How We Found GoLightly

We attended the Association of Fundraising Professionals International trade show to find the best technology available for our organization. With thousands of vendors, it can be overwhelming to decide which provider was going to fit our needs. The GoLightly booth was an oasis for us in a crowded trade show floor. We found the GoLightly staff refreshingly clear as they were able to answer our questions in plain English.

Why We Selected GoLightly

Our challenge was to coordinate the expansion and enhancement of the CincyAfterSchool program, expanding from nine to 22 sites, with two new staff positions, and several new programmatic initiatives at each site.

This required a state-of-the art communications and information network to keep in touch with each after school site, coordinate the distribution of documents and forms, and offer a means for site administrators to work collaboratively. GoLightly's platform and experience was a perfect fit for our growing organization.

How We Are Using GoLightly

We use the GoLightly tools to manage the CincyAfterSchool programs for the Cincinnati Public School system; and to communicate with partner agencies, which are all locally run and are located all across the county.

GoLightly functions as an “intranet” for staff, volunteers, and community partners. It provides a way for everyone involved in the program to stay in contact with each other, share documents and images, and have a virtual place where they can congregate.

We created open and closed work groups so that members are plugged into appropriate conversations. A blog and newsletter are published regularly so that participating local agencies can stay informed about the program.

When a new community partner agency joins the after school program, they access GoLightly not only to find documents and forms, but also to interact easily with other program administrators in the online discussion groups.

GoLightly also allows the management of email discussion lists, which is another way that everyone is kept in the loop. Program administrators and staff search for keywords, and find conversations that have occurred in the past on any topics of interest.

Benefits Gained

The GoLightly social network builds trust; it makes people feel included

Several months after our launch, over 144 people have activated their account and are using GoLightly on a regular basis. Our new social networking tools allow us to have a place to build a stronger community and a shared vision of our organization. Members are in-sync with one another. This expression of openness ensures transparency across our entire organization.

GoLightly has also helped us create better partnerships with affiliate agencies. This has improved our reputation and trust. When a new community partner joins the program, I love to tell them: “All of the information you need is on the community network,”  because it is all there. I can upload files into the Documents Library when I’m on the road, and they are immediately accessible.

GoLightly has enabled me to move at the speed of light

GoLightly is incredibly easy to use, it improves communication at all levels – internally, with volunteers, and with community partner agencies. The platform allows us work more quickly and efficiently and combines a number of online tools that we really need and use every day. Best of all, one needs very little technical knowledge to use any of the tools.

About YMCA of Greater Cincinnati

The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati serves over 82,000 members and provides adult and youth education, wellness classes and fitness programs; summer camps; school age child care; sports; aquatics; and other enrichment activities.