Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Employees Joining The Gym

Posted by Anonymous on 10/6/2009 at 11:38 AM ET 125 Points
I work for a non profit hospital which runs a specialty Gym. the Gym is specifically designed for people with severe diabilities MS. MD. Quads paras, Stroke. and Employees/Family members.

My main problem is we cannot seem to get employees to join the gym. We cannot advertise outside bc of non profit status. And for employees we went paperless payroll. E-mails don't seem to work, local intranet is not pulling people in, We can not send more than 1 E-mail a month to Employees, and Marketing does not seem to help out to much,

Any Ideas to help increase memberships?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 10/6/2009 at 11:44 AM Accepted
    I have never heard of any restriction for advertising due to a nonprofit status. Even if you are nonprofit-- the IRS wants you to be profitable!

    At any rate, it may be difficult for employees to routinely see cases as this, and spend their off hours further surrounded by it. Gym memberships are social outlets for many, as well as the fitness experience. That is probably the objection you are running against.

    I'd do an employee open house, offer week free memberships, two for one's, and other promos that the for profit clubs offer. Are your hours competitive? You are, after all, competing against private clubs for the membership.
  • Posted on 10/6/2009 at 11:50 AM Accepted
    I see a few issues. First based on your post, the gym seems to be targeted to 2 audiences - people with severe disabilities plus employees. I'm not sure about the messages you've used in your promotion but I wonder if employees feel that the gym isn't really for them. Perhaps you should do a pay check stuffer for employees. The message could be something related to the convenience of working out close to where they work or any special incentives for employees. I agree with the previous post regarding competing against private clubs. In order to get employees interested you have to give them a reason why they should come to your gym vs. another.
  • Posted by Levon on 10/6/2009 at 12:34 PM Accepted
    Maybe team up with the executive team to help push you agenda. I would create a partnership with some key people in getting your message out there.
  • Posted on 10/6/2009 at 2:25 PM Accepted
    I'm a little hazy on this...

    Couple of questions.

    1.) Are you charging for membership?
    2.) If so, is the price competitive with local clubs?
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 10/7/2009 at 9:18 AM Accepted
    Have you asked (or surveyed) any of the employees why they haven't joined? Right now you're seeing their behavior, but you don't yet understand their motivation.
  • Posted on 10/7/2009 at 7:21 PM Member
    I SUSPECT what is happening here is this...

    I travel a lot on business and generally buy a "Day Pass" to a local gym while on the road. They all seem to have ONE thing in common. Privacy. Guys & Gals wear their iPods or not, but DO NOT seem to want to be talked to. They are concentrating on what they are doing. A gym is usually quieter than a library except for the noise from the machines.

    I suspect that your people would see working out with physically disadvantaged people as putting them in a position where they feel like they might have to assist someone in some way and this is not desirable in that environment.

    Maybe I'm wrong, but if you're having a tough time figuring out what's wrong AND nobody will give you any feedback that makes sense... QED
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