I grew up in southern Alberta in the ’50s where I learned that a brand distinguishes one herd of cattle from another. All ranches took great pride in their unique markings. Each mark sent a clear message to potential consumers about quality and value. Today, I live in Vancouver where branding still means this and a whole lot more. [...]
Monday, July 12, 2010
Our American YMCA colleagues made a big decision yesterday at their 2010 General Assembly in Utah. After an intensive two-year process, they decided to pursue a new brand strategy. It includes simplifying their story, calling themselves the “Y”, and changing their logo. The strategy also has implications for how they are governed and structured. The New York [...]
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The weeks since the 2010 Annual General Meeting have flown by. Propelled by a strong and clear mandate from the National Council of YMCAs, we’ve been working on: supporting the search for a new President & Chief Executive Officer for the YMCA of Greater Vancouver recruiting a Senior Vice President for Shared Services developing RFPs for consultant support [...]
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Here we are! The National Council of YMCAs. 250 YMCA leaders, including 40 young people, from 53 Associations. Volunteers and staff together. Retirees like Joe Walker from Peterborough, Ontario. Friends and supporters, like Jowi Taylor (with Voyageur in its bright yellow case) and a legion of red-shirted facilitators from MASS LBP. See the circle of Muskoka [...]
Monday, May 24, 2010
In less than a week, the National Council of YMCAs will be in session. This annual general meeting of representatives from 53 Associations is always a time to reconnect, renew friendships and make new ones, and conduct the business of our federation. This year, it will be this and more. A record number of delegates [...]
Friday, April 16, 2010
En route home from the NAYDO conference in North Carolina last weekend, I marked my 100th day at YMCA Canada. This milestone is only important in so far as it reminds me that it is time to give you a report on the five priorities outlined at the start of the year. We have [...]
Friday, March 19, 2010
I’ve been on the road for much of the past two weeks — Tijuana for a Prairies MRC-Mexico partnership meeting, Victoria for YMCA Canada’s Board of Directors meeting, Montréal for an MRC CEOs meeting before heading home to Toronto for an Ontario MRC meeting. In these gatherings, I had the chance to see the change [...]
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
This week, we’re marking the mid-point in the 100 day plan that I launched on January 4th, 2010. It’s time to take stock of what we’ve done so far and what we have left to do. It’s also time to try out the little video camera in my laptop. So, here’s my Day 50 report delivered [...]
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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