Developed and led by experts with 600+ years of YMCA experience with no cost to Ys, thanks to an underwriting partnership with YUSA.

     

    Fueling your mission

    DBD Group is proud to partner with YMCA of the USA to offer The Academy. The Academy contains two online fundraising courses: Annual Giving and Major Gifts.

    YUSA is underwriting a portion* of the cost of The Academies to benefit local YMCA and strengthen your fundraising to further the mission of your Y. 

    NOTE: Applications open October 1-31, 2026. If you are interested in receiving an email when the application is live, please complete this Academy Interest form.

    Local YMCA investment: $500 for the Annual Giving Academy. $1,000 for the Major Gifts Accelerator. 

    Strengthening your fundraising efforts

    The Annual Giving Academy incorporates proven best practices, current strategies and the latest trends to help Ys develop and execute an annual giving program.

    The Major Gifts Accelerator Academy is designed to help Y leaders to develop an intentional major and planned giving program.

    Read the curriculum/requirements below.

    Learn what to expect in the Academy.

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    TimeFlex

    The Academy Curriculum

    RAISE MORE MONEY FOR YOUR MISSION

    • - Help move Ys to a comprehensive, year-round plan.
    • - Enhance stewardship efforts.
    • - Use data to inform smart approaches to all levels of prospects and donor.

    Each participating Y receives:

    • - A customizable, twelve-month step-by-step financial development plan.
    • - Access to an online learning platform so participants can access information on their own time, at their own pace.
    • - Professional training videos outlining key elements of the plan with corresponding tools, customizable resources, and samples.
    • - Four “deep dive” video trainings that focus on specific fundraising strategies and activities with tools for implementation.
    • - Professional development forums with expert guests (1 hour each quarter)
    • - Facilitated participant community forums, connecting cohorts across the country to network and share ideas and resources. (1 hour each quarter)

    The Annual Academy is the right opportunity for your Y if you are:

    • - Looking for simple, turn-key tools and resources to help guide other leaders with annual giving responsibilities at your Y.
    • - Seeking to take the best of traditional Y annual campaign fundraising and integrate with current strategies and trends.
    • - Coming to the Y as a development professional and looking to build a program that integrates your expertise with Y culture.
    • - Improving your results, rethinking your fund development approach, and committing to a year of learning and trying new things.

    Leadership considerations:

    • - Willingness from your volunteer leadership to engage in implementing fundraising tactics and/or engaging in this work differently in the future.
    • - Commitment from CEO & COO (if applicable) that investing in building fund development knowledge and gaining experience is fundamental to growing leaders at the Y.

    Participation: One person from your Association (a senior-level staff person who will serve as lead) is invited to apply. YMCAs selected to participate can engage as many individual participants from their organization as they wish.

    Full participation in The Annual Giving is applicable for 16 points and the Major Gifts is applicable for 16.5 points in Category 1.B -Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

    The Major Gifts Accelerator Academy is designed to help Y leaders develop an intentional major gift component as a part of a comprehensive resource development plan. Going beyond annual gifts, major gifts have helped nonprofits retain staff, adjust programing, retool facilities and continue important work regardless of the changing environment. 

    The Major Gifts Accelerator will help local Ys rethink the way they develop and grow philanthropic revenue through education, coaching, practical tools and resources. This six-month engagement will help Ys consider how they position resources (time, people and dollars) to focus on simple, consistent actions that help identify, engage and invite donors to consider making significant gifts. Through this program, local leaders can strengthen their major gifts program and have a generational impact on their Y and, more importantly, on the people they serve.

    Participants will also have access to a special deep dive on planned giving, focused on helping Ys identify donors with the greatest potential for legacy gifts and confidently begin those conversations. 

    Each participating Y receives:

    - Major Gift program development guides, tools and templates. 
    - Hands-on support to identify top prospects and determine appropriate cultivation strategies and tactics in a small-group learning atmosphere.
    - Access to an online learning platform containing tools, customizable resources, and samples.
    - Professional development forums with expert guests. Sessions are recorded for those who want to watch later or again.
    - Optional facilitated participant community forums, connecting Ys across the country to network, share ideas and resources.

     

    The Major Gifts Accelerator Academy is right for you if your Y:

    - Maintains a donor database with reasonable integrity.
    - Has an established annual campaign base of donors at $500, $1,000 and above levels.
    - Prepares an annual/impact report and/or distributes a newsletter regularly.
    - Has an established committee of the Board of Directors responsible for philanthropic activity.
    - Maintains a giving/donate landing page on your website.

