Make Every Funding Dollar Match a Real Community Need

A live session on turning applications, reports, and supplemental data into a clear picture of where your community's needs are — and where your funding should go next.

A 2025 survey of U.S. nonprofits found 85% expect service demand to keep rising this year, while 36% closed out last year with an operating deficit — the highest in 10 years of that survey's data. Need is growing faster than most organizations' ability to track where it's growing, and most YMCAs don't have one place to see the full picture: populations served, geography, program needs, and requested funding often live in separate applications and spreadsheets.

This live session is built for YMCA staff who manage community funding, grants, or program investment decisions. We'll walk through how to capture the details that actually show where need is growing, use reports and AI-assisted summaries to spot the trends inside your own applicant data, and keep every application, evaluation, award, and outcome connected — so funding decisions are based on what your community needs now, not just what's familiar.

What You'll Learn

• How to capture populations served, geography, program needs, requested funding, and community priorities through structured applications
• How to use reports, structured data, and AI-assisted summaries to spot recurring needs and trends
• How to compare requests, programs, locations, and applicant information to find underserved communities or growing demand
• How to use supplemental forms to keep collecting program updates and outcomes after funding is awarded
• How to keep applications, evaluations, awards, supplemental information, and reports connected in one place
• How to use your own historical data to refine funding priorities and future investment decisions

Your community's needs are already changing. Make sure your funding data can keep up.