2024 Strategic Plan

3 Letter

5 Letter

LETTER FROM THE CVO AND PRESIDENT

Dear YMCA Friends and Family,

For more than 57 years, YMCA of Southwest Florida has been a leader in supporting our community in spirit, mind and body. Our steadfast focus on those we serve is at the core of all we do.

As our region continues to evolve, YMCA of Southwest Florida’s vision to touch the lives of every individual in Southwest Florida stays true and is the guiding light, our North Star, that drives our organization and pushes us to new heights. The Y has always shined bright when communities around the globe face adversity. Each community that we serve is unique with different needs. This has become even more apparent as we continue to conduct research and gather information through our strategic planning process. Some needs are similar across the region and others distinctive to zip codes and neighborhoods. And it remains the Y’s mission to serve all.

Our detailed Strategic Plan is the foundation that enables and supports the programmatic work we have committed to through this process. This is our roadmap for the future. Who we are as an organization has not changed and we will continue to navigate paths as they present themselves on our journey. Our values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility remain at the heart of who we are and will drive our actions as a cause-driven human service organization. Our vision is directly connected to our mission and steers the development of our programs and activities into alignment with our plan.

The Y will continue to provide services that promote youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility with a focus on serving others by increasing access to our programs. Strengthening and expanding partnerships will be key as we strive to reduce barriers and change lives. To rise above these challenges, it’s imperative that we leverage our unique strengths and work together towards community-led solutions and build upon the passion and dedication of our talented volunteers and staff.

On behalf of YMCA of Southwest Florida, we would like to thank everyone who shared their wisdom, thoughts, and vision in the development of this strategic plan. We asked challenging questions, you responded, and we were inspired. Together, we are Growing Our Impact to heights we have yet to see.

In closing, we would like to acknowledge the Board of Directors for their continued stewardship and guidance throughout the past year. I would also like to thank our dedicated Community Board volunteers and hardworking staff for their leadership and support. We look forward to working with you as we advance the initiatives set out in our new Strategic Plan.

As always, thank you for your service and for your commitment to our common goal of strengthening community.

DOROTHY KORSZEN Chief Volunteer Officer

GENE T. JONES President and CEO

OUR MISSION

To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

OUR VALUES

Our core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility will guide our behaviors.

OUR IMPACT

The Y is an inclusive organization dedicated to making an impact by positively touching the life of every individual in Southwest Florida.

OUR VISION

We envision our nonprofit organization – in partnership with others – as an intergenerational community hub with programs, services, and resources available to all persons, regardless of status or inability to pay, that will enable them to improve their quality of life.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUITY

We believe the Y must continue to lead the way to a brighter future by following our belief that we are stronger when our doors are open to all. Our policies, practices and programs must advance our organizational commitment to diversity and inclusion. We must sustain our support for newcomers and immigrants, in partnership with our colleagues at Ys in 120 countries. We must ensure that all people — across all dimensions of diversity feel welcome and valued as part of the Y family.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Nurturing the potential of every child and teen. At the Y, we believe that all kids have amazing potential. The values and skills learned early are vital building blocks for life, and young people deserve an opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve.

INITIATIVE FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME:

To be a leader in Youth Development and meet the needs of our community by developing the potential of every child.

HEALTHY LIVING

Improving the community’s health and well-being. At the Y, we believe that being healthy means more than simply being physically active. It is about maintaining a balanced spirit, mind and body. The Y is a leading voice on health and well-being issues, a leader in fighting chronic disease, and is committed to empowering people to lead fuller lives.

INITIATIVE FOR HEALTHY LIVING OUTCOME:

To change lives by providing programs and services that build the health and well being of all in the communities we serve.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Giving back and providing support to our neighbors. At the Y, we believe that when we work together, we move individuals, families and communities forward. For more than 56 years our Y has responded to our community’s most pressing needs by developing innovative, community-based solutions and uniting people from all walks of life to participate in and work for positive community impact.

INITIATIVE FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OUTCOME:

To strengthen community by expanding our ability to address relevant needs and ensure services for all.

