YMCA of San Diego County

What YMCA of San Diego County does

YMCA of San Diego County is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (Tax ID 95-2039198) founded in 1882 and headquartered at 3708 Ruffin Road, San Diego, California. It is the largest YMCA association in the United States by scope and reach, operating 15 branch locations across San Diego County and three overnight camps (Camp Marston, Raintree Ranch, and Camp Surf). For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, the organization reported impacting 340,496 individuals and delivering 553,494 personal well-being touchpoints, reaching approximately 11% of San Diego County's population. The organization has sustained a 4-star Charity Navigator rating for 11 consecutive years.

The organization delivers a unified community-wellness platform anchored by a two-tier subscription membership (Y Community and Y Community Plus) priced monthly with no annual contract. Core offerings include swim programs, youth and adult sports leagues (basketball, pickleball, gymnastics, martial arts, dance), licensed childcare, preschool, before- and after-school Expanded Learning programs delivered at partner school sites, day and overnight camps, Child Watch drop-in care, behavioral health and transitional housing services, and adaptive programming for individuals with disabilities. Digital layers include the official YMCA mobile app, YMCA360 virtual programming, EGYM smart-circuit strength equipment, online Child Watch reservations via Alaris Cloud, and a 2025-launched generative-AI chatbot called George.

The business model blends subscription membership dues, tuition and registration fees for childcare and camps, charitable donations (with $8.4M raised in the most recent Annual Campaign), government grants supporting childcare subsidies and Expanded Learning, planned giving via FreeWill, and special-event fundraising. Customer segments span families, children and youth, active adults 55+, military families (10% discount), individuals with special needs, low-income scholarship recipients (88,000 served via the ACCESS program), and individual adults. The leadership team is led by President & CEO Todd Tibbits, EVP & COO Cesar Silva, CFO Jonathan Hall, and a broader executive bench including a CIO and dedicated VPs for social services, compliance, policy, and development.

Name

YMCA of San Diego County

Legal name

YMCA of San Diego County

Website

https://ymcasd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

YMCA of San Diego County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating 15 branches and three overnight camps across San Diego County, delivering fitness, licensed childcare, camps, swim, youth sports, and social services to roughly 340,000 individuals annually via membership dues, tuition, donations, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Wellness and Youth Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA), Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Senior/Low-Impact Group Fitness (HSADABAI)

Keywords

• Community wellness programs
• Licensed child care services
• Overnight youth camps
• Fitness and swim programs
• Nonprofit community services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Recurring monthly membership fees (Y Community and Y Community Plus tiers) without annual contracts. Includes household, single adult, and active adult 55+ pricing. Drives the bulk of self-generated operating revenue.
2. Charitable Donations and Annual Campaign: Tax-deductible donations supporting the Annual Campaign ($8.4M raised in most recent year), capital campaigns, and endowment. Includes planned giving via FreeWill for wills and revocable living trusts.
3. Government Grants and Public Funding: Federal, state, and local government grants supporting the ACCESS financial assistance program, childcare subsidies, and Expanded Learning (after-school) programs.
4. Program Fees (Childcare, Camps, Youth Sports): Tuition and registration fees for licensed childcare, preschool, before/after-school Expanded Learning, day camps, overnight camps (Camp Marston, Raintree Ranch, Camp Surf), and youth sports leagues.
5. Special Events and Fundraising Proceeds: Revenue from special events, sponsorship, and third-party fundraising events supporting the Y's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

YMCA of San Diego County operates a 15-branch community wellness network across San Diego County, providing membership-based access to fitness centers, swim facilities, group exercise, and youth sports, complemented by licensed child care, preschool, before- and after-school Expanded Learning programs, day and overnight camps, and social services including behavioral health, transitional housing, and foster-youth support. The Y underwrites access through its ACCESS financial-assistance program, funded by charitable donations, government grants, and membership dues.

Product overview

YMCA of San Diego County delivers a unified community-wellness platform composed of an in-branch facility network augmented by digital modules. The core membership (Y Community and Y Community Plus) anchors the offering and grants access to in-branch programs including Swim Programs, Sports and Recreation Programs, Group Fitness and Personal Training, Child Watch, Family Programs, and Child Care (Preschool, Before and After School, and Respite Care), plus Day Camps and Overnight Camps at Camp Marston, Raintree Ranch, and Camp Surf. Layered on top of the core are digital extensions: the YMCA Mobile App, YMCA360 virtual programming, EGYM Smart-Circuit Training, the George AI Chat Assistant, and the Be Well Podcast. Community Support Services (Behavioral Health, Transitional Housing, and Youth and Young Adult Development) and Membership Scholarships and Financial Assistance round out the portfolio as social-impact programs delivered alongside the fitness and youth services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camp Marston: Overnight summer camp operated by YMCA of San Diego County for youth programs.
• Raintree Ranch
• Camp Surf

