YMCA of Metro Chicago
YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago Undergoes Digital Transformation to Better Serve its Portfolio of Users
The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago (the Y) is a leading organization for accessible, inclusive programming for more than 200,000 individuals each year, strengthening the community by connecting people to their purpose, potential, and each other. Over the years, the Y has evolved to become a 21st-century social enterprise for the region, through an association of 14 centers, 5 overnight camps, and 100 extension sites throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest.
Challenges
Prior to engaging with Americaneagle.com, the Y’s website was quite outdated and provided a poor overall digital experience. The Y sought to digitally transform its website to better serve members, program participants, and Y communities in accessing program and membership information. It also sought to consolidate its brochure and registration sites into one unified presence and provide users with an optimized path for registrations and purchases. On the back end, the Y emphasized the need for a content management system (CMS) that was easy for staff to navigate and included options to customize the public-facing site while maintaining a consistent look and feel.
Solutions
The Y entrusted experienced digital agency Americaneagle.com to upgrade and transform its decade-old web presence. The project occurred in four distinct phases. Phase 1 included discovery, with the completion of a foundational strategy, user behavior analysis, search engine optimization (SEO) audit, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) audit, initial requirements gathering, and platform recommendation. Because of the Y’s emphasis on an easy-to-use CMS, Americaneagle.com recommended the Kentico platform. Phases 2 and 3 consisted of the completion of new website designs as well as development planning. Phase 4 moved the project into development, including integrations with both internal and third-party systems, and launch.
Standout features of the Y's new website include a number of system integrations to boost functionality and streamline user experience, including CCC WebTIME API for member and program registration; Kissflow for private-rental bookings; Bluefin for seamless payments and data security; and various Google APIs for spam protection and location finders.
The YMCA of Metro Chicago's upgraded site also features a new 'My Account' functionality, complete with options to assist users with various actions. Among others, sections include membership status, past, present and future registrations for activities and programs, and the ability to make outstanding payments.
Since launching the new website, which is also hosted by Americaneagle.com, the Y's user experience has improved both internally and externally. As a result of Kentico's powerful content management capabilities, Y staff can now edit and update content, troubleshoot, and review and address data discrepancies without outside assistance. Externally, users can more easily navigate the site and find relevant information. Because the Y prioritized user ease and user-friendliness, significant steps were taken to create a site that enables users to find and complete process flows more easily than the previous site.
Results
-
$387kof revenue attributed to online purchases within 4 months of ecommerce setup completed.
-
38%increase in users compared to the prior year period.
-
10%increase in new users compared to the prior year period.
-
18%increase in views compared to the prior year period (2.2M views total).
-
16%increase in events compared to the prior year period) (5.7M events total).
