YMCA Canada: finding their Y

YMCA Canada had an identity crisis – who were they, what did they do… or not do? They also had a website that hadn’t been created with their needs in mind. Worse still, the site’s content management system (Drupal version 7) was at end of life. It was time to take the leap to a new solution with a more sustainable future.

Greater together: discovering mission and purpose

Through collaborative workshops that brought together team members from all departments, we delved into what YMCA of Canada means today – locally and globally. Together, we crafted a strong narrative that actually reflected the mission and direction of the organisation.

A digital whiteboard from a discovery session is covered with sticky notes that relate to the mission and purpose of YMCA Canada — A whiteboard from an early workshop that focused on mission and purpose

Editors need user-friendly interfaces too!

With their previous website, the YMCA Canada team found it challenging to add or edit content that could tell their story. Site editors were restricted to filling in fields that didn’t really fit their content and constrained to a generic structure that didn’t allow the site map they needed. To provide the flexibility and responsiveness that the team required, plus long-term sustainability for their infrastructure, we helped YMCA Canada adopt WordPress and its “full site” Gutenberg editor.

A view of the WordPress editor interface showing custom block variations that extend the Gutenberg blocks.

We extended core Gutenberg blocks to provide tailored functions and design that also provided greater flexibility from page to page. Custom blocks were also created for specific editorial and functional needs.

We adopted the newly available WordPress section styles feature to make it easy for editors to align fully with the YMCA brand and to maintain WCAG accessibility compliance. This allows editors to select the “palette” they want for a pattern or block, with changes across background, font colour, buttons, and other elements being instantly applied.

A view of a custom patterns library in WordPress Full Site Editor

Through the design phase and content workshops, editorial patterns were identified. The custom patterns library provides editors with an intuitive way to create compelling content layouts that are pixel perfect every time while still allowing for further customisation.

A view of the WordPress editor that shows how synced content can be used to repeat critical content like Calls to action or promotions across the site.

Gutenberg’s “synced” content feature provides an opportunity for creating repeating content (like camp promotions or press release about copy) that can be added anywhere… and updated in a single place.

Custom Iconography

YMCA Canada had an extensive library of iconography that they use in their print work. These icons offered an opportunity to not only tie their print and digital visual identity together, but to also create a visual language that would easily identify content and provide greater accessibility. We created a custom font icon library that can be inserted into their content anywhere using a custom block or via the rich text editing system in WordPress block editor.

Supporting communities in finding their Y

As a work-around to resolve their previous challenges with an out-dated and unscaleable Drupal site, YMCA Canada created microsites for even their most critical functions. The Locations finder was brought home, providing a responsive and accessible search system for visitors to find their closest YMCA associations. The search can be done by city, postal code, or by using current location.

Mobile device showing YMCA Canada's search for local associations across Canada

Shine On: Moving into a bright digital future

YMCA Canada has a bright future ahead with a scaleable and sustainable site that empowers their team to grow their mission and connect with their communities online. Their team feels that their digital identity matches who they are for the first time, strengthening their ability to showcase the incredible work they do globally and nationally, and uplifting YMCA associations across Canada through impact stories.