LETTER FROM THE STRATEGIC PLANNING CHAIR

Dear Community Members,

We proudly present YMCA of Southwest Florida’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan, Growing Our Impact. This plan will guide our organization over the next three years as our Y strengthens community and changes lives.

The 2024-2026 Strategic Plan process was the most inclusive and comprehensive process ever to develop our strategy. While senior executives, board members and community leaders were certainly instrumental, volunteers and staff from every level of the organization were also given a voice in our future direction. Outside research was also critical, and we spent a considerable amount of time and effort analyzing the various needs and trends within our communities through stakeholder meetings, assessments, interviews and surveys. Converting this information into strategies was a collaborative effort between staff and volunteers. And none of this could have happened without the assistance of Lynne Wilcox, CEO of the Florida Alliance of YMCAs, who facilitated our committee’s work and helped lead the entire strategic planning process.

Over the past three years, our Y has been grounded in its previous strategic plan. And as a result, our Y has increased its footprint and served more individuals than ever. The plan displayed proven results, put forth the momentum necessary to amplify our mission and laid the foundation for continued growth throughout the region. Following the tremendous achievements accomplished under our past strategic plan, it was important to our organization to evaluate how we can build on the success of the past three years and enhance and develop initiatives to support our pillars of Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

The 2024-2026 Strategic Plan Initiatives are Sustainability, People, Community and Growth. The intentionality behind these initiatives will help advance our cause through fiscal responsibility and stability, the development of leaders in our workforce, the reduction of barriers and ability to meet community needs and growth beyond our walls and throughout the southwest Florida region.

Thank you to every individual who played a role in this process; over the past eight months, our team has conducted a thorough and thoughtful analysis and the creation of YMCA of Southwest Florida’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan, Growing Our Impact, is something we all are incredibly proud of.

Growing Our Impact was unanimously adopted as the new strategic plan of YMCA of Southwest Florida in December 7, 2023. We are confident this plan will strengthen our YMCA as we move forward. More importantly, we are confident that Growing Our Impact will keep strengthening the communities of Southwest Florida.

JEFF BOONE Strategic Planning Chair

A SPECIAL THANK YOU ..............

to the staff and volunteers living our cause every day and to our donors who support our mission. Also, a special note of appreciation for the community leaders who participated in interviews, round table discussions and provided valuable survey feedback.

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND SUPPORT

Jeffery Boone, Esq.

Gwynetta S. Gittens

David Dignam

Jeffrey Fraser, D.O.

Lynne Wilcox

Gene T. Jones

Shannon Matthews

Stephanie Deiter

Scott Barnhard

John Campbell

Brian Nason

Jamie Browning

YMCA OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ...............

Chief Volunteer Officer

Dorothy Korszen, Farr Law Firm

Immediate Past Chair

David Dignam, Key Agency, Inc.

Vice-Chair

John R. Giglio

Kim Amontree, Charlotte County School Board

Jeffery Boone, Esq., Boone Law Firm

Wendy Fishman, Caldwell Trust Company

Jerome Fletcher, City of North Port

Jeffrey Fraser, D.O., Millennium Physician Group

Gwynetta S. Gittens, Gwyneducation, LLC

Teri Hansen, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation

Mike Horan, Ajax Paving Inc. of Florida

John Jenkins, Bonita Springs Utilities, Inc.

Din Kagalwala, D.O., Envision Healthcare Chair of Anesthesia for Advent Health

Sandy King, Symbiont Service Corp

Debbie LaPinska, PGT Innovations

Shana Meadows, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation

Wayne Roberts, Roberts Insurance Group, LLC

Mary Smedley, Michael Saunders & Company

Libby Soderberg, Philanthropist

Mark Suwyn, Marsuw Investment Co.

Arthur Trammell, The Venice Company

Emeritus Director - Keith Farlow, Farlow’s on the Water

Emeritus Director - Dave Wampler, Wampler Varner Insurance Group

Lifetime Honorary Member - Jeannette Flokstra

2024-2026 STRATEGIC PLAN

TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIFE OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

The Y believes that everyone deserves a chance to succeed-no matter their background or income - and we have learned that can happen only when we unite to nurture the best in all of us. That is why our cause is strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

INCREASING OUR ABILITY TO DO OUR WORK

As we enter 2024, we will invest in our capacity as an organization through the four following strategic priorities.

