From the Director – “Unwinding” a Decision

Have you ever decided to try something new and different, thinking it would be better or easier or simpler than what you’re currently using or doing?

Maybe you decided to get a new device, or switch to a new dentist, or change your internet provider, or switch to a different brand of ice cream.

And then, after you’ve made the decision and gone through the switch, telling yourself there’s no turning back – you realize that maybe things weren’t so bad…

I hope you’ve experienced this before, because your YMCA has just traveled this path. Now we’re asking for your patience and flexibility as we “unwind” our decision.

After nearly two decades on the same membership platform, we were ready to try something new and different. We’re always up for innovation, and we identified an opportunity to be on the leading edge of a new customer relationship management (CRM) tool that we believed would meet our needs and serve our members better.

Unfortunately, it simply didn’t work out.

Some of you may not have noticed the change, except for the new sound that greets you when you check into the branch. But quite a few of you have experienced bumps in the road such as hiccups with payments or problems registering for programs. We’ve been scrambling behind the scenes to correct these issues, but in the end, we decided that this shift wasn’t the right choice for us, or for our members, at this time.

We’ve learned a lot. We’ve clarified what we need from a CRM, and we’re returning to our previous vendor articulating those needs clearly. We’ve helped the entire Y movement by approaching a new venture and better defining what works and what doesn’t. As a team, we’ve stretched individually to learn something new and joined together to help each other learn and grow.

Now, as we “unwind” this clock and work through the process of returning to our previous platform, we expect you may experience additional short-term frustration. I’m sorry – really, I am. But we believe this is the best decision for our Y now.

Thank you for hanging in there a little longer as we humbly admit that this move wasn’t the right one and we right the ship. We’re not sure yet how long this “unwinding” will take, but we’ll keep you posted.