How YMCA360 is helping community rec centers create the ultimate connected community.
COVID-19 may have expedited the expansion of virtual fitness options, but the need for fitness centers to enter the digital space was around well before the pandemic hit. Pre-virus, the Greater Wichita YMCA in Wichita, Kansas was strategizing how to bring the people, places and programs of the Y to members even when they couldn’t physically make it to one of the 10 branch locations. As president and CEO, I knew members’ shifting habits and increasingly mobile lifestyles were changing the landscape of health and wellness. Keeping the Y brand relevant meant keeping up with the times, and that is what led to the creation of YMCA360.
From the start, YMCA360 was an ambitious project with national implications I insisted be done right with high-quality production and best-in-class systems. That led to joining forces with Dan Dieffenbach, the executive producer of YMCA360. Launched publicly earlier this year, YMCA360 has become the ultimate connected community with new partners – small and large Ys, single locations and associations – added on almost a daily basis.
YMCA360 was never intended to be a substitute for the community that lives inside Y branches. It was designed to serve as a value-added benefit for Y members and an opportunity for areas not served by Ys to join the movement in an affordable way.
Partners of YMCA360 benefit from a cost-sharing model that makes it possible to offer such advanced technology in their areas. Currently, members at 242 partner Y locations across the country have access to 700+ pieces of on-demand and livestreaming content for the mind, body and spirit through mobile, web and TV.
When speaking with Anne Brigis, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Long Island, she said her team simply didn’t have the resources to execute a full digital experience for members, but when they saw what YMCA360 was delivering, they were in awe and without hesitation joined the partnership.
“From Day One, the YMCA360 team has shown their dedication to bringing Ys together to create a seamless experience and bring programs and classes to members of all ages and interests,” said Brigis. “The technology is fantastic, the content is powerful and the experience is effortless. YMCA360 has exceeded our expectations.”
With a library of exercise classes, sports videos, nutrition and cooking classes, personal training, art instruction and more, there’s nothing else like YMCA360 on the market today.
“We have set ourselves apart from all others by the sheer scope and quality of what we offer,” said Deiffenbach. “YMCA360 videos are filmed in high-end studios featuring Y instructors and experts who are trusted and sought after in their communities. These aren’t actors, they are real people who form real connections with their students.”
YMCA360 continues to grow by the day with a new search feature and other enhancements that allow partner Ys to customize content specific to their location just introduced. The ymca360.org website provides an in-depth look at this robust digital experience. Comments, suggestions and inquiries about becoming a partner are welcome anytime at info@ymca360.org.
This article was written by Ronn McMahon, the president and CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA, in conjunction with Dan Dieffenbach, the executive producer of YMCA360.
*Photo courtesy of the Greater Wichita YMCA
