Surveying Member Stakeholders Prior to Launching $15 Million Renovation and Expansion Project Reaps Dividends for the Mandel Jewish Community Center
For more than 100 years The Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, now known as the Mandel Jewish Community Center, has played a vital role in building a strong and cohesive Jewish community in Cleveland. Throughout its rich history, dating back to 1889, an immeasurable number of families and individuals, both young and old, of all backgrounds and abilities, have benefited and been enriched from a wide array of programs and services. For more than 100 years The Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, now known as the Mandel Jewish Community Center, has played a vital role in building a strong and cohesive Jewish community in Cleveland. Throughout its rich history, dating back to 1889, an immeasurable number of families and individuals, both young and old, of all backgrounds and abilities, have benefited and been enriched from a wide array of programs and services.
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The Mandel Brothers.
The Mandel Jewish Community Center was awarded a generous $13.5 million grant from the Mandel Foundation.
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Today, the Mandel JCC operates in a very different and ever more complex and competitive environment than its founders could ever have imagined. To remain relevant and strong, it must be able to meet and exceed the expectations of the Cleveland Jewish community by providing superior programs and services in modern, attractive, and updated facilities. Recognizing that a thriving Jewish Community Center is integral to an active, involved, and interconnected Cleveland Jewish community, the Mandel JCC has embarked on a much-needed effort to revitalize and expand its facilities. |
Support the full array of services for the Jewish community
For many years the organization had two locations in Cleveland but in 2005 the difficult decision was made to close one location and consolidate as many services as possible at its Beachwood location. The Mandel JCC in Beachwood, a 130,000 sq. ft. facility, became the focal point of the Jewish Community Center’s presence in Greater Cleveland. After consolidation to one facility, daily usage substantially increased at the Beachwood facility, something that served to magnify the building’s space limitations. In addition, the overall physical condition of the building warranted significant renovation and updating to be able to support the full array of services that were needed by the Jewish community.
In 2006, the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland was awarded a generous $13.5 million grant from the Mandel Foundation toward a $15 million renovation and expansion of its facility.
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With the completion of renovation and expansion, the Mandel JCC building will be the home of a robust community center that offers ample opportunities for leisure, recreation, socialization, Jewish enrichment and education, arts and culture, sports, aquatics, fitness and wellness activities. As a result of these efforts the Mandel JCC will be well-positioned to respond to the ever evolving needs of our Jewish community well into the 21st century. |
Recognizing that a thriving Jewish Community Center is integral to an active and involved Jewish community, the Mandel JCC has embarked on an effort to revitalize and expand its facilities
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Renovation Planning
Planning for a renovation and expansion that will serve the needs of members and the community for generations to come was a significant undertaking and one that the Mandel JCC leadership did not take lightly. In addition to working with expert consultants, two committees -- the Program Services Committee and the Facilities Planning Committee traveled to JCC’s around the country that had recently either undergone a major expansion or built a new facility and visited a number of integrated fitness and wellness centers in northeast Ohio. From these visits, ideas were gathered about important elements that needed to be considered as well as mistakes to avoid.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the Mandel JCC undertook a comprehensive survey of its membership, aided by Strategic Consumer Research, a Cleveland-based market research firm. In April 2008, 6,000 adult members were sent information inviting them to participate in an online survey.
Member Survey
A remarkably high number of comments indicated a high degree of interest in the Mandel JCC and that its
members are very engaged and care about the organization.
The member feedback from the survey proved to be invaluable and helped the Mandel JCC determine priorities for the renovation and expansion for its current and future phases of construction. In addition, the organization was able to identify areas that were causing member dissatisfaction, many of which have since been addressed and changed, improved or fixed as a result of member feedback.
Despite tackling a large scale and, at times, very disruptive construction project, the Mandel JCC has stayed open and operational throughout the project and members have remained very engaged as the findings so clearly indicate.
Membership Update
As of May, 2010 the renovation is nearly 50% complete. Since construction began in May 2009:
• More than 900 new members have joined
• More than 125 members have referred new members to join the Mandel JCC
• Despite the construction inconveniences, retention rates are actually higher than the period prior to renovation
But perhaps most gratifying have been the unsolicited comments from members throughout the construction period:
“My husband & I have noticed how friendly & kind the staff is. Please keep it up - your attitudes are amazing & we appreciate everyone here.”
“Love the future look of this … facility! Construction moving at a good & fast pace! … Love it!”
“Amazing job of keeping facility open during construction.”
Before and throughout the renovation the Mandel JCC has focused on communicating and listening to its members and this commitment will continue long after the renovation is complete. This focus on members will help the organization sustain and grow its membership base and build larger audiences for all of its programs and services as it comes out of the renovation. All of this will go a long way towards helping the Mandel JCC fulfill its mission to build and strengthen Cleveland's entire Jewish community.
For more information about the Mandel JCC of Cleveland visit: www.mandeljcc.org
