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First, can you share some background about the 92nd Street Y and its mission and audience?

Founded in 1874, the 92nd Street Y’s mission is to promote individual and family development.  As a community and cultural center, the Y seeks to create, provide, and disseminate programs of distinction that foster the physical and mental health of human beings throughout their lives.  The Y reaches out beyond its core constituency of American Jews to serve people of diverse racial, religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds, meeting the needs of more than 300,000 people annually. 

Through the Y’s eight program centers, adults and children engage in programs of art, music, dance, and writing; expand their minds through world-renowned lectures, concerts, readings, and classes in science, languages, and the humanities; hone their athletic skills through sports and aquatic activities; and stay healthy through fitness and wellness programs. The Y offers 2,300 events on four separate stages and 3,200 classes, and operates a fitness facility, 13 summer camps annually and a seniors group of over 650 members. It also houses 400 people from around the world in its residence buildings.

As a large organization with a large variety of programs and events, the patrons on your e-mail list are not all looking for the same kind of information in your e-mail newsletter updates. How do you address the different interests of these groups? What subcategories do you use to segment your list?

The Y comprises multiple business divisions that break down into approximately 35 distinct program and subject areas. Our demographic breakdown is from cradle to grave with specific target demographics in each program area. The complicated structure of our organization necessitated the creation of focused e-mail newsletters ("eNews") geared toward very specific subject matters and constituencies. A patron interested in our classical music concerts would not necessarily want information on our children’s programs.

We have 24 segmented eNews lists. 15 segments are main Y subject areas:

1. 92nd Street Y HIGHLIGHTS
2. Jewish Life & Culture
3. Adult Learning & Leisure
4. Lectures, Talks & Panels
5. Art, Music & Dance Programs
6. Literary Readings & Writing Workshops
7. Children's Activities
8. Programs for Baby Boomers
9. Community Outreach
10. Parenting Activities
11. Concerts
12. Singles Events
13. Dance Events & Performances
14. Teen Activities
15. Health, Fitness & Sport    

and nine segments for our Makor population, our satellite facility geared specifically toward people in their 20s-30s.

1. Makor HIGHLIGHTS
2. Jewish Life & Culture
3. Community Services
4. Music
5. Makor Talks & Classes
6. Makor Recreation & Social Networks
7. Film
8. Theater
9. Gallery    


With so many different categories, it must be fairly complicated to manage the e-mail marketing schedule. Can you tell us about your overall editorial plan and process?

It was clear from the start that 24 segments would be too many to be created and managed in a small department of Web editors. One of the strengths with the PatronMail system is the ability to allow multiple users to create template-based e-mails. This enables us to spread the creation of each eNews to different people in each program area.  These e-mail creators are more in tune with the day-to-day needs of their business areas, know what needs to be pushed, and can develop special offers and discounts to include in their eNews.

With so many eNews creators we wanted to make sure there was design/branding consistency among each segment. We designed headers and sample eNews for each segment with consistent branding elements (font, date/time/price/title treatments, photo usage, etc.). The eNews creators were then able to base their subsequent e-mails off these first sets of designs.

To ensure that the Y brand and style remain consistent, final editing and distribution are handled by our Web editors. There are 26 center-based eNews writers/creators and 5 Web editors that proof, ensure consistency, and send each eNews according to predetermined schedules.

In creating these segments I was very concerned about not inundating our patrons with several e-mails per day. I developed a calendar-based schedule that ensured there would be little to no delivery overlap between each segment. While I am confident that no one person subscribes to every list, I wanted to ensure each was spread out enough to allow for subscriptions to multiple lists without our customers e-mail boxes being overloaded. Also, not every eNews goes out with the same frequency. The schedule depends on many factors in each business division related to program needs and schedules. For instance, art classes are sold seasonally, whereas lectures are frequently added last-minute and this eNews segment is sent weekly.

To keep track of each eNews we use a calendar display on the Y intranet site. In calendar view each eNews is listed on the date it is scheduled to go out, making it very easy to tell when an eNews should be created and sent. Viewing the schedule in this format also allows us to see the big picture and spot overlap between segment delivery dates. [You can see a sample month of the eNews schedule by clicking here.]


You have outstanding open and click rates. To what do you attribute your success?

The Y’s eNews open and click rates are very high, with some lists reaching a 50% open rate and 20% click rate. This success is in large part due to our detailed segmenting. Subscribers self-select the subject areas/lists that truly interest them.

We make sure to include information, discounts, sneak peaks, and perks specific to each subject area and provide information and offers that cannot be found in any other marketing material. This gives our subscribers advance notice and "insider" information on upcoming programs and keeps them opening and reading each eNews. The quality and variety of our programs keep our audience anticipating new additions and late breaking news that they know will interest them.

Visit the 92nd Street Y's Web Site

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