YMCA rebrands mission and logo

The national YMCA organization recently revamped its brand strategy and redesigned its logo to better reflect the role the YMCA plays in challenges facing the country. The organization has announced it will extend its reach into local communities to build and nurture youth and teen potential and improve the nation’s health by providing support opportunities.
“The rebranding is really an effort to re-introduce the YMCA and the movement across the country to our stake holders, members, donors and community collaborators on a national level,” said Donna Bembenek, senior vice president of marketing and fund development at the Milwaukee YMCA. “Nationally, and even here in Milwaukee, the organization recognized there was a significant misunderstanding of who the YMCA is as an organization. The rebrand reinvigorates that mission.”
According to Bembenek, since the organization’s inception, it has had a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, but the perception of most people across the country and here in Milwaukee was that it was simply a sports and recreation facility, she said.
“The new branding initiative will help us reframe our original message to help people understand that our purpose as an organization is really about strengthening the foundation of the communities where we are,” Bembenek said.
"The YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee is truly excited about the new brand strategy and the opportunity to engage more people in the areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility," said Bob Yamachika, President and CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. "There are many exciting changes taking place at the Y – we are building momentum, and this strategy is getting everyone from our volunteers to our members and donors very excited."
As part of the rebrand, the organization will define itself as simply the “Y,” and has redesigned its logo after 43 years, Bembenek said.
“The new logo will have five different color variations and will help represent the vibrancy and diversity the YMCA has to offer its members,” she said. “It also represents the Y’s ability to adapt to a contemporary community and to satisfy needs that exist and change within those communities.”
The Metro-area YMCA’s have been preparing for this roll out the last few years by lowering rates, and getting more staff into local communities, Bembenek said. Local YMCA’s will slowly transition building signage and business documents over to the new logo and will be fully transitioned within 12 months.