Products and services

• YMCA Membership (Y Community and Y Community Plus) Two-tier monthly, contract-free membership plans (Y Community and Y Community Plus) that grant access to YMCA of San Diego County branch amenities, group exercise classes, swim facilities, Child Watch, and member benefits, with household, single adult, and active adult 55+ pricing.
• Day Camps and Overnight Camps (Camp Marston, Raintree Ranch, Camp Surf) Seasonal day and overnight youth camp programs operated at three dedicated YMCA camp sites in the San Diego region (Camp Marston in Julian, Raintree Ranch, and Camp Surf in Imperial Beach), serving children and teens with multi-day resident camp sessions.
• Swim Programs Aquatic programming including group and private swim lessons, youth and adult competitive swim teams, and Masters Swim Teams delivered across YMCA branches in San Diego County.
• Sports and Recreation Programs Youth and adult recreational sports leagues and classes including basketball, pickleball, gymnastics, martial arts, dance, and youth sports.
• Child Care (Preschool, Before and After School, Respite Care) Licensed early-childhood education and school-age care programs including preschool, before- and after-school enrichment (Expanded Learning) at partner school sites, and respite care for children with special needs.
• Family Programs (Adventure Clubs, Birthday Parties, Family Camp, Teen Centers) Family-oriented engagement programs including parent-child Adventure Clubs, birthday party rentals, family camp weekends, and Teen Centers.
• Community Support Services (Behavioral Health, Transitional Housing, Youth and Young Adult Development) Social-service programs that address community needs, including behavioral health services, transitional housing, foster-youth support, and youth and young adult development initiatives.
• Child Watch Drop-in supervised child care provided at YMCA branches while parents work out or take classes, scheduled through the Alaris Bookings online reservation system.
• Group Fitness and Personal Training In-branch group exercise classes and one-on-one personal training sessions delivered by certified YMCA instructors and trainers.
• Membership Scholarships and Financial Assistance (ACCESS) Income-based scholarships and financial assistance that subsidize YMCA memberships, child care, and camp participation for qualifying San Diego County families.

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• FreeWillcoreTechnology or IntegrationFreeWill is integrated into the Y's planned-giving experience, providing a secure online resource for supporters to make or update a Revocable Living Trust or Will at no cost. Drives the Y's legacy giving pipeline and donor stewardship.
• Charity NavigatorcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity Navigator independently rates the YMCA of San Diego County and has awarded it four-star status for 11 consecutive years, providing third-party validation of financial health, accountability, and transparency that the Y prominently displays on its Give page to build donor trust.
• ClassycoreTechnology or IntegrationClassy is the donation platform powering the Y's online giving experience, including the Annual Campaign, capital campaigns, and event fundraising, enabling recurring gifts and donor management.
• School district partners (Expanded Learning sites)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal San Diego County school districts partner with the Y to host before- and after-school Expanded Learning programs on school campuses, extending the Y's childcare and youth development footprint into partner-operated venues.
• National YMCA / YMCA of the USAflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThe Y operates as an independent YMCA association under the national YMCA umbrella, licensing the YMCA brand and trademarks and participating in shared programs such as YMCA360 virtual programming and the national membership reciprocity network.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles: Largest YMCA association serving the LA metro under the same national YMCA umbrella. Operates the same nonprofit community-wellness model — multi-branch fitness, licensed childcare, youth sports, and overnight camps — making it the closest geographic and structural peer to YMCA of San Diego County.
• YMCA of Greater New York: Major YMCA association serving NYC with an equivalent portfolio of fitness centers, licensed childcare, summer camps, swim programs, and community services. Directly comparable as a large, multi-line YMCA nonprofit under the same national brand and operating model.
• YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago: Large midwest YMCA association operating a similar multi-branch community wellness, youth development, and camp model. Comparable in scale and breadth to YMCA of San Diego County and useful as a peer benchmark for nonprofit fitness-and-youth operators.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National federation of nonprofit youth and family clubs with the closest mission alignment to the Y's youth development and community programs. Operates comparable membership-based youth services, after-school programming, and camps, though with less adult fitness focus.
• Boys & Girls Club of San Diego: Direct regional nonprofit peer serving youth and families in the same San Diego geography with overlapping after-school, summer camp, and youth development programming. Competes for the same youth and family segments and donor base locally.
• JCC Association of North America: Network of Jewish community centers combining fitness, aquatics, licensed childcare, residential camps, and social services in a nonprofit community-center model. Operates a structurally similar mix of adult wellness and youth/family programming as the Y.

Broad incumbents

• Life Time Fitness: Premium commercial fitness operator with comparable fitness, swim, family, and youth programming. Differs in being for-profit and targeting higher price points; useful as a benchmark for premium-tier adult member economics the Y Community Plus tier competes against.
• Crunch Fitness: Commercial fitness chain offering tiered memberships similar in structure to the Y's Y Community / Y Community Plus tiers. Competes for adult fitness members in the San Diego market but lacks the Y's childcare, camp, and nonprofit community programming.
• LA Fitness: Large commercial fitness operator with broad fitness and swim offerings that competes for adult members in the same San Diego market. For-profit, single-line model contrasts with the Y's integrated wellness, childcare, and nonprofit community programming.
• 24 Hour Fitness: National commercial fitness chain with multiple San Diego locations competing for adult fitness members. Provides a useful benchmark for commercial fitness pricing, churn, and unit economics relative to the Y's nonprofit, contract-free membership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ymcasandiego
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/YMCASanDiego
• Facebookfacebook.com/YMCASanDiego
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ymca-of-san-diego-county
• Instagraminstagram.com/ymcasandiego

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YMCA of San Diego County