Accelerant

This week on the Accelerant, we continue our deep dive into Lead Management in Daxko Engage. We’re speaking again with Daxko Product Manager, Charlie Peters about the 18-month long project it took to create new prospecting tools that are now being used across the Movement. We also spoke about how Lead Management changes the way YMCA organizations look for new prospective sales opportunities both inside and outside their facilities. Later, we continue our conversation with YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee’s District Executive, Krista Bold on the future of Lead Management and how it can continue to grow as we all navigate a return to normalcy.

Show notes to come.

We launched season 2 with the intention of bringing forward important stories from the pandemic. What we ended up finding were stories that offer lessons beyond these trying times, especially as we navigate into a brighter future. In this episode, Accelerant host Saranda West highlights some key lessons from previous episodes, and outlines important and inspiring data about the recovery of nonprofit organizations around the country.  

In this episode, Michael Farris shares stories of his work as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the YMCA of the USA. Michael sees current diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the Movement as a direct thread from foundational philosophies spelled out by Y founder, George Williams, more that 130 years ago. These initiatives seek to unravel issues of race, socio-economic status, and marginalization in our country, and provide solidarity for people who experience such disparities.  It is through this commitment to building equitable community that the Y is able to maintain healthy relationships and address systemic problems that affect everyone.  

 Contributing to Broader Systemic Change  

The first stop for Michael is to address systemic problems. If we are putting band-aids on systemic issues, we aren’t solving for an eroding foundation. This means we only resolving a symptom of a greater problem that will manifest in new ways down the road.  

 Hear Critical Conversations as Passion and Care  

It is far too easy to engage our emotional reactions to critical questions and conversations. Shifting our reactions to hear critical views as an expression of passion and care toward a better future helps build systems rooted in trust and truth.  

 Collaboration is Key  

The only way to unravel these deep-seated issues is through collaboration. If this work is done in isolation, the same problems will continue to be present. Through addressing the needs for broader systemic change with passion and care, we can find new paths forward together.  

This interview was recorded on April 8, 2021   

Starting with the question, “How can we pull repetitive tasks off our directors so they can serve the mission at a greater capacity?” Natalie has been laser focused on streamlining business processes. From manning the front desk and folding towels, to memberships and business processes, Natalie Johnson’s Y career spans from South Florida to Pikes Peak, Colorado.  

In her new venture as the Vice President of Customer Transactions at the YMCA Managed Service Organization, Natalie is trailblazing a new path and sharing her passion for helping YMCAs find better operational processes. Listen how in this week’s episode of the Accelerant.  

• As Paperless as Possible 

Innovating in the midst of a pandemic, Natalie’s team found ways to go from nearly 80% to 100% paperless. Using their website and their operational platform powered by Daxko, they found greater efficiency to scale processes, access to vital membership information, and curate the best member experience. 

• Data Quality 

One core area the MSO specializes in is ensuring the data needed to function properly is accurate, including helping Y’s evaluate if their operating system is set up to count members correctly. 

• Own Your Calendar 

Natalie’s skill in driving operational health shows up in her life and personal practices. In blocking time between meetings, Natalie ensure she has space to prioritize her wellbeing. While easier said than done, she noted saying it out loud or setting that intention helps ensure you respect that time for yourself.  

This episode was recorded on April 12, 2021. 

This week’s Accelerant BONUS episode will inspire hope for a brighter future. On February 16th, Daxko hosted its inaugural Accelerate Leadership Roundtable with leaders from the movement including Kurtis Dawson (President and CEO at the YMCA Southern Arizona), Todd Rockoff (President and CEO at the Tusconn JCC), and Theresa Johnson (Chief Development and Marketing Officer at the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region). In this episode, your host Saranda West talks with Daxko CEO, Ron Lamb, about key insights from the webinar including new community partnerships, how to get creative with virtual offerings, and how they changed each found a unique rallying cry to support staff and community morale. Listen to these three leaders discuss their response to the pandemic and hear Ron’s thoughts on the emotional qualities of industry recovery.  

