YWCA USA has always tried to draw a distinction with the more widely known “The Y,” formerly known as the YMCA.
When the YMCA announced in 2010 that it was going to adopt its popular nickname, the YWCA seemed nervous. Lorraine Cole, chief executive of YWCA USA at the time, penned a statement explaining the differences between the two organizations. She feared that the public might confuse the two charities.
Concerns over the similarly named groups could play out again. In the last week of January, both organizations launched campaigns aimed at showcasing their causes, with similar messages: They both want to expand awareness of the valuable services they provide to the communities they serve.
Officials with both organizations said they were unaware of the separate campaigns and said the similar timing was not planned.
“It was just the most uncanny coincidence,” said Dara Richardson-Heron, chief executive of YWCA USA. “We didn’t know about it, but the reality is that we are both great organizations and, for us, our goal is really to highlight the life-changing work that we are doing at the YWCA.”
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Both organizations were established separately in the 19th century with different missions.
The YWCA’s current mission is to provide services for women, girls, and families, and to advocate for issues important to women, such as equality in the workplace. The organization also works to fight racism and advocate for civil rights. The YMCA is devoted to social welfare and youth development, running after-school programs, and serving meals to needy children. It also focuses on health and wellness, including providing services for diabetes prevention.
The Y started its national media campaign on January 24, airing two commercials on that night’s “60 Minutes” on CBS. Commercials promoting the “For a Better Us” campaign, as the Y is calling it, were filmed in and around of Baltimore. Both ads touched on areas the Y is focusing on — underserved communities and low-income youth.
The Y also bought digital ads with The New York Times, YouTube, Twitter, and a number of other websites.
The YWCA’s launch was more modest, but still included ad buys and media appearances. Ms. Richardson-Heron did an interview with Forbes that ran online on January 26; she also did an interview with Bloomberg Radio and few other media outlets.
The group also purchased social-media ads, Google ads, and print ads in a variety of publications, including Essence, Ms., and Latina magazines. A digital billboard ad will run in New York’s Times Square until the end of March.
Seeing Double
Although the organizations are running campaigns at the same time, Ms. Richardson-Heron said she does not see the organizations as competing.
But branding experts are not so sure. “I think they’re absolutely competing,” said Jennie Winton, founding partner at Mission Minded, a brand strategy company that works with nonprofits. “New donors — to be persuaded to give to an organization — in most cases, they’re simultaneously choosing not to give to another one.”
A donor’s decision to give to a nonprofit comes down to the organization’s selling points, Ms. Winton said, such as what impact the donation will have.
Some experts say the simultaneous promotion will likely have a greater impact on the YWCA, which is smaller and less well known. (The Y reported $934.2 million in private support in 2014, the most recent year for which it provided figures to The Chronicle and the YWCA reported a total of $249.8 million for 2013.)
Most people probably don’t understand that the two organizations are distinct, said Jennifer Jacobson, a brand and communications consultant who works with nonprofit clients.
“I think that most people that happen to notice both launches will assume this was a strategic, coordinated co-launch,” Ms. Jacobson said in an email to The Chronicle.
Ms. Winton said the two groups could benefit from having a similar message at the same time.
Still, the case shows, she added, that nonprofits should be paying attention to what other similar groups are doing and strive to make their marketing and messaging unique.
“It’s not enough to talk about yourselves, even if what you’re saying is compelling,” Ms. Winton said. If charities are pushing similar messages, “it’s too easy then for the average donor to look away.”
Ms. Winton said she thought both campaigns were strong, but it’s not clear yet whether they will be successful at bringing in new supporters. “On the face of it, they’re both very fresh, respectable campaigns,” Ms. Winton said. “So I think they’re definitely going to have some incremental uptick in support over time. Whether it did the very best job of differentiating them, only time will tell.”
Engagement Online
Both charities reported signs of greater online activity during the week their ad campaigns started.
For instance, The Y reported double to triple the average amount of engagement on its Twitter and Facebook posts compared with previous weeks and in the same week last year, as well as in the number of visitors to its website and the amount of time users spent there.
Local chapters of The Y are excited about the “For a Better Us” campaign, said Donna Bembenek, vice president of marketing communications for the YMCA of the USA. When the chief executive of a local Y branch sent out an email newsletter to members touting the campaign, the email message was opened by more recipients than had ever responded before, Ms. Bembenek said, based on a review of the organization’s data.
The Y is now looking for additional signs of success from the campaign: more gifts, higher membership, and greater public awareness of the organization’s services outside of its gym and recreational facilities. But it will take time, the Y’s leaders said, to measure the drive’s success.