The Caine Halter Family YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Greenville, adopts an unconventional fundraising strategy with their Building a Brighter Tomorrow capital campaign. The mission of the initiative is to raise $6 million for various projects and renovations around the Y.
The biggest goal is building the DynaDome, a retractable enclosure system over the outdoor pool. Other initiatives include repurposing tennis courts so they can be used for multiple sports, renovating outdoor fields, adding an outdoor pavilion and refreshing the gymnasium.
“Each component of the campaign enhances or builds our capacity to serve more folks in our community participating in our programs and using these spaces,” said Brian Vest, the district executive director for the Caine Halter Family YMCA and Verdae YMCA. “We’re seeing members’ excitement for the specific thing they’ll benefit from or knowing things are getting a needed upgrade. It’s cool to have a project with so many niches that cross service areas.”
Reasoning Behind the Campaign
Raising a large sum of money for multiple projects versus a traditional method was made to get more people involved. Because the pool area, sports courts and a variety of other recreational areas will receive renovations, athletes and more general members are incentivized to give.
“We had to prioritize which projects we wanted to include with the campaign,” said Vest. “By presenting them as a larger collective unit, we would have the opportunity to throw a wider net and invite more folks to donate. It gives us a way to engage with our whole community in the fundraising.”
A Two-Phase Plan
After the brainstorming phase, the Y moved into an eight-to-10-month private phase. During this, they asked individual donors who have shown their support to the YMCA in the past. They connected with advocates and past supporters by outlining the fundraising plan to them before going public. This kickstarted the fundraising before the capital campaign was announced to the community.
Along with reinforcing the connections with those donors, the private phase allowed the YMCA to move the campaign into the public phase with the goal closer within reach. Already, half of the funds were raised, and the public phase was announced on October 16.
“Everybody wants to be a part of a winning team,” said Vest. “With two phases, we can more easily show the community and potential supporters we’re moving in the right direction. We’re going to reach the finish line. It’s motivating for potential donors to want to be a part of something that’s going to be a success.”
Organization is Key
According to Vest, organizing and thinking ahead is pivotal for projects like this. The Caine Halter Family YMCA gathered information, statistics and stories to bolster their marketing and promotional content long before they began asking for donations. This ensures teams are well informed about the mission and goals of the project and everyone is on the same page.
“You can’t underestimate the planning process,” said Vest. “We were intentional about building the core group of volunteers. We had a plan with all our marketing materials, naming opportunities and other details all lined up. That went a long way for us both in our competence and ability to move quickly.”
Being intentional and creative in fundraising strategies can lead to many great changes in your rec center. The Caine Halter Family YMCA is close to achieving their financial goal. Along the way, they’ve also closer to their community, which is eager to help.
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