Staff Newsletter | Tuesday, October 5, 2021
“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:4
Prior to COVID, I was someone who needed to be reminded to celebrate the victories our Y achieved along the way a bit more than I did. I tend to be more understated when it comes to our accomplishments, but, as I have discovered during these past 19 months, it is critical to acknowledge the positives whenever we can. We have faced tremendous adversity over an extended period, and it is beginning to weigh heavy. Acknowledging the many great things accomplished by our team is important for our mindset. As Bruce Caudill acknowledged to me a few weeks ago, “It is nothing short of miraculous how our team continues to advance.” There is no quit in our team.
Last week, Loren Johnson shared with the financial development team that he had secured a $400,000 check to help advance the New Y on Pearl Street project (formally known as the Scott and Sis Names Family YMCA). This was a real jolt of energy for our organization; the project has been on pause for the duration of the pandemic, but Loren’s 37-year relationship with the donor instantly changed that. As Jessie Palmer shared in Friday’s Staying Connected call, the New Y on Pearl Street project is the most important project for our Y. The Morgan Family Y turned 44 this past September 14, and as Jessie reported, the building will require significant capital investments in the next few years to maintain operations. The Morgan center has been the flagship for our association for many years, and it is time to recommit our focus to rebuilding a new center, one the Tacoma community can rally around. We have raised $16.5 million to date and Loren has given our effort – and our entire organization – a much-needed shot in the arm. Thank you, Loren; we needed that.
It was a big week for our fundraising team. Carol Kowalski, with help from Kris Jensen and Toby Roberts, hosted the 10th Annual Row 2 Ballers Breakfast. The Ballers are a huge part of the Morgan Y story, as original members and significant donors in support of the Y. The breakfast was a tremendous example of donor stewardship and it resulted in $58,000 raised on the day of the breakfast, with a number of key significant donors who were unable to attend still expected to contribute. We believe this event will raise over $100,000. Given the current financial challenges we continue to face, it makes this effort extremely powerful and vital to our Y.
We talk about levers we can pull in order to create positive revenue opportunities for our Y. Membership is still the primary driver, with childcare and early learning making an increasingly important contribution; school districts’ contracts are also adding an important component to the overall revenue picture. Fundraising, though, is a critical lever for revenue as well as a vehicle for us to raise awareness of the impact we have in people’s lives. Unfortunately, as Toko Thompson has reported, we have been tracking behind in our efforts to raise money in 2021. Yes, there is less foot traffic in our centers, but our story is strong – our Y has stepped up big throughout the pandemic to deliver vital services to a community that needs us.
When Toby became the executive director of the Lakewood Family Y, the financial development team was reduced to just four staff. Kristy Kunkle (now Sarah Homan filling in while Kristy is on maternity leave) and Corrie Rae are managing all the donor pledges and collections, Carol is leading the annual campaign as well as our endowment and planned giving programs, and Jessie is managing the all-important grant efforts. This team has performed gallantly, but I recently made the decision to add reinforcements. We just brought on James Harper to work with Jessie on securing essential grants. James is a fantastic addition to our team; Toby has coined the duo of Jessie and James as the “Jessie James Grant Slingers.” The addition of James also frees up Jessie to lead the critical capital campaigns to build the new Y, plus the two field projects in Gig Harbor and Sumner. In addition to welcoming James to the team, we intend to add a key staff person to take the lead on the annual campaign. Carol is hoping we can bring a new staff person onto the team within the next few weeks; she has informed me we have a strong pool of candidates, and whomever we select will come in running.
Throughout these past 19 months, the one theme that has held true has been the need to adapt to the changing circumstances. In every case, though, we have responded and met the need. We are now in the final quarter of 2021. After the Row 2 Ballers breakfast, we will have approximately $900,000 to raise toward our $3 million goal. As Carol has shared with us, there is approximately $750,000 in contributions from 2020 that have not yet been secured; this is a critical lever we can pull, and it is an opportunity for all of us to rally together to make it happen. Our team has heeded every call and never flinched. It is truly an honor to be a part of this team.
#StayStrong #StayWithUs