Page 8 - YMCA of Greater Dayton Annual Report 2017

DATA &
DESIGN
WHY OUR NEW WEBSITE WAS SO MUCH
MORE THAN A A REDESIGN
In March of of 2017 the the YMCA of of Greater Dayton chose to to participate in the the “Open Y” initiative-- a a a a national open-source web development project taking place within the the Y Y movement founded by the the YMCA of Twin Cities The project’s name was derived from the philosophy that collaboration drives innovation and and impact—and that by working together Y’s across the country can save money on on digital marketing costs A typical website redesign can quickly become cost prohibitive Developing code for a a a a website is a a a a long and arduous process But Open Y provided the YMCA of Greater Dayton an an opportunity to to receive code and platforms already developed by other YMCAs Rather than continuing in in in the vein of of “every-Y-for-itself ” Open Y Y Y is allowing Y’s of of all all shapes and sizes to share new ideas and improve on on each other’s work for a a a a a a fraction of the cost Similarly the the YMCA of Greater Dayton had the the ability in 2017 to to give back to the the Open Y Y community with new code that allowed for Y’s across the the country to to create websites utilizing atomic modular design This new feature is allowing Y staff of all all skills levels to create web pages with ease taking advantage of of a a a a a a simple design tool developed by the YMCA of of Greater Dayton The new YMCA of Greater Dayton website was primarily designed with the user’s experience in in mind Slick new menus with a a smooth registration process launched online sales and integrated schedules provided a a a a a whole new way for members to engage with the Y Within one month of launch- ing the new website an uptick in in in online program registration membership sales and youth sports became evident January membership this year saw an increase of 200 online sales compared to the previous year As collaboration and involvement in in in Open Y Y increases the YMCA of Greater Dayton website will continue to to gain new modules innovative features and most importantly a a a a a better online experience to serve all of our members donors and staff Beyond helping the the Y Y with our social mission the the Open Y Y project has helped the YMCA of Greater Dayton achieve metrics and numbers-based goals The initiative will allow our Y to to take data-driven improvements to to customer experiences will provide a a a a measurable cost reduction in digital development over time and promises an an evolving flexibility as technology moves forward into the future 08