YMCA Planning Fund Raising Strategy for Proposed Upper Cape Facility

WEST BARNSTABLE – The YMCA Cape Cod is moving full steam ahead with plans for a brand new Upper Cape facility.

The organization has hired Donor by Design Group to conduct a capital campaign feasibility study for the proposed project, designed to serve the communities of Falmouth, Bourne, Sandwich, and Mashpee.

The Capital Campaign Feasibility Study will measure the fundraising support that can be confidently projected for the project, which is expected to cost between 13 and 22 million dollars.

“YMCA’s are built by the community and for the community and that means a lot of private donor involvement,” said Stacie Peugh, CEO of the YMCA Cape Cod, “and so whatever we design we want to make sure that there is a donor base that will support such an effort.”

According to the YMCA, the study will also gather critical leader input to ensure the Y is best meeting the needs of the community, and reveal the amount of estimated support available as well as a recommended project and campaign goal.

YMCA leadership and Donor by Design consultants will focus the majority of their fundraising efforts on the towns that will be served by the new facility.

They also plan to take input from those community leaders, while sharing the proposed project details and images to discuss the best options for the new center.

Though vague, initial plans have received an overwhelming show of support through polling that reached roughly 600 Upper Cape residents.

The organization’s board voted unanimously to begin the next steps of planning and prefunding after a market feasibility study showed that 75 percent of the 600 people interviewed said an Upper Cape branch of the YMCA is a good or excellent idea.

What still needs to be determined, however, is just how far the project will go, “We will be testing a few different designs,” said Peugh, “a low scope, a mid scope, and a high scope, with donors and getting their input and their feedback and listing to their opinions about design features and the needs of the community”

The community focus groups and interview results also showed that an effectively designed and marketed YMCA on the Upper Cape could meet or exceed the number of full memberships which would be needed in the first year to support financial viability long-term.

The results also gathered information on what types of programs and services residents would like a new facility to offer, including an interest in aquatic programs, and options to help families live a healthier lifestyle, and keep children and teens safe when they are not in school.

The Capital Campaign Feasibility Study kicks off this month and will be presented to the YMCA Board of Directors in November.

By DAVID BEATTY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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