Who We Are...The mission of the Minnesota Valley YMCA of the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis is to develop the total person - spirit, mind and body - through character development programs that build strong kids, strong families and strong communities. What We Do...
The YMCA is more than a "gym and swim" - we are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that addresses critical needs in our local community like school success, healthy lifestyles for youth, affordable child care, health disparities, and water safety. More than ever, our community needs the services that the YMCA provides and the YMCA makes these programs affordable to all income levels through the efforts and contributions of volunteers and contributors. The Minnesota Valley YMCA has been serving the south metro area since 1970. With more than 500,000 annual visits to our facility and countless others at offsite program locations our impact is significant. We offer a wide-range of programs and activities, including health & fitness, aquatics, youth sports, youth development, school age child care, and camps. There is no part of our community that is not affected in some way by the work of the YMCA. 
The Nation's CharityYour contribution is a true investment - not only in the MN Valley YMCA, but in your community. It is an investment that makes a difference not just for today, but for generations to come. And you can be confident that the YMCA will be a wise guardian of your contribution. Here are some reasons why the YMCA is called "The Nation's Charity": - YMCAs have ranked first or second on The Nonprofit Times "Top 100" list of nonprofit organizations for nine consecutive years.
- The American Institute of Philanthropy has awarded the national YMCA an "A" rating for its program service excellence and low admission costs.
- YMCAs rank sixth in The Chronicle of Philanthropy "Philanthropy 400" report and fourth among social service organizations. YMCAs have ranked among the top 10 organizations on this list since 1997.
Why we ask for help?Every day, we help people make their lives better, and every day we encourage our members and participants to commit themselves to the mission of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. You can help us expand the mission of the Minnesota Valley YMCA in three areas: - Y Partners Annual Campaign
- Heritage Club
- Special event sponsorship and participation
- Capital project support
The Annual Campaign - Y PartnersY Partners is our annual financial assistance support campaign. The Y has a special commitment to serve young people and families most in need and offers financial assistance to help qualifying applicants fully participate in membership, programs and activities. Without Y Partners, many needs would go unmet and the quality of life for these families would be greatly reduced. We will exceed $500,000 in assistance awarded in 2009. Find out more by reviewing our Mission Impact Sheet. Every year, the lives of hundreds of people are impacted by the work of the YMCA. By becoming a Y Partner, you can help us continue that work, and help build a better future in Minneapolis. Y Partners Critical Needs By supporting the YMCA and contributing to Y Partners, members can help change the lives of those who most need YMCA programs by allowing the YCMA to provide financial assistance and other forms of access to life-changing experiences. Here are some of the ways that our YMCA meets the critical needs of our community and impacts the lives of people everywhere: - Water Safety
 - Safe and Affordable Childcare
- Healthy Lifestyles for Youth
- Health Disparities
- School Success
Read our 2009 Report Card to Our Donors.
Heritage Club Endowments - Establish Your Own "Forever" LegacyCreating an endowment allows you to provide a permanent source of income to the Minnesota Valley YMCA. A gift is made, we carefully invest the money and then annually a small portion of the endowment (usually 4.5%) is used to meet your charitable goals. The rest of the endowment remains invested to keep it healthy and growing. There are several options available at the YMCA, which we would be happy to explain in detail. Outright gifts of cash or appreciated securities, charitable remainder trusts, retirement plans, life insurance policies and bequests rank among the most popular methods to fund an endowment. You may restrict your endowment to a particular program, or you could establish it to provide unrestricted funds, meaning our community board can direct the annual funds to meet our most pressing needs. Keep in mind that an endowment also can be named by you, giving you the opportunity to recognize your family, a loved one or some other special individual. The minimum needed to establish a named endowment is $10,000. Special Event Sponsors and ParticipationSpecial events at the YMCA serve three purposes - raise awareness of the YMCA and its misison, create a social environment for our donors and friends, and raise significant dollars for the YMCA Y Partners event in a unique manner. We rely on sponsorships and participation to make these events successful. Sponsorships provide visibility and marketing opportunities to the sponsors while showing support for a great community organization. Participating in the events are simply fun - but with the opportunity to learn more about the YMCA and bring a friend along to experience your enthusiasm. Capital Campaign Support Through long range planning, the present and future needs of the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis have been determined. Our response was to launch a $55 million Commitment to Community Capital Campaign, the largest capital effort in our association's history. The goal of the campaign is to: Establish new facilities within the Twin Cities that meet the needs of a changing diverse population Address the needs to provide facilities and programs that meet the health disparities found within minority and elder populations Build collaborations with communities, schools and other organizations that provide for the educational, social, recreational and health needs of the area Address the renovation and expansion needs of existing facilities, some 30 years old, resulting in making facilities available to all persons with disabilities, higher membership retention and meeting current competition
Through an investment in the Capital Campaign, you can help the YMCA make difference.
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