“Most of our organizations have been around for 100 years,” said Amy Durbin, the SVP of membership and programs at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. “So keep being resilient and flexible. It’s what we’re good at. We’ve made it through a lot, so continue to hold onto that and your mission.” Durbin’s words above were said during the Leadership Challenges roundtable at the 2025 Community Rec Leadership Summit at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
While the focus of this specific roundtable was current challenges leaders are facing at the start of 2025, the sentiment expressed by Durbin matched the overall theme of this year’s Summit — the work at community recreation centers changes lives. Therefore, continue making a difference despite whatever roadblock may pop up.
For three days, leaders from YMCAs, JCCs, the Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army, and Parks and Rec — alongside limited sponsors — convened on the topics of building impactful collaborations, health and wellness trends, expanding membership and community reach, and leadership challenges and solutions. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from each roundtable and the technology trends panel at the this year’s Community Rec Leadership Summit:
Building Impactful Collaborations
- Partnerships with hospitals, school districts, local government, sports leagues, major entities and vendors all provide strong opportunities.
- Brian McLaughlin, the Sr. EVP and COO of the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South said his YMCA partners with the local school district to provide free tutoring to over 4,000 students. This led to partnering with FedEx to provide meals across Tennessee.
- Ensure a shared vision and values exists with potential partners and that both sides have an equal voice.
- Measure partnership success by tracking membership and sports growth. Track engagement of program participants, how many new calls are coming in and occupancy rate of rooms and compare your metrics to local metrics on issues.
- Survey your impact on the community through survey and develop your own KPIs.
Health and Wellness Trends
- Brian Steffen, the CEO of the Eugene Family YMCA, said his YMCA monetizes therapy chairs and they currently have them on a three-year lease. They’re so popular the YMCA has already made its money back on them.
- Long-term effects of GLP-1s are still unknown but embrace this trend with marketing. Partner with experts in this field who have expertise in this area.
- Onboard staff and members with new fitness equipment that has technology. Embrace integration of technology as it increases retention. Incorporate gamified fitness information into your center’s culture.
- Guarantee easy and clear ways to see fitness results and progress. Brace for extra costs but look for partnerships with vendors. Successful training ensures you get the best ROI.
- Look for entities who can provide access to therapy not offered at rec centers. Create community spaces where in-house mental courses be more common.
Expanding Membership and Community Reach
- Chris Johnson, the CEO of the Countryside YMCA, said one way to extend community reach is to offer immediate financial assistance to those who need it by offering prospective members 30 days to work through payment details.
- Be proactive by reaching out to members whose check-ins are decreasing. Provide services that set you apart from competitors. Do this through programming, achievement, relationships and belonging.
- Commit to more intentional marketing, as there’s a lack of community awareness right now. Oversell your product. Close ratios with staff who might not be salespeople.
- Strategies to engage populations include hiring staff who represent everyone in the community, opening your facility to the community for events and establishing your center as a safe space.
Leadership Challenges and Solutions
- Joshua Sandoval, an executive director at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, said one strategy is to move your grant funding in-state to avoid potential federal budget cuts.
- There could be immediate impact with funding for programs like Head Start and like 21st Century. Prepare for shifts in city funding as well.
- Socialize more with donors and commit even more to advocacy. Use alliances for lobbying.
- Be open with your staff and watch their mental loads.
- Maintain inclusive practices and ensure you mission remains unchanged. Disconnect from the political spectrum and remain apolitical.
- Keep your eyes on your overall mission, promote equity, maintain reserves and momentum despite new situations. Have calm decision-making and know the path forward.
Technology Trends and AI Panel
- Evaluate current tech stack and identify opportunities to pilot small, impactful AI projects. Develop a clear AI usage policy and provide consistent training for staff.
- Leverage free AI tools and experiment to get comfortable with the technology. Implement a hands-on training sessions for staff, explaining AI tools like LLM, GPT and ChatGPT.
- James McIntyre, the chief information officer at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, advised to implement custom GPTs for specific tasks and use Amazon’s private LLM for data security.
- AI can be used to automate and customize emails, making it easier to keep members engaged.
- Emphasize the need for a hybrid human-AI approach to improve engagement and predictive analytics.
- Pay great importance to data security and compliance in AI implementation. Start small with AI tools to minimize risks and maximize benefits. Stay curious and kind, and continuously test AI tools for potential benefits.
The Summit Is Back in 2026!
If you’re interested in such valuable networking opportunities, then mark your calendar. The 2026 Community Rec Leadership Summit will be held at the Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa, a luxury, four diamond-rated resort in Fernandina Beach, Florida, February 17-19. New attendee and sponsor spots are now open. Email john@peakemedia.com to learn how you can join us. Hope to see you there!
