NEW YORK NY – In advance of its 175th anniversary, the YMCA of Greater New York has teamed up with Accompany Creative to launch its newest campaign, “It Starts Inside.” This integrated campaign is a mission-focused push to bring together brand awareness into a holistic platform with unified messaging across the full funnel. The campaign reintroduces the Y as one of the city’s most enduring and essential community pillars.
“For nearly 175 years, the YMCA of Greater New York has been a place where New Yorkers come to find community, support, and a sense of belonging,” said Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York. As we prepare to celebrate this milestone anniversary, ‘It Starts Inside’ reflects both our legacy and our future — a commitment to a healthier, engaged, and empowered New York. It also reflects the spirit of New York City itself — diverse, optimistic, and driven by community. In a city where nobody makes it alone, the Y has always been a place where New Yorkers find their purpose and their people. This campaign strengthens that connection between the Y and New York by celebrating the role we play in the lives of individuals, families, and neighborhoods across all five boroughs.”
“It Starts Inside” arrives at a moment of fresh air in civic conversation, including a deeper understanding of the importance of “third spaces” and community infrastructure in city life. The YMCA of Greater NY has been providing that vital service for nearly two centuries. With 24 branches and dozens of offsite locations across the five boroughs, the Y’s community impact programming has an outsized impact on the lives of New Yorkers. In addition to its pools, fitness classes and facilities, after-school programs, and camps, the Y empowers teens to advocate for themselves and their communities, supports students in their pursuit of college and career opportunities, provides meals to families struggling with food insecurity, and hosts job training and English classes for New Americans.
“’It Starts Inside’ isn’t just a tagline — it’s about changing how people think about the Y,” said Ronnie Tucker, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the YMCA of Greater New York. “Many New Yorkers know us for our pools, fitness facilities, and summer camps, but our impact reaches much further. Every day, the Y connects communities, supports families, helps young people gain confidence, and creates a place where every New Yorker belongs.”
‘It Starts Inside’ reintroduces the Y as essential social infrastructure that meets New Yorkers’ diverse needs. The campaign’s name speaks to both the internal transformation common amongst Y members, as the Y shapes their sense of confidence, connection, and purpose, and the physical Y spaces where those transformations take place.
At the center of the campaign is a 60-second hero film that features a mosaic of interconnected stories and voices. A series of three character-led 30-second films then focuses more intimately on themes of confidence, connection, and purpose across different generations of New Yorkers. The campaign is designed to both raise awareness about the Y’s positive impact and support the Y’s membership, programs, recruitment, and fundraising campaigns.
“It Starts Inside” was inspired by real stories from across the YMCA of Greater New York community—stories of confidence found, futures changed, friendships formed, and opportunities unlocked. One film draws from the story of a young teen from the Bronx who first came to the Y to play basketball with his friends, before finding mentorship through the Rowe Scholars program and eventually earning a college scholarship—reflecting the everyday, transformative role the YMCA quietly plays in New Yorkers’ lives.
To bring a sense of realism to screen, the production cast both local actors and community members—many with personal connections to the Y– as well as Y staff. Filmed across NYC’s beaches, parks, sidewalks, gyms, and neighborhood streets throughout the city, the campaign captures a version of New York City that feels human, specific, and deeply familiar. By focusing on authentic narratives across the Y’s core pillars (youth, health, and community), “It Starts Inside” demonstrates tangible outcomes rather than programs alone.
The campaign was developed by Accompany Creative and produced by Accompany Productions. The result of bringing strategy, creative, and production together, the overall campaign ecosystem spans broadcast storytelling, donor communications, social content, photography, and community-level activations.
“This is also the YMCA of Greater New York’s first fully integrated brand campaign, bringing together storytelling, marketing, community engagement, and fundraising around one unified message,” said Tucker. With the support of our partners at Accompany Creative, ‘It Starts Inside’ will continue to roll out through upcoming fundraising efforts later this year, helping more New Yorkers understand and be inspired to support the Y’s mission to strengthen the health and well-being of every New Yorker.”
Earlier campaigns launched with Accompany Creative included a post-COVID membership drive and a 2023 campaign which increased overall membership, notably in the 20-29 age range. The latter won two SHORTY awards: GOLD Health & Wellness (2023) and SILVER “On a Shoestring Budget” (2023).
2026 marks a pivotal moment for the YMCA of Greater New York: at a time when community, connection, and access to resources are increasingly critical, the campaign responds to both a cultural moment and an organizational need to increase New Yorkers’ awareness of all that the Y has to offer and encourage them to take action. Historically, The Y’s media campaigns have focused on supporting members’ fitness journeys and on membership drives, but this campaign goes further to tell a cohesive story of impact across the multifaceted organization.
Accompany CEO Jason Keehn is excited about this evolution in the agency’s work with the Y, “As a New Yorker of 26 years, it is an honor to collaborate with such an iconic institution, especially in a time of renewed civic pride and engagement. “It’s been a pleasure to work jointly with both Marketing Communications and Fundraising/Development executives to find a cohesive creative platform that can flex into their unique media and tactical strategies, so that the Y’s target audience is getting consistent messaging through the funnel.”
“It Starts Inside” uses storytelling on premium video to highlight the Y as an essential community institution. Beginning in June, “It Starts Inside” will leverage a full-funnel, integrated media mix anchored in high-impact OOH, premium video, and targeted digital designed to balance broad awareness with hyper-local relevance and donor engagement. This will include CTV and broadcast video (Hulu, Disney+); paid social (Meta, TikTok, YouTube); and programmatic and direct partnerships, including The New York Times. In the Fall, Fund Development channels (email, direct mail, organic social, in-branch digital screens, posters, and flyers) will activate audiences at the community level to translate awareness into donations and participation.
At its core, the work reframes the Y as a catalyst for individual and community health and well-being for all New Yorkers. In the coming months, the YMCA and Accompany Creative will roll out a companion fundraising campaign, followed by campaigns specifically focused on membership, recruitment, and summer camp. “It Starts Inside” tells stories of New Yorkers on the verge of something great and positions the Y as the place that makes that transformation possible.
