Staff Newsletter | Tuesday, September 13, 2022
“In humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.” – Philippians 2:3-4
When I received Toko Thompson’s email last week announcing we had produced a positive financial net of $900,000 in the month of August, I actually did a little victory dance to celebrate. To be heading into the final four months of the year with a positive net of over $1 million is a big lift for our association, something we have not felt too often over the past 30 months. Listening to the reports from Child Care and the early returns on the September promotion campaign, I realized it has been a long time since we have seen multiple parts of our operation producing good results at the same time. It may be a bit premature, but it really does feel like our Y is heading in a good direction. I celebrate that and the great work of our team.
A number of years ago, we read the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. One of the key points from the book was, “don’t solve problems, copy success” when trying to address difficult issues. The authors highlighted the work of Jerry Sternin from Save the Children. Jerry was commissioned to study the rampant malnutrition that existed in Vietnam in the 1990s. At that time, one in three children suffered from malnutrition. Many experts had previously attempted to assess the problem but were unable to find solutions; in their analysis, they focused on issues such as water supply and poor sanitation. Sternin, however, visited hundreds of small villages to see what and how the children were fed, and discovered a small group of families who had healthy children. He learned that the parents of these children were adding small amounts of shrimp, crab, and sweet potato to their meals. Historically, these foods were viewed as being inappropriate for children but after observing success, Sternin recommended that more families make these changes to their children’s diet. Within six months, 65% of the children were better nourished. The results were powerful. Building on success provides a clear roadmap for organizational change.
Over the past few months, I have seen a shift in our Y in the way our team has been working together. A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Child Care team’s back-to-school rally. It was an important event, setting the stage for a successful start to the new school year. Holly Tedford invited representatives from the Greater Seattle YMCA to introduce the use of a new curriculum to our team. The team was excited to work with the new curriculum, understanding it will provide us with a quality program to deliver to our youth and families. Working with another Y and using their expertise to help guide us is a new strategy for our Y. Our marketing team also attended the rally, working in collaboration with the Child Care team to give our program a refresh and revitalization.
Adding Chantel Ross to the marketing team has changed the game for us by dedicating a staff person to focus on communication with Child Care families and school districts. We have heard from parents and schools how important receiving vital information is, but this has not been a strength of ours in the recent past and our program had suffered as a result. We are now making this a priority for our program. We also recognize that great communication requires a constant flow of information and coordination among the various stakeholders. It was clear from watching Chantel and Scott Smith present at the rally that the focus was not just on having a great marketing strategy, but also on developing a strong collaboration between the marketing and Child Care teams. It was an understanding by both teams that we need to work together to create something special – that was the real magic, and what Patrick Lencioni talks about in The Advantage. “The seminal difference between successful companies and mediocre ones is not in how smart they are, but more about how healthy they are and how well they align and work together.”
Yes, the results after five days of the September promotion are strong, achieving over 50% of our targeted goal, but the real excitement lies in seeing how we are accomplishing these results. There is a great deal of hard work going on behind the scenes with the membership teams, the marketing team, and operations all aligning with one another. Over the past couple of months, the various departments have been working closely together, recognizing that our success as an association will only happen if we all succeed. This is the difference – when we work as a team, it is definitely something worth getting excited about.
In last week’s Staying Connected call, Kellen Westering gave an update on the September promotion, sharing the results from across the association. I have heard him talk about how each of the membership teams is learning from one another. He believes strongly that the individual teams will be better by working with their peers, developing an interconnectedness that draws from one another, making everyone stronger. Similarly, Jeff Weiss, the new director of philanthropy and the annual campaign is facilitating the association annual campaign cabinet that meets monthly. The cabinet is trying to develop a way of work where they share their individual successes in an effort to learn from one another and build a toolkit of best practices, thus elevating the work of the entire association. Currently, we are at 52% of our $3 million goal; it is imperative for our association to pull together to achieve that goal. The annual campaign is a critical component to our Y, not just in the dollars we raise but that our community understands that our work benefits the entire community. We have a powerful story to tell, and the annual campaign is an important vehicle to share it.
The early returns from Child Care and the September promotion have been very positive, building on the strong August financial performance. The real story behind the strong results, though, is a new way of work that has arisen from within our association. Departments are working with one another across the association, sharing successes, and building on each other’s strengths. This collaborative spirit is creating a result that is far greater than what could have been created individually. This is the story behind the story, and the true “bright spot” for our Y. The Heath Brothers put the spotlight on learning from success, and how organizations can grow at a faster rate by institutionalizing their successes. The successes we are seeing are catching on, producing great results, and giving us hope that we will evolve from this period a stronger organization. This new way of work is our greatest achievement as a team. It could not happen without your complete commitment to believing in something greater together. You are the difference makers. Thank you for your continued selflessness.
#OneY #StayStrong #StayWithUs