Success Story: The Foothills Area YMCA

This YMCA had leased buildings from the city and moved from place to place over its entire 125-year existence. How do you find the funding for the permanent home you need in order to provide a vibrant, central hub for youth development, social responsibility, and healthy living in the community?

magnifying glass icon  The Situation: 

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The Foothills Area YMCA was chartered in 1894 on the Clemson University campus. For its entire 125 years of existence, it had operated out of leased or borrowed buildings as a programs-only YMCA. The moves were truly a struggle for the organization as it had outgrown these temporary facilities. It needed a permanent home to provide a vibrant, central hub for youth development, social responsibility and healthy living in the community. To do this effectively, the Foothills Area YMCA needed a building of its own.

cross-hairs icon  Funding Goals: 

Prove that the community valued the mission and goals of the YMCA in order to qualify for a USDA Loan and raise $1.5 million in order to start construction on the brand new, $8 million, 32,748-square-foot facility.

lightbulb icon  The Challenges: 

  • Small, already busy staff and board members who were very engaged but also had demanding full-time jobs
  • The community had not experienced the full value of the Y and challenged the need for having its own permanent building

checkmark icon  The Convergent Approach: 

In order to get a loan for a building, the Foothills Area YMCA had to prove that the community wanted this facility as much as the YMCA did. Convergent conducted an impactful feasibility study with 71 local and business leaders. Key takeaways included high prioritization by the leaders on the Y’s mission, effectiveness, and programs. This helped the YMCA secure their loan and provided the basis for powerful communications and marketing to officially kick off a capital campaign.

For the campaign itself, we quickly secured several key donations from corporate leaders in the area. We also assisted the Foothills Area YMCA in demonstrating an annual post-construction economic impact of $5 million which resonated with potential investors in the campaign.

chart icon  The Results: 

After a very positive feasibility study including responses from 71 community leaders, a land donation and two key investor donations were secured. The Foothills Area YMCA was also approved for a USDA Loan. In just 10 months, Convergent and the Foothills Area YMCA raised $1,600,000 on a goal of $1,500,000 and the pledges continued.