Click this link to hear the entire webinar 

 With a three-generation personal history in the Y, David Thompson’s Y roots run deep. He has remained engaged in his community through various roles in many different branches around the country. As the current Group Vice President for the YMCA of Greater Dayton, David shares lessons in gratitude that have carried him through the pandemic, and give him hope in the future of The Movement.   

• Broad Focused Roles: David’s role blends branch operations and marketing. The context switching between these duties helps him develop a holistic picture of the Y, informing marketing strategy, and giving him a chance to engage directly with members of the community. Evaluating community perception of new offerings, training staff on new tactics, and getting marketing feedback on the fly all help David make quick campaign adjustments to ensure success. 
• Digital Footprint: We all know about changes in virtual offerings, but David wants to take it further. What about QR codes and touchless options for membership and program sign-up? And what about a strong push to maintain virtual meetings for parents and staff? A strong digital footprint is vital to recovery and can open interesting avenues to serve the community even beyond the pandemic.  
• Choose Happiness: Changing minds and hearts starts with your own. At some level, as David points out, we are choosing to be content. For David, even in the toughest situations, it is important to find silver linings, engage members in hope, and continue serving a mission driven incentive.  

This interview took place on March 26, 2021  

This Accelerant Bonus Episode is a reworking of our interview with Carolyn Grady from season 1. As the Senior VP of Development for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Carolyn offers key insights in fundraising and recovery. She shares how her team shifted perspective and adopted new practices in the 2020’s drastically different fundraising landscape.  

 In this episode:  

• Hear Caroyln’s new strategies for driving donations in a seemingly ever-changing landscape. 
• Gather key insights about donation data for nonprofits around the country. 
• Gain hope in the vitality of community centers. People have witnessed your impact for over a year want to be involved.  

 The original episode was released May 19, 2020  

Mike Cassidy’s 35-year career with the YMCA started as a weight room attendant in Arizona and continued to develop to his current role as COO at the YMCA of the East Bay. In each step of his journey, Mike felt the importance of staying planted to truly hone an entrepreneurial and creative attitude. For Mike, this has included a deep investigation into vulnerabilities of the Y Movement, and seeking affective solutions. This type of creative thinking served Mike and his branch well throughout the pandemic. Key takeaways in this episode include:  

 -Vulnerability as Opportunity- addressing our weak spots can help us blossom. Mike realized some key areas within his Y that could use some scrubbing, like requiring paper forms instead of online registration, and losing members to more expensive facilities. weight machines that don’t address members’ holistic fitness goals.   

-Member Results Biased Program Strategy-this all began with a shift to functional fitness. Noticing that this type of exercise relies on natural movements of the body, Mike realized that building a functional fitness affiliate within their Y would help them prevent membership loss and better serve a range of fitness levels. Members of all ages are now able to engage in this programming and see improved fitness results from their efforts. 

 -Redesigned Fitness Centers- In adopting a program strategy rooted in results and data, Mike was able to see benefit in redesigning the space toward these efforts of achieving members’ goals. This was a heavy lift with lots of moving parts and coordination, but ultimately led to major growth in membership joins.  

This interview took place on March 19, 2020.  

Any conversation with Constance Miller involves the masterful weaving of beautiful metaphor, engaging storytelling, and impactful data. Constance’s rare mix of poetic intuition and research experience makes her uniquely qualified to share important insight about the role nonprofits have on their communities around the country. You have heard bits of this in the QuantCorner from previous episodes, but in this episode we focus in in the incredible depth of Constance’s knowledge. 

 
Episode 3, “When the World Changes, Our Questions Change” features Constance’s thoughts on:

·      Stabilizing Trends. A year ago when the pandemic began, data and insights shifted hourly or daily. Now, the industry is seeing more stability, giving hope for continued healing in organizations and communities as we move forward.  

·       Pivoting on a Dime. Even with data constantly shifting early in the pandemic, one constant was the ability for nonprofit organizations to meet the ever-changing needs of their communities. This was reflected in rising donations, emergency childcare for essential workers, outreach to seniors, virtual check-ins, and so much more.

·      Data or Insight? Learn the important distinction between data and insight. Together, these numbers—and  the stories they tell—enrich  the impact of nonprofits and provide proof points on what communities need.
  
 This interview was recorded March 4, 2021.