The YMCA of San Francisco
Shaping a 150-Year Old Brand
The Challenge: The YMCA means something to nearly everyone, so the YMCA of San Francisco was uncertain about how to clearly communicate its brand.
Our Approach: Fenton conducted research with key audience groups, including program participants, staffers, board members and community partners to learn what they most appreciated about the YMCA. The organization had struggled with shorthand descriptions of its services to fit all the branches. So it was an eye-opener to discover that audiences identified the diversity of its community programs as its strongest asset.
Fenton developed a Brand Promise and Brand Story for the YMCA’s association office and more than 14 branches, emphasizing the custom approach they take to meeting the unique needs of each community. We then developed a communications plan that included: building a storybank with the Chinatown YMCA; community outreach with the Bayview/Hunters Point YMCA; and media relations priorities. The team focused on those that best delivered the message of community-based service, such as water safety messages or general safety messages.
Fenton also provided crisis communications counsel and spokesperson trainings to anticipate branch closures and moves.
Progress, Accelerated: When branch transitions were announced, staff members and volunteers were prepared to deliver key messages and release important information on a strategic timeline, which helped to address and defuse community questions and concerns. The YMCA of San Francisco has built a relationship with community reporters, engaged new community and funding partners and is poised to relaunch its brand this summer, aligned with a national change in communications priorities.
