Market Assessment & Membership Product Refresh

YMCA
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Job Description

Overview 

The Y in Central Maryland is seeking proposals from experienced consultants or firms to partner with us on a market-driven product development initiative. The goal is to complete a market assessment and translate those insights into a refreshed membership product and experience, ensuring that our offerings remain competitive, relevant, and compelling for today’s families and communities. 

Qualifications

Interested consultants or firms should provide: 

Relevant experience in product development for membership-based or community-serving organizations 

Proposed methodology and work plan 

Project team qualifications 

Timeline and budget proposal 

References from prior engagements

Essential Functions

Scope of Work 

1. Market Discovery

  • Conduct research on member and non-member households across our service area, with a focus on millennial families and seniors. 
  • Assess perceptions of core Y programs, including BASE, Camp, Swim Lessons, Youth Sports, and Family Programs, to understand their role in family decision-making.
  • Map the competitive landscape to identify gaps and opportunities. ○ Develop member personas and journey maps for both families and seniors, highlighting program-to-membership pathways. 

2. Product Assessment & Redesign 

  • Evaluate our current membership value proposition, pricing, and program integration. 
  • Reimagine BASE and Camp as intentional on-ramps to long-term Y membership: 
    • Camp requires Y membership, but many families lapse after the summer session. The opportunity is to convert them into year-round members by creating clear, compelling pathways that extend the value of Y membership well beyond camp. 
    • BASE provides a complimentary family membership during enrollment, but conversion to a sustained drafting membership after program participation remains low. The opportunity is to position BASE as the first step in an ongoing family relationship with the Y, with compelling reasons to stay engaged post-program. 
  • Recommend offerings that integrate program participation with membership, ensuring youth/family programs and senior offerings are seen as core to membership rather than add-ons. 
  • Reimagine senior-focused programming as a core membership driver, highlighting health, wellness, and social connectedness. 

3. Prototyping & Testing 

  • Develop testable membership product concepts that clearly integrate program participation as entry points into the broader Y experience. ○ Facilitate focus groups and pilots with BASE families, Camp parents, and seniors to validate new membership pathways. 
  • Provide a feedback loop and refine product concepts accordingly. 4. Go-to-Market Strategy 
  • Translate refreshed membership products into compelling value propositions that highlight program participation (BASE and Camp) as the start of a family’s long-term journey with the Y. 
  • Develop specific strategies for converting seasonal or complimentary memberships into paid, ongoing memberships. 
  • Tailor outreach strategies to millennials (parents) and seniors with differentiated but complementary approaches. 
  • Provide a phased rollout plan and measurement framework focused on conversion, retention, and lifetime value.

Deliverables 

  • Market assessment report with personas and journey maps 
  • Membership product refresh framework, including updated youth/family and senior offerings 
  • Prototyping and validation report with tested concepts 
  • Go-to-market roadmap and measurement framework