The Village People's hit song needs to be shortened.
Leaders of the YMCA, one of the most recognizable nonprofits in America, recently announced that the organization will now be called "the Y," falling in line with the common nickname.
This also means a fresh logo for the 166-year-old organization, and comes as part of a new branding strategy meant to emphasize the Y's impact on youth, healthy living and communities.
The move is the result of more than two years of analysis and research and won't mean any changes for the Wood River Community YMCA, according to Tom Unger, chairman of Ketchum YMCA's board.
He said the organization and its direction are still the same. The aim of the new branding is to better present the service aspect of the Y. He said the Y is not just a fitness center but an after-school program for children offering healthy snacks, a gym affordable for all income levels and more.
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"It's about the service we provide," he said. "Not the building."
An example is the Wood River Community YMCA's Open Doors program, which decreases a person's membership rate based on his or her annual income and a "one-on-one conversation" with a YMCA employee to determine what they can afford.
"We are changing how we talk about ourselves so that people better understand the benefits of engaging with the Y," said Kate Coleman, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of the YMCA of the USA. "We are simplifying how we describe the programs we offer so that it is immediately apparent that everything we do is designed to nurture the potential of children and teens ... and support our neighbors."
This change in image doesn't alter the group's formal name. The Y said in a note to editors that the organization will be collectively called "the Y," but individual locations are still to fall under the original title, such as the Wood River Community YMCA.
The Y has 2,687 locations across America serving 21 million members.
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
The Y’s new logo comes in multiple color options. Courtesy graphic