1. SUSTAINABILITY:

Achieve a higher level of visibility where our organization is growing strategically while remaining fiscally responsible and financially stable.

2. PEOPLE:

Foster staff and volunteer growth and leadership development and encourage a greater connection to the YMCA mission.

3. COMMUNITY:

Ensure that our organization is meeting the needs of our communities as they evolve and expand.

4. GROWTH:

Cultivate relationships and partnerships that allow our organization to serve more communities, provide more programs, and positively impact more lives in Southwest Florida.

OUR INITIATIVES 1SUSTAINABILITY

OUTCOME

To achieve a higher level of effectiveness where the organization is growing strategically while remaining financially prepared for future opportunities

INITIATIVE INITIATIVE INITIATIVE 1 2 3

Increase new donors, partnerships, collaborations, and agreements by 15% and retention of donors, partnerships, collaborations, and agreements by 5%.

Strengthen engagement and connectedness of our members through added programming and best in class membership along with wellness services and programs that increase retention by 3%, and membership units by 15%.

Enhance best practices in organization compliance and safety to protect the association from exposure by increasing our Know Your Score assessment by 15%, reducing number of employee and member incidents by 10% and ensuring that 100% of all locations utilize electronic incident reporting.

OUR INITIATIVES2PEOPLE

OUTCOME

To nurture staff and volunteer growth and cultivate greater connectedness to the YMCA mission

Increase efforts that drive association retention to ensure 35% of our staff achieve YUSA Team Leader Certification or above, implement on-boarding plans at all levels of the organization and have annual staff engagement events at all locations that include senior leadership, these efforts should increase staff retention by 5%.

Heighten workforce development initiatives to increase our Program Directors’ and employees’ workplace experience favorability rating to 85% or above. Advance existing employees and grow future leaders by developing an internal mentoring program and ensure 50% of Program Directors are matched. Ensure that 100% of Associate Executive Directors, Executive Directors and Association Directors attend EDI (Executive Directors Institute). Create professional opportunities to help develop 30 interns and host job fairs each quarter in each region in collaboration with community partners.

Increase number of volunteers and volunteer hours by 15% through further development of current boards, committees, and other traditional YMCA volunteer positions along with new community boards and committees that are diverse and represent the communities we serve.

Develop a communitybased mental health model that is focused on YMCA led training for 600 people in Mental Health First aid. Implement a referral base platform. Create collateral to support people in need. Carry out Social Emotional curriculums into our BASE programs at all sites.

OUR INITIATIVES 3COMMUNITY

OUTCOME

To ensure that our organization is meeting the needs of the communities we serve as they evolve and expand

Prepare youth for success beyond high school through evidence-based programs such as Achievers, Y-Leaders and Youth in Government by doubling the number of teens served.

2 3 4

Decrease health inequities by expanding YMCA services such as Health Innovation to include an increase of 50% of participants served through Chronic Disease and Adaptive programs. Provide 16,000 Safety Around Water lessons and 2 million meals and snacks to people in the communities that we serve.

Ensure that all branches and service areas have diverse boards with at least 10 members in each community we serve.

Create results that address and support the reduction of educational disparities. Kindergarten Readiness is at 90% association wide, SKY Academies are A rated, YREADS! has 90% on time grade advancement and grade level reading is 75% in all of our YMCA BASE programs.

OUR INITIATIVES4GROWTH

OUTCOME

Increase number of communities served by 5 through development of permanent and significant programs and facilities.

To experience growth that increases access and reduces barriers to YMCA programs and services throughout Southwest Florida

Increase offsite offerings by 5 annually.

Utilize community collaborations to expand programs and services beyond our walls by building 5 new strategic partnerships that have been identified as significant to help us better the communities we serve through opportunity, resources, impact or connections and have an alignment with our areas of focus.

THE NEED IS GREAT...

