Nonprofit

Kentucky YMCA Youth Association Uses FormAssembly to Develop Middle and High School Student Programs

Derek Summerville

National Resource Coordinator

Case Study Snapshot

When the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association adopted Salesforce, staff members picked up FormAssembly in one swift transition. Doing so has allowed the organization to reach more than 10,000 students annually through Salesforce integration for nonprofits and innovative FormAssembly forms. The ability to collect and use clean, organized data allows the team to offer safe and challenging environments in which students can learn and grow.

About

The Kentucky YMCA Youth Association serves as the home of Kentucky’s YMCA Youth and Government programs.
Provides middle, high school, and college students with opportunities for service, civic engagement, and character development.
Engages with students throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky without regard to socioeconomic status or demographic.

The numbers

10,000

middle and high school students served each year

20,000

sheets of paper saved annually

3%

growth year-over-year in all programming

The Need

Data Without Insight

With FormAssembly, we’re able to get accurate numbers and speed through a lot of processes that took us countless hours in the past – things as simple as determining allergies and dietary concerns in our students to make sure their needs are met.

Prior to making the switch to FormAssembly, it was extremely difficult for the staff at the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association to have a true grasp on what the organization’s data revealed. Team members needed real access (and a way to interpret) stats about students’ backgrounds, participation history, and contact information but they had no way of doing so. Additionally, the organization was using a combination of EventBrite and Adobe PDF forms for events and registration forms, which drove up the cost without providing any benefit to the overall data ecosystem.

“Our biggest challenge was that we didn’t know who we served. We had their names and not much else; we didn’t have a way to compile names, emails, history, or anything. With FormAssembly, we’re able to get accurate numbers and speed through a lot of processes that took us countless hours in the past; things as simple as determining allergies and dietary concerns in our students to make sure their needs are met.” Starla shared.

The Solution

An Enterprise Fix with Limitless Potential

FormAssembly is making small things easier, which helps our entire movement.

The Kentucky YMCA Youth Association recently upgraded to FormAssembly’s Enterprise plan to pave the way for future projects on a national scale. The success of using FormAssembly is in the small details of everyday operations, which means that the entire organization can run more smoothly and have a greater impact on more students.

“FormAssembly is making small things easier, which helps our entire movement,” Derek said.

Conditional Logic
As the organization works with students of all ages as they progress through different grade levels, having conditional logic features on web forms creates ease-of-use for both the form builder and respondent. Staff can change which programs are available at certain grade levels in order to prompt students for the most accurate data.

FormAssembly Connectors
Of course, FormAssembly’s Salesforce Connector is a huge benefit based on the scale of which the team collects new data. Taking advantage of the Salesforce integration for nonprofits is a game-changer. Starla and Derek both shared that the formatting guidelines and validation rules provided within FormAssembly help keep data clean. The ability to add contextual help and placeholders for respondents makes submissions more successful. The Enterprise edition has proved to be invaluable in preventing duplication of contacts and allowing respondents an easier sign-up.

Scales and Calculations
Staff also leverage FormAssembly’s field options, including Likert Scales, to keep forms organized and user-friendly. These features help gather information about specific grade levels and student participation in different activities. They also use calculations in determining the cost of conferences, and when partnered with Stripe, they are able to collect payment immediately, safely, and with appropriate discounts.

Use Cases

Program and Information Forms

Smart web forms are designed to show students’ current programs and past accomplishments.

The Kentucky YMCA Youth Association’s primary use case involves information forms for students. The forms are designed so that when a student selects his or her name from a drop-down menu, past participation is readily visible. Using the Prefill Connector, information forms also populate the data that’s already stored in Salesforce. These forms also allow students to move their accounts by themselves, which is helpful when they transition from middle to high school. As students prepare to graduate high school and apply to college, part of the goal is to provide visibility for all that they’ve accomplished through opportunities with the YMCA.

“We’re able to remind people how big an impact we’ve had in lives, and that’s translating into dollars and growth,” Derek said.

Scholarship Application

Form security and confidentiality are vital during the scholarship process.

The Kentucky YMCA Youth Association works to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in programs without barriers. Scholarship applications allow students and parents to easily apply for these opportunities through a secure and confidential scholarship application created with FormAssembly.

State-Level Programming

Advancing web form capabilities on a national scale.

With the new Enterprise plan, one of the ways that the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association is creating ripples in the field is by extending their use of forms to national projects. In doing so, Derek has access to a national network of on-brand forms that keep business processes running effectively. The national team can also use key features that they’ve already worked hard to fine-tune, including auto-responders and configuration settings.

What’s Next?

With a recent change to the Enterprise plan, Starla and Derek believe that FormAssembly still offers untapped potential for new projects. They’ve already witnessed a 3% year-over-year growth in current programs and anticipate even more growth in the future. The next wave of FormAssembly includes allowing additional staff members to start creating their own forms as a way to make individual program needs better and more fine-tuned. FormAssembly’s clean, branded, and easy-to-use interface makes it the perfect option for customization.

Want to hear more about how FormAssembly helps nonprofit organizations create massive community and global impact?

Check out our recent case study featuring the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture to learn more.

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