Letter to Members - Rate Change

December 1, 2022 

Dear <name of member>,  

It’s official – we are starting the New Year stronger together as one Y and one community. During the last few years, all Y members with local memberships were temporarily given access to the full Y membership privileges across our YMCA of Greater Seattle locations in the hopes of making your lives a little easier during an unpredictable time. Now, your membership will take you further – literally.    

Starting on January 1, 2023, all local memberships at your branch will be discontinued. Your local membership will automatically be transferred into a current Y membership package level that is most appropriate for you and your family. This change means that the benefits you had from your local membership package and the temporary Y membership benefits and privileges you enjoyed on a complimentary basis in the last few years will become permanent.   

Free Nationwide Membership: You can now go farther with your full membership with access to Ys from across our state and nationwide privileges at more than 2600 Ys across the country. Whether you are visiting us at the <branch name> location, staycationing close to home, taking a road trip, traveling for work, or vacationing in another state, there’s a Y nearby that can’t wait to welcome you. You can now also use all membership benefits at all YMCA of Greater Seattle locations, including:   

• Drop-in Kids Zone: Let the Y watch your kids while you work out. Kids Zone is returning to most Y locations so you can have a more flexible fitness and fun schedule.  

• Les Mills BODYPUMP™: New world-class workouts are here. Les Mills BODYPUMP™ is a dynamic group exercise class. Try one!  

• New Peloton Bikes: Peloton bikes are now at our Kent, Sammamish Community, Meredith Mathews East Madison, and Northshore Ys.  

• YMCA360 virtual Y Workouts: Don’t have time to visit in person? YMCA360 brings expanded on-demand and livestream classes with Y instructors from around the country to you. Available NOW on your phone, tablet, and smart TV.   

• Y Guest Passes: You can now also bring up to 12 guests per year to any of our YMCA of Greater Seattle locations.  

With the shift to permanent expanded benefits for all, there will be a slight rate adjustment from your limited local membership that will enable us to continue to be there for community and provide the experience you deserve. Please note that if you are currently on financial assistance or scholarship, these adjustments will be reflected in your new rate.  

<Name of member>, your <type of membership> membership rate will be <$xxx.xx> per month beginning with your January 2023 membership payment.   

We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to reach your wellness goals and to support you on your Whole Person Health journey. Thank you for being a member and part of the Y movement of community caring for community. Because of you, our community is stronger, better, and healthier together.  

 Has your financial situation changed? Please reach out to us at so we can better understand and assist you on your Whole Person Health Journey. http://bit.ly/3Rsh0gp 

Want to change your membership type? Learn more about our membership packages: http://bit.ly/3E5BsPa.

Letter to Volunteers

Dear Service Unit 622,

We want to address a recent email from a dedicated lifelong Girl Scout volunteer, Holly. She raised several important points about our Cookie Sale practices, which are common concerns. In hopes of transparency, we want to share the following information about our cookie sale operations.

Our cookie sale is made possible by our volunteers. Every year, they spend countless hours making the sale possible. They do so selflessly, and we could not operate without their volunteered time. However, we know that these last few years have been utterly exhausting.

In the Girl Scout spirit, we hope you honor yourselves, and your needs the same way we encourage our youth members to take care of themselves. Take deserved breaks. We want the Girl Scout volunteer experience to be one that is fulfilling, not draining. If you cannot support us during the cookie sale, there are other ways to stay involved should you wish to give back to the organization in a different way.

The Girl Scout Cookie Sale has been and is a mammoth effort. In fact, thanks to you all, it is our largest revenue stream. In the fiscal year 2020, cookies funded 88% of our council’s expenses. As a non-profit, all the funds raised from the cookie sale and beyond go toward these three main expense categories:

• Girl Scout Programming – 81%

• Management & General – 13%

• Fundraising – 6%

The truth is that we wouldn’t even break even without the support and donated time of our volunteers. The revenue from the Cookie Sale is shared with our Girl Scouts so they can make their own decisions on their individual and troop goals and journeys. The rest of the revenue goes right back to providing programming for our Girl Scouts. You can read more about our council finances and our other revenue streams, including philanthropy, retail, program fees, and more.

We believe in the lifelong impact of the ever-evolving Cookie Sale on our Girl Scouts. And our Girl Scout Cookie Bosses in Gig Harbor who wish to participate in the sale still need your help. If you or someone you know is ready or able to volunteer for the 2022 Cookie Sale, please let us know as soon as possible.

The conversation of balancing volunteerism, life, work, and so much more is an important one. We hope you join us at our 2022 Annual Meeting as we reflect on 2021, discuss our council’s vision forward, and rebuild our volunteer community.

Sign off,
Name