Our strategic planning process included research, interviews and work sessions to understand our current state and strengths, and to identify where we need to focus our future efforts. Our Leadership Team came together to identify the key constituents to conduct community needs assessments. Over an eight month, period our Leadership Staff interviewed diverse community stakeholders that represented communities we serve. These stakeholders included YMCA members, program members, staff, CEOs, non-profits, hospitals, businesses, donors, partners, elected officials, school district leaders and representatives from public and private sectors through electronic surveys, Community Stakeholders’ meetings and one-on-one in-person interviews.

OUR STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES

Inclusive partners for every stage and place in life

Historic adaptability to meet the ever changing needs of our community

Serves as community hub for all

Largest provider of swim lessons

National brand

Vast programs offered

Largest provider of youth programming

OUR PROCESS

APRIL 2023

Community Stakeholders’ Meetings & Membership Survey

MAY 2023

Begin the Process for the 2024-2026 Strategic Plan at Annual Board Retreat

MAYSEPTEMBER 2023

Compile Data and Develop Plan Staff & Boards

OCTOBER 2023

Complete Strategic Plan and Share with Boards and Staff

JANUARY 2024

Launch of New Strategic Plan

7

COUNTIES SERVED

10

MEMBERSHIP BRANCHES

4

EARLY LEARNING ACADEMIES

2

PUBLIC CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOLS

5

YREADS! SITES

17,443

26 INDIVIDUALS SERVED

65,927

1,583

BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT SITES

CAMP EXPERIENCES

TOTAL EMPLOYEES

ABOUT OUR YMCA

YMCA OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA LOCATIONS

BRADENTON YMCA

3805 59th St. West Bradenton, FL 34209 941-798-9622

LAKEWOOD RANCH YMCA

5100 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. Bradenton, FL 34211 941-798-9622

SARASOTA CITY YMCA

1075 S Euclid Ave.

Sarasota, FL 34237 941-955-8194

PALMER RANCH YMCA

8301 Potter Park Dr. Sarasota, FL 34238 941-922-9622

VENICE YMCA

701 Center Road Venice, FL 34285 941-492-9622

ENGLEWOOD YMCA

701 Medical Blvd. Englewood, FL 34223 941-475-1234

FRANZ ROSS YMCA 19333 Quesada Ave.

Port Charlotte, FL 33948 941-629-9622

EARLY LEARNING ACADEMIES

YMCA EARLY LEARNING ACADEMY AT PGT INNOVATIONS

101 Triple Diamond Blvd. Venice, FL 34275 941-480-0170

VENICE YMCA EARLY LEARNING ACADEMY

717 Center Road Venice, FL 34285 941-375-9122

SKY ACADEMIES

SKY ACADEMY VENICE

705 Center Road Venice, FL 34285 941-244-2626

CHARLOTTE HARBOR

YMCA EARLY LEARNING ACADEMY

22416 Glass Lane

Port Charlotte, FL 33980 941-629-2220

BONITA SPRINGS YMCA SUWYN EARLY LEARNING ACADEMY

27220 Kent Road

Bonita Springs, FL 34135 239-333-0479

PUNTA GORDA YMCA

2905 Tamiami Trail Punta Gorda, FL 33950 941-505-0999

FORT MYERS YMCA

1360 Royal Palm Square Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33919 239-275-9622

BONITA SPRINGS YMCA 27200 Kent Road

Bonita Springs, FL 34135 239-221-7560

SKY ACADEMY ENGLEWOOD

871 S. River Road Englewood, FL 34223 941-999-4775

OFFSITE LOCATIONS

COOPER STREET RECREATION CENTER

650 Mary St. Punta Gorda, FL 33950 941-505-0999

YMCA CAMP ESTERO 8791 Corkscrew Road Estero, FL 33928 239-221-7560

Additional service areas include:

Cape Coral, Clewiston, DeSoto, Estero, Labelle, Lehigh Acres, Moore Haven, North Port and Parrish

Counties served:

Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee and Hendry

YMCA of Southwest Florida is a 501(c)3 charity. The YMCA is the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.