and account management platform, as well as easy-to-implement options for connecting members to the mission of the Y, are features MacKillop and his team are most looking forward to.
Ellerman elaborated having accurate and dependable data with a 360-degree profile of everyone impacted by your community recreation center is necessary for making effective and informed decisions. “Your members and individuals in your community look to you because of the community impact you provide, as well as the relationships formed,” he said. “Your role is to provide every possible avenue to allow those impacts to be made, providing your center with unmatched value. In order to scale these efforts, automation through accurate and real-time data is a must.”
As a large nonprofit, MacKillop emphasized the need to better leverage CRM, another aspect Daxko is going to afford staff the opportunity to do. “Daxko is going to significantly streamline the administrative components of our business,” he said. “Ultimately, that means improved customer service and more staff time available for innovation and personal engagement in our Ys. The intuitive platform and ease of use will result in better processes, cleaner data and greater efficiency.”
When striking up a new partnership, you don’t always expect to be pleasantly surprised, but it is exciting when it happens. MacKillop shared because childcare is roughly 45% of the North Shore Y’s business, it’s important for them to ensure they are doing everything possible to maintain that percentage. This was something they needed a partner to understand.
“Initially, we were not entirely sure Daxko could provide a sufficient solution for managing a large, robust, high-quality childcare operation, but we were pleasantly surprised,” said MacKillop. “Solutions to meet the needs of our families, a streamlined registration process and the ability to understand waitlists, attendance tracking, etc. were all very impressive. I am eager to get this tool into our organization to help meet the most pressing need of our community – childcare.”
Daxko’s ability to understand the needs of their partners is a key aspect for the North Shore Y, not only in the areas of childcare and member engagement, but also in its goals for growth and sustainability. “The team at Daxko — through their investment in collaboration and deeper understanding of our particular Y — is poised to help us achieve our goals for growth and sustainability,” said MacKillop. “I appreciate how well they know their Y clients, and this was evident throughout the evaluation process.”
Learn More: User-Friendly Software for Staff and Members
From his three years of experience on the Daxko team, Ellerman elaborated on what it means to be a partner and why it looks different for everyone. “Working with hundreds of centers across the country allows Daxko the privilege to have trends, best practices, data points and more,” said Ellerman. “Because of this, our team can be the partner you are looking for to take your operations to the next level and see the results that lead to meeting your strategic goals. If you are looking for a technology partner and not just a vendor, I hope you will include Daxko in your evaluation to see how we can support your team and community.”
There are many partners to choose from, and when comparing software options there are likely certain features and aspects that will set potential partners apart from the competition. For MacKillop, responsiveness is what put Daxko ahead of the crowd.
“Speaking to our Y colleagues around the country, we heard loud and clear how responsive and open to feedback the Daxko team is, and more so, how quickly things get resolved,” MacKillop said. “Every software system has bumps from time to time, but having a partner on the other end to help resolve, brainstorm and address the issues is something our Y is ready and excited for. Lastly, we could not overlook the opportunity to work more closely with other Y’s around the nation as we all look to recover from the pandemic. Being part of the Daxko family will only strengthen our relationships across the movement.”
Produced in partnership with Daxko. To learn more or request a demo, contact marketing@daxko.com.
