An Organization Like No Other
The YMCA is the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community by empowering young people, improving the health and well-being of individuals of all ages and inspiring action. The YMCA of the Fox Cities is made up of 6 YMCA locations, 4 Childcare Centers, 38 School Age Childcare Sites, several offsite program centers, 1 overnight camp and 5 day camp sites — one YMCA, one community. We engage more than 60,000 adults and children in programs like childcare, before and after school enrichment, camping, sports, swim lessons, wellness and fitness. Through our Membership for All program, we provide more than $1.1 million in financial assistance to more than 4,100 people annually, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive regardless of income, background or zip code.
Our Strategic Priorities
Our Vision 2030 Strategic Plan is built around three core priorities that guide everything we do. These priorities reflect what our community told us they need most — and what the Y is uniquely positioned to deliver.
Youth Development
The Y will establish an intentional, integrated approach to developing healthy, confident and resilient youth through quality childcare, engaging youth programs and deeper family involvement.
Health & Well-Being
The Y will provide a comprehensive, holistic approach to physical, mental and spiritual well-being for all individuals — from young children to adults 55 and older.
Organizational Capacity & Excellence
The Y will align and leverage its capital — financial, human, built and social — to better address community needs and expand its reach across the Fox Cities.
Built With Our Community
Our strategic plan grew out of listening. More than 2,000 individuals shared their input through surveys, focus groups, town hall meetings and one-on-one conversations — and their voices shaped every priority we set.
Issues Facing Our Community
Our strategic plan starts with an honest look at what our community is facing. Through our listening process, clear themes emerged: increased social isolation, growing mental health needs, disparities in child and teen health and learning, rising demand for affordable childcare and challenges tied to an aging population. We also heard about barriers to access — transportation, housing affordability and economic pressures affecting families across the Fox Cities. The Y exists to help people navigate these challenges, and our Vision 2030 plan charts a clear path forward.
Seven Themes That Guide Us
Woven through every part of our strategic plan are seven commitments that shape how we show up for our community:
- collaboration
- building resilience
- fostering belonging
- leading with our values and mission
- innovation
- facilitating achievement
- creating equitable opportunities for all
These are not just aspirations — they are the behaviors we hold ourselves to every day. They reflect our belief that lasting change happens when an organization is as focused on how it operates as on what it delivers.
Questions About Our Strategic Plan
Vision 2030 is the YMCA of the Fox Cities’ long-range strategic plan, built around three core priorities: youth development, health and well-being, and organizational capacity and excellence. It reflects what our community told us they need — and how the Y can best respond.
More than 2,000 community members contributed through surveys, focus groups, town hall meetings and one-on-one conversations. That input was the foundation of everything in the plan.
The Strategic Plan Committee included board members from all six Y branches, key staff leaders and a representative from the Upper Midwest Alliance. A full list of committee members is available in the Vision 2030 PDF.
You can download the full Vision 2030 Strategic Plan PDF using the link on this page. A 2023 Community Input Report is also available for download.
Membership for All — our financial assistance program — is central to our commitment to making the Y open to everyone. The strategic plan reaffirms our dedication to ensuring that income is never a barrier to belonging at the Y.
