"Be joyful in hope, and patient in affliction.” 1 – Romans 12:12
Last week was tumultuous; it was a convergence of opposing, highly emotional forces. On one hand, we were having difficult and painful conversations with staff who would not be returning to work for our Y, and almost simultaneously, we were excited to call staff to invite them to reengage with our Y as we prepare to reopen our branches on September 7.
Late Friday, I sat at my desk and processed all that has transpired amidst the backdrop of these past 169 days. I reflected on the spectrum of responses and emotions I have received from staff, volunteers, and members, which have run the gamut from hurt to exaltation. I also reflected on my leadership and the decisions I have made along the way.
I thought back to the last meeting I had with our board of directors, where I asked them to approve reopening our Y. As part of that presentation, I shared Toko Thompson’s projected 2020 budget, and what it could look like going into 2021. With a forecasted 2020 budget of just under $34 million at the completion of this year, I was faced with the decision to restructure our organization, which meant removing positions across our Y. I had to eliminate over $2 million per month and yet still keep us in a position to be productive as an operation. In order to achieve that target, I had to remove many of the higher-level positions, which translated to removing quality leaders. It was an excruciating process for everyone on the team. In my explanation to the board, knowing we would not be serving the same number of members under the new guidelines governing the use of our facilities, I told them I viewed this as a rebuild. I asked the board to lean in and provide me their assessment. They understood these were difficult circumstances, with no options.
There have been other critical decisions I have made throughout these past 169 days, and each one was magnified due to the circumstances. At the start of the closure back on March 16, I received guidance to immediately place the majority of staff on furlough because of the uncertainty of what lie ahead. Every single Y in the country acted swiftly and laid off staff; I chose not to do that. Part-time staff were paid through March 31 and full-time staff through April 30. My reason for choosing that path was because just being in a pandemic alone was scary enough, and I wanted as many staff as possible to be afforded some stability. In addition, I wanted to keep the forward motion for our organization moving as long as possible. Staff took on a lot during the month of April, calling members and doing whatever they could to make a difference in people’s lives – people who were frightened as well.
For the past two years, I have worked with Tara Harkness to support the direction of our YMCA Child Care program. While this may not be the most orthodox move for a CEO, I view childcare as a strategic play for our Y. This led to my decision to keep the Child Care team fully intact from day 1. While many childcare businesses have closed their operation during the pandemic, I feel we are positioned to meet the demand that still exists, and keeping the team intact allows us to be at the forefront of this effort. Working with schools and providing affordable options to families are critical to our community – they both see us as a partner in critical youth development and community revitalization. We are providing parents a real option for their kids so they can return to work. Though the numbers of youth in the program were not extremely high, schools and families knew we were here and ready to serve.
Tara and her team showed up big throughout this period. During the closure, Child Care brought in the only significant revenue for our organization, and they are well positioned to continue to have a significant impact on the community. In addition, staff who have been on furlough have been reengaged to help deliver this vital service to the community. Thus far, we have over 600 families enrolled in our childcare program and we are prepared to use our facilities to accommodate even more. As part of the ongoing strategy, we have been looking to expand our Y’s reach into early childhood learning. Toko has been leading the negotiations to lease an early learning center in the Tacoma/University Place area, which would provide a complement to our Puyallup operation.
Similarly, we worked to keep Camp Seymour and Camp Lake Helena active. Early on, I watched camps throughout the country close their operations until summer 2021. I did not want to do that, and chose to remain open for Family Camp and Summer Day Camp, both in a contracted state. I was very nervous and worried about having a COVID-19 incident, as well as losing more money during a time we had very little revenue; however, we were able to secure a commitment from a generous donor to offer these camp programs this summer. I felt it was critical to offer these programs, both for our Y and for our community. Furthermore, we have decided to keep camp operations, albeit small, active throughout the fall and winter. This will be part of the childcare effort on the Key Peninsula, as well as a value add to a general Y membership. Scotty Jackson and his team plan to offer sign-up activities on the weekends, giving members an additional incentive to activate their membership.
Throughout the closure period, I have attempted to keep our Y open to new ideas and look for new avenues of growth. We have been working to develop our virtual Y experience. Two years ago, Ronn McMahon (CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA and former staff of our Y) designed the concept of delivering Y programs online through a program called YMCA360. The concept would also connect us to a national library of program services from Ys around the country. Though it was not a finished product, we rolled it out during the closure because of the immediate necessity. Throughout the past few months, we have been working to not only improve the product, but also add to it. Michael Marquez, Lynn Wilmot-Stenehjem, Luke DeMonnin, and Michelle LaRue, along with a team of instructors, have been working furiously to roll out quality programs to our members. We see this as a great value add, both today and into the future. YMCA360 is designed to capture the Y experience and capitalize on a national brand, as well as capitalize on local appeal to our members.
As part of the virtual experience, Janele Nelson has been working with a design team, made up of outside community members, to augment the program services with small group/community café opportunities. Back in April, a member engagement call turned into a support group for COVID-19 victims, and the concept of what online communities could be for our members and the broader community was introduced. Janele has been working with an outside company to develop this concept, something that could be special for our Y as well as for the community. The pandemic has brought us to our knees in some respects, but it has also presented opportunities. Throughout these past few months, we have worked hard to explore as many ideas as possible.
Last week was a crazy week in so many ways. Shannon Costanti and the human resources team were processing a multitude of staff changes. Lee Ann Jansen and the financial development team were responding to thousands of emails and phone calls regarding two nationwide data breaches that impacted our Y (heroic effort by Kristy Kunkle and the team). Bruce Caudill and the information technology team continue to facilitate the transition to a new CRM as well as respond to the demand of powering up our branches to be ready for September 7. Toko and the finance team continue to operate as a mighty team of four to process all things financial, while continuing to forecast new financial models to predict the 2020 and 2021 budgets. Michelle LaRue and the marketing team have immediately begun the effort of communicating and promoting the reopening in order to optimize the activation of memberships, working with Tara Bywater and the engagement center team to respond to members, who either choose to opt out and put their membership on hold or activate their membership. Loren Johnson, Ed Bressette, and so many others have been working furiously to prepare the facility branches for reopening. Brian Flattum and the operations team are preparing everyone for the massive effort of welcoming our members back into the branches.
Last Friday afternoon, amidst all this furor, I sat and reflected on all this and what lies ahead. My head was swirling, but it also felt like there was a bit of calm. Though brief, it felt like a pause or, as Juliet Funt from WhiteSpace Inc. calls it, a strategic pause – a moment to reflect and assess. With all the emotions swirling around our Y, it is important to take stock in what is happening. We are in the middle of a pandemic and an upheaval within our organization. It is important to take a moment, pause, and remember those who were our cohorts and friends, but also to remember what we are called to do. This is a significant lift for each one of us, so take a moment to reflect and know that we are all in this together. We have a great team and we work for a great Y. Be strong and be safe. God bless you all.