Train and Certify

Full Day Trainings – Choose One:

Leading People

Leading People is a one-day course that develops and supports Y leaders to be successful at inspiring, motivating, compelling, supporting, and sustaining effective people. Whether it is a team you are assigned, create, or serve in the Y or in your community, this course will help you build the competencies to lead others in a supportive, inspiring, and non-authoritative or managerial way. Be prepared to learn and develop competencies on topics such as:

• understanding yourself as a leader
• building a collaborative community of people committed to achieving collective goals
• creating a positive environment where all can thrive
• establishing a trusting communication style that supports others to develop into stronger leaders

You will be asked to use your own experience as a personal case study. You will "think and ink" personal reflections on your own leadership hopes. This course is required for Team Leader Certification.

Volunteerism: Activating Community to Advance Our Cause

The YMCA is both a volunteer led and driven organization which continues to be rooted in the spirit of community volunteerism. The course is designed for any level of staff who work in a Y where volunteers support programs, assist with special events, serve on committee or boards, raise funds, or serve to make their communities a better place to live. Learn why volunteers are essential to the YMCA's cause and to our future as a vital not for profit committed to developing community beyond our walls. This interactive course will strengthen the volunteer culture at your Y.

Fundamentals of Fundraising

Expand your fundraising knowledge and help your Y more fully reach its philanthropic potential. This new, day-long course is focused on why fundraising is important to both the Y and continued professional development. Participants will learn about basic, contemporary fundraising strategies and become confident in telling the Y story for the purpose of inviting philanthropic support. The training has a focus on the donor-centered cycle of fundraising and its role in a strong development program. Designed to elevate fund development knowledge, this new training opportunity will help to build a foundation for a stronger philanthropic culture. This training is geared for Y staff members looking to grow their fundraising knowledge.

Half Day Trainings – Choose One:

Cultural Lenses V2.0

Cultural Lenses: Building Relationships Through Cultural Lenses is designed to enhance cross-cultural understanding, relationships, and engagement among all YMCA staff. Participants will be introduced to an analytical framework through which they can explore, recognize, and honor the influence of cultural background on patterns of human behavior. The tools presented foster personal reflection on the impact of culture—our own and others. Rather than exhaustively describing selected cultural groups, this training cultivates knowledge, dialogue, and interaction about culture. Cultural Lenses is a key element in the Y’s on-going strategy to build a culture of inclusion and to develop culturally competent staff.

Click here for more information on the lenses covered in this course.

Dimensions of Diversity V2.0

Leading with inclusion means working effectively with people of different backgrounds, experiences, opinions and perceptions. In this interactive five-hour course you will be able to develop an awareness of the different dimensions of diversity and how to apply those in your day-to-day work. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Define diversity and inclusion.
• Recognize your dimensions of diversity and what influences those dimensions.
• Explore dimensions of diversity and explore how they influence your perception of the world and how the world sees you.
• Explain the benefits of diversity and inclusion at your organization.
• Appreciate and have empathy for others’ dimensions of diversity and how this informs relationship-building.
• Recognize opportunities for inclusive practices among all areas of opportunity in your organization and your community.

Living our Cause Experience

Living Our Cause Experience is an interactive session aimed at empowering staff supervisors to lead culture building strategies in their Y and ultimately understand the role they play in creating meaningful experiences for staff, volunteers and members. From this inspiring class, participants will walk away with practical tips on how to influence a cause-driven culture where all people know – and feel – that the Y is a charitable cause that transforms lives and engages leaders at all levels along the way. This course replaces the former Experience Storytelling and Living Our Cause Experience courses.