“Everything is possible for one who believes.” – Mark 9:23
Today marks the completion of the second week of the four-week partial closure in which we are currently operating. Our team has responded valiantly throughout the past eight months, doing everything possible to keep us viable as an organization.
A week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, Amber Evans-Wynn (YMCA Center for Community Impact Senior Program Director) put out a request seeking support to provide a holiday meal for the families in her program. Toby Roberts (Association Director of Philanthropy) was quick to respond, securing a donation, and Amber was able to provide over 60 families a special holiday celebration.
On Wednesday morning, Loren Johnson (Property Management and Facilities Development Director) was meeting with the team at the Lakewood Family YMCA to find a solution for their outdoor facilities, enabling staff to deliver higher quality services to their members in hopes of keeping them more engaged.
Last week, our aquatics team added the option to allow two swimmers per lane, hoping to accommodate more of the member demand for lap swimming. The aquatics staff have been working hard to help our members access swim space, assisting them in navigating the reservation system to ensure maximum utilization. Between the lap lanes and the water fitness classes, staff have been able to maintain a very high use rate of the pool; in some cases, we are seeing as high as 95% capacity.
Last week, health and well-being staff were able to increase the number of outdoor classes and individual exercise options offered throughout our association. Staff were creative in adding tents to accommodate our members and make it feel a little cozier, while maintaining proper social distancing.
In addition to the aquatics and outdoor services, we also increased the number of programs offered on the virtual platform. In just a matter of days, our team shifted the entire schedule of in-person programs onto the virtual platform. It was a heroic effort.
Clearly, all staff were aware that the name of the game was to keep as many of our members involved and finding value to keep their membership accounts active as possible. At last count, active membership was slightly below 15,000 units, a threshold we feel is necessary to maintain our current operation.
During our November board of directors meeting, I shared how critical it is for us to stay operational, even if membership numbers get critically low. During the first closure, we could not use our pools nor did we have the ability to offer outdoor classes. During the 175 days of that first closure period, we experienced significant attrition in our membership, declining from a pre-COVID high of 46,000 units to 28,000 units when we reopened on September 7. Then, we dropped to 20,000 units upon the announcement of the governor’s most recent restrictions, and now we are at 14,877. Tara Bywater (Association Member Experience and Operations Director) points out that most of our members have kept their accounts on hold, a tribute to the tremendous work of the engagement team, who are engaging our members on an individual basis, guiding them to place their accounts on hold rather than cancel.
When we added gymnastics and in-person arts classes, even though the classes were small in number, the overall registrations were high, a clear indication that our members were eager to get back into the Y. We know from member comments that when we add back swim lessons, our enrollment will expand even more (and Brian is poised to reintroduce swim lessons in January if the guidelines permit it).
So, the pressing question is: how long can we continue operating? This is the question on all our minds, including our board of directors’. If the partial closure does come to end as scheduled on December 14, we believe many of our current on-hold members will activate their accounts. We hope to see that number increase to 20,000, as it was when this most recent closure began on November 17. We also believe that in January, typically a month where membership increases significantly with New Year’s resolutions, membership will experience a spike in growth. As mentioned earlier, Brian and the operations team are prepared to add back many youth programs, including swim lessons, which should ensure membership increasing significantly.
If, however, the governor extends the closure period, it begins to get a little bit more precarious for us. Toko Thompson (Chief Financial Officer) has built out a number of scenarios – one with us reopening December 15, one reopening January 1, and one reopening February 1. (She has one more, but I would rather not go there.) Toko has also entered two membership scenarios – 15,000 units and 10,000 units. If our membership drops to 10,000 units and the closure is extended, the decision to remain open becomes more difficult, and yet the alternative is just as difficult. I shared with our board that it is our belief we have to remain viable, and a complete shutdown would be very damaging to our Y.
We have done very well to remain financially stable, a tribute to Toko and the finance team. They have renegotiated contracts, lowered premiums, and deferred payments, maneuvering to keep us in a good financial position, but as Toko points out, she no longer has any cards up her sleeve. There are, however, some good things on the horizon. Jessie Palmer (Senior Association Development Director) has applied for more CARES Act funding, this time from Kitsap County. Jessie is working with Harold Shea (Haselwood Family YMCA Executive Director) capitalizing on Harold’s relationship with the commissioner and the goodwill we have in Kitsap County. According to Jessie, we qualify for significant reimbursement, but he also points out nothing is guaranteed. In addition, Lee Ann Jansen (Chief Development Officer) and the financial development team are working alongside the marketing team to capitalize on end-of-year giving opportunities. Lee Ann reported that we have raised almost $4 million this year, and we could see a lot more by year-end.
I do believe we will continue operating even if the governor extends the current restrictions. Yes, it is a bit of a high-wire maneuver, but we are an essential service to the community. We are getting closer to opening the early learning center in University Place, and the response indicates a strong interest from the community; this center will help our financial picture. In addition, the virtual component of our operation continues to improve and engage more of our membership base. We are firing on all cylinders and we are very much still in the game. Yes, I wake up every morning believing we are going to win today, and I will believe that until I am told otherwise. We are not waving the white flag. We are “that Y,” as Brian likes to say. Thank you for your tireless dedication and commitment to keeping our Y strong. You are the difference and why, I know, we will continue to stay operational.