YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee

Summary: The Milwaukee YMCA’s largest capital project in its history ($55 million) needed community support and positioning as a leading resource in the city.

Strategy:

• Planned a daylong celebration including neighborhoods, community and civic leaders, and tons of kids.
• Planned a “unity walk” and community picnic
• Media blitz with information about the YMCA’s programs and potential
• Grassroots efforts involving neighborhoods

Tactics:

• Saturated the media pre-event with YMCA benefits
• Media blitz on day of event, profiling YMCA community integration
• Grass-roots volunteers went door-to-door within a 10-block radius of the new site, distributing information and invitations to the event
• Volunteers visited neighborhood churches, businesses, and schools with information on the project.

Results:

• 500 attendees, exceeding everyone’s expectations
• “News Chopper” footage of the unity walk
• live broadcasts from three television stations
• WCMS AM broadcasting live from the site for the entire afternoon
• Surge in donations after the event