Critical Features Every YMCA Website Needs, Part 2

A website is a powerful marketing tool for any business, including YMCAs. Your website is often the first impression potential members have of your organization, and it should be designed to drive revenue and engage members. Our latest two-part series shares the most critical features of YMCA websites. We focused on functionality features in The first part of the series, including an easy-to-use Content Management System (CMS), mobile-friendly responsive web design, YMCA CRM tools, news listings, and event calendars. 

In the second part of the series, we will focus on more features designed to engage and retain current members. Including these essential elements on your website ensures that your YMCA provides a valuable resource for new and current members.

Table of Contents

• Landing Pages and Collecting Leads Through Forms
• Donations
• Specialty Marketing Tools 
  • Alert bars
  • Pop-up boxes
  • Countdown timers
  • Banner ads
• Brand Compliant Colors
• Membership Rates 

Landing Pages and Collecting Leads Through Forms

A key function of your YMCA website is to collect leads so that you can convert them into paying members. You need landing pages with forms allowing users to input their information to do this. Once you have their information, you can follow up with them via email or phone to continue the conversation. At the heart of this effort is offering new prospects the ability to register or print guest passes. You capture their contact information in a lead form and pass it on to your membership or sales administrator. A lead form ensures no lead gets lost in the system. 

[Read more about how to make the most of landing pages here.]

Donations 

Let’s face it, donations from individuals and businesses are a must for every Y. Utilizing a donation feature makes creating and organizing fundraising campaigns easy. It allows website visitors to donate online or support a large development effort. 

Also, it's important that your YMCA’s donation page includes compelling copy and visuals so that people understand where their money is going and how it will be used. This feature interface allows your YMCA to accept online payments, store information on donors, and track each campaign’s progress, displayed with a customizable thermometer graphic. Be sure to offer quick and easy online payment options to ensure capitalizing on the moment. 

Specialty Marketing Tools 

You will likely use various marketing tools to promote your YMCA's events, programs, and initiatives. Pop-up boxes, alert bars, countdown timers, and banner ads are a few effective ways to get people's attention and encourage them to take action.

Alert bars

Alert bars are a great way to communicate with members, especially when events happen at a moment's notice for example: 

“The pool is closed!”

“Weather alert!”

“Zumba rescheduled!"

You could also use a double alert bar for special messages such as upcoming fundraiser events or newsletter signups. 

Pop-up boxes

Pop-up boxes are also a great way to Offer new members a free pass if they fill out basic information such as their name and email. This is a great lead generation tool for your membership staff members.

Countdown timers

Other specialty marketing tools are countdown timers for camps and new program registrations, for example, “3 weeks, 1 day, 19 hours, and 4 minutes before Summer Camp starts!” Check out this countdown timer example.

Banner ads

Most YMCAs also have strong corporate sponsorships. Having the ability to add and remove company logos and sponsorship graphics to your website is a great form of reciprocation. You may highlight large donors and promote activities within your Y or regional events. You also may want the ability for companies to advertise to your membership, turning your ySite into a revenue generator. The Banner Ad idea is often overlooked or underutilized within the YMCA community. Don’t miss out on this make-sense revenue generator!

Brand Compliant Colors

The colors on your website should align with your brand guidelines, especially for each YMCA. This helps create a cohesive look and feel for your site while helping people easily identify your organization. You want the website provider and software you work with to have YMCA-approved brand colors to ensure compliance. This is paramount for many reasons, especially since the national YMCA can audit your site and notify your organization if the colors are not compliant.

Membership Rates

Prominently displaying membership rates on a landing page on your site is a great way to encourage people to take action and join your YMCA. Be sure to include details on the different membership options so that people can find the right fit for their needs. An easy way to display rates is a membership rates table that can display matrix prices based on age, membership type, and/or household income.

These are just 5 of the critical features that every YMCA website must have to help your site be successful. By including these features on your site, you'll be well on driving more leads, donations, and memberships. If you have any questions about how to implement these features or want more tips on driving results with your website, be sure to contact us! We're always happy to help.

Interested in a ySite (YMCA Website) demo? 

We created ySite specifically for YMCAs, making it easy to use and user-friendly. Our goal is to make it simple for your staff to keep your website up-to-date and look great without relying on a web developer. Complete this brief form, and we'll set up a call with your team to show off these exciting new ySite features. 

You might be interested in reading these other related articles:

How to Create JCC and YMCA Membership Forms That Convert

10 of the Best and Inspiring YMCA Websites of 2022

New Website Launch: Rockland County YMCA