YMCA of Greater Toronto, a cornerstone community organisation, overhauled its digital strategy with Core dna. The result was a 500% increase in online registrations, and a step change in both user engagement and operational efficiency.
The Challenge
YMCA of Greater Toronto was grappling with an outdated content management system that was rigid and no longer fit for purpose.
The existing system, built on ASP.NET and Sitecore, had become a Frankenstein-like project - overly complex and difficult to manage. Marketing and content teams found they could not modify or maintain the website without external help, which drove up costs and drove down agility.
Limited API and automation capability meant the website could not deliver the digital experience customers expected, leading to frustration and missed opportunities.
The Search for a Solution
Recognising the need for change, YMCA of Greater Toronto ran a rigorous selection process. Saad Javed, Digital Marketing Manager, set the bar plainly: any program coordinator should be able to modify content themselves.
The organisation drafted 80 criteria for the new CMS, prioritising user-friendliness and WYSIWYG editing, API integration, analytics, content reuse, microsite management, security, and the ability to handle large traffic volumes.
Choosing Core dna
After a full round of requests for proposals, YMCA of Greater Toronto shortlisted six platforms and chose Core dna - on the strength of its support model, its technology, and a set of out-of-the-box features that matched the requirements list.
Core dna's Impact
Streamlined operations. With a dedicated account manager, YMCA teams deal directly with the people behind the platform, so new features and requests are handled without a middleman. That cut the reliance on costly external agencies.
A better registration experience. The new Y Guide class catalogue sits in the same environment as the website, with advanced filtering and real-time updates. It solved the operational nightmare of overbooked classes and long call-centre queues, and made the online path genuinely easy to use.
Operational and marketing efficiency. The platform's intuitive nature allowed quick updates and easy management, freeing resources previously tied up in the old system. The marketing team now uses nearly 90% of the CMS's features, against roughly 20% before.
Results and Reflections
The results spoke for themselves: a record-breaking 8,000 registrations in a single day, against a previous 1,500.
Quinn Allan, Marketing Manager at YMCA of Greater Toronto, noted the importance of early registrations as a key business indicator - one that had become far more predictable and robust.