     

    Participation: Academy participants should be C or senior-level staff members with the readiness and year-round capacity to develop and work a donor portfolio of 10-30 prospects outside of your annual giving program/campaign.

     

     

     

    Annual Giving Academy Time Commitment:

    There are three main components to the Annual Giving Academy: 1) review and study of the online content, 2) participation in Live sessions, 3) implementation of the content and tools. Items 1 and 2 are consistent for all participants. The amount of time you spend in the implementation (item 3) will vary based on your role in the organization and how much time you are able/willing to dedicate to philanthropy. (Hint: the more you put in, the better results you’ll see!)

    1. Online Content:
    • Fundraising Fitness Test (FFT):  (Leader only) 4-5 hours during the first 2 months to complete the prework and pull data. 
    • Prework and Four Content Drops: Approx 1.5-2 hours/quarter to review/download information. All sessions are recorded so you / your team can engage on your schedule.
    • Deep Dives: ~30 minutes in length plus downloadable tools. 4 released/year to watch and use as needed. (Great for staff and/or board trainings!
    2. Live Sessions:
    • Academy Live: 1 hour/quarter. Live Zoom call for inspiration/education with guest speakers.
    • Community Live: 1 hour/quarter. Live Zoom call with other Academy participants to share information/get advice/stay connected.
    • (Note: Academy Live and Community Live will be offered on alternating months.)
    3. Implementation of the content, tools, and resources: 
    • This is participant specific. Ys that participated in a similar program have shared an “ebb and flow” approach. It’s anticipated that some of the content will be fundraising activities you are already participating in at your Y and will require a refresh only, while other content will be new and will require additional time to plan/implement. The time spent implementing the tools is the time you spend on your fundraising. Depending on your role and how much time you can/wish to devote this is your development planning and execution.

    Major Gifts Academy Time Commitment:

    There are three main components to the Major Gift Academy: 1) review and study of the online content, 2) participation in Live sessions, 3) implementation of the content and tools. Items 1 and 2 are consistent for all participants. The amount of time you spend in the implementation (item 3) will vary based on your role in the organization and the program components already in place at your Y. (Hint: the more you put in, the better results you’ll see!)

    1. Online Content:
    • Fundraising Fitness Test (FFT):  (Leader only) 4-5 hours during the first 2 months to complete the prework and pull data. 
    • Prework and Four Content Drops: Approx. 2 hours/every other month to review/download information. All sessions are recorded so you can engage on your schedule.
    2. Live Sessions:
    • Reflection Roundtable: 1 hour/quarterly. Live Zoom call with expert guests to learn/share information/get advice/stay connected.
    • Academy Live (optional): 1 hour/quarter. Live Zoom call for inspiration/education with guest speakers.
    3. Implementation of the content, tools, and resources: 
    • This is participant and Y specific. As this program is designed for Ys with an established major gift component to your annual campaign it is anticipated that some of the content will provide enhancement opportunities as a part of your current program, while other content will be new and necessitate a commitment to development and implementation.  Participant engagement with the content requires staff time, however it should also align with existing responsibilities for executing your current development plan.

    What to expect inside of The Academy

    Created specifically for YMCAs, The Academy curriculum was developed and will be led by fundraising experts with nearly 1200 combined years of YMCA experience.

    Each Academy is self-paced, virtual program. We encourage participants to share all Academy content with staff and volunteers, making this an Association-wide resource.

    Learn to create a sustainable fundraising plan from leading experts

    DBD Group experts will teach and lead, while providing hands-on guidance to help you strengthen your fundraising and execute your plan.

    The latest industry skills and best practices

    Fundraising today is different than even a few years ago. A year-round, strategic approach will help you realize better results.

    Coaching and office hours

    Guidance and support are strong growth accelerators. All Academy participants are given access to DBD Consultants through a dedicated support desk email AND online community hub.

    A full library of easy-to-implement sharable resources

    You will have access to The Academy’s entire library. Customize your plan, implement new fundraising strategies, and receive practical tools to help train your whole team.

    Live forums

    Academy instructors facilitate live conversational learning forums with experts in the field. This offers participants a better understanding of the real-life applications.

    Peer community for sharing and support

    Fundraising can be lonely! Learn alongside peers across the country, sharing ideas and networking with colleagues facing the same challenges and successes.