YMCA Leverages Technology Training Benefits

Despite being one of the larger and well-supported members of the nonprofit community, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis still saw an opportunity to improve the technical expertise of its staff members. Many program directors in particular were required to provide their own administrative support, and they did not have the skill sets to utilize basic desktop application programs in an efficient manner.

Through NPower’s relationship with Executrain and New Horizons, YMCA staff members were able to take numerous computer skills training courses at a significantly discounted rate (approximately half the regular price). Most of these courses were related to general office productivity, such as Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook; however, several of YMCA’s IT staff members were able to take discounted technical certification courses as well. Many individuals have taken introductory level courses, and later moved on to the intermediate level to further develop their skill sets.

The NPower training discount has allowed more YMCA staff members to attend nearly double the amount of courses that they would have been able to fit in the training budget at the standard market rate. Additionally, outsourcing this aspect of staff development provides significant time savings for the management team. According to Emily Howard, Vice President of Information Systems, "YMCA can only do so much on our own in terms of training, and the relationship with NPower has given us access to an excellent resource so we can offer our staff professional technology training that would be difficult and time-consuming to provide internally."

By improving their technical skills, staff members have become more efficient in their use of key programs, allowing them to spend significantly less time dealing with administrative tasks. This in turn has enabled them to direct more attention to mission-related and planning activities to increase YMCA’s impact in the community.