HHH only has 22 full-time staff and relies heavily on volunteers. Photos by Brandy Brubaker.
For its 30th birthday, a local nonprofit is getting a makeover from a Richmond marketing company.
Hospital Hospitality House, which operates a former downtown hotel as a guest house for area hospital patients and their family members, has hired Richmond marketing firm Big River to create a new brand identity for the organization.
Stacy Brinkley, chief executive officer of Hospital Hospitality House, said the organization may revamp its logo and might even change its name.
“We are looking for ways to better communicate what we do,” Brinkley said. “Everything from brand identity to brand strategy.”
Once a Days Inn, the 112-room facility at 612 E. Marshall St. is a “home away from home” for patients with family members being treated at participating hospitals. It is equipped with the comforts of home – things like a stocked pantry, a kitchen, laundry machines, books, movies and toys for kids.
Guests might include the family of a car crash victim, a cancer patient, or someone who has received an organ transplant. Some of the home’s guests might be in town from another country for surgeries through World Pediatric Project.
Brinkley, who was formerly Big River’s client when she worked at WellPoint, sought the firm out for help after Hospital Hospitality House decided its image needed to be a little warmer. Big River is doing most of the work pro bono, she said.
Stacy Brinkley
“We’re looking at how to convey all that goes on here,” Brinkley said. “It’s about telling stories so folks really get the good work that goes into this … We’re tired of being the best-kept secret in Richmond.”
Once it determines the best way to rebrand, HHH will figure out how best to market itself, Brinkley said. That could involve social media, advertising or direct mail – depending on the budget, she said.
Emily Stengenberger, director of brand strategy at Big River, said marketing a nonprofit isn’t much different than marketing a business.
“It’s just about refreshing that brand identity and making sure to communicate that vision in a way that will be compelling to a younger generation,” she said.
HHH has been in its current space since 1994. It bought the building at auction for $1 million and fully renovated it, Development Director Beverly Bean said.
According to the HHH website, it is the third-largest hospitality house in the country and the largest that operates without a set daily rate.
HHH averages 150 guests a night, and most stay one week.
A $15 daily donation is suggested, but no one is turned away for inability to pay. Brinkley said about half of the guests contribute.
HHH operates on a $2.3 million annual budget. It costs $6,200 a day to operate the facility, and it serves about 7,000 guests a year.
Donations account for about 60 percent of the budget, and the rest comes from funds received from participating hospitals and contributions for guests during their stay.
Participating local hospitals include Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, the Hunter Homes McGuire VA Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, among several others.
While HHH is the city’s largest hospital guest house, it is not the only one. Last month Bon Secours opened the Evelyn D. Reinhart Guest House on Libbie Avenue as a place for out-of-town families to stay while a relative is treated at St. Mary’s Hospital.
HHH only has 22 full-time staff and relies heavily on volunteers. Photos by Brandy Brubaker.
For its 30th birthday, a local nonprofit is getting a makeover from a Richmond marketing company.
Hospital Hospitality House, which operates a former downtown hotel as a guest house for area hospital patients and their family members, has hired Richmond marketing firm Big River to create a new brand identity for the organization.
Stacy Brinkley, chief executive officer of Hospital Hospitality House, said the organization may revamp its logo and might even change its name.
“We are looking for ways to better communicate what we do,” Brinkley said. “Everything from brand identity to brand strategy.”
Once a Days Inn, the 112-room facility at 612 E. Marshall St. is a “home away from home” for patients with family members being treated at participating hospitals. It is equipped with the comforts of home – things like a stocked pantry, a kitchen, laundry machines, books, movies and toys for kids.
Guests might include the family of a car crash victim, a cancer patient, or someone who has received an organ transplant. Some of the home’s guests might be in town from another country for surgeries through World Pediatric Project.
Brinkley, who was formerly Big River’s client when she worked at WellPoint, sought the firm out for help after Hospital Hospitality House decided its image needed to be a little warmer. Big River is doing most of the work pro bono, she said.
Stacy Brinkley
“We’re looking at how to convey all that goes on here,” Brinkley said. “It’s about telling stories so folks really get the good work that goes into this … We’re tired of being the best-kept secret in Richmond.”
Once it determines the best way to rebrand, HHH will figure out how best to market itself, Brinkley said. That could involve social media, advertising or direct mail – depending on the budget, she said.
Emily Stengenberger, director of brand strategy at Big River, said marketing a nonprofit isn’t much different than marketing a business.
“It’s just about refreshing that brand identity and making sure to communicate that vision in a way that will be compelling to a younger generation,” she said.
HHH has been in its current space since 1994. It bought the building at auction for $1 million and fully renovated it, Development Director Beverly Bean said.
According to the HHH website, it is the third-largest hospitality house in the country and the largest that operates without a set daily rate.
HHH averages 150 guests a night, and most stay one week.
A $15 daily donation is suggested, but no one is turned away for inability to pay. Brinkley said about half of the guests contribute.
HHH operates on a $2.3 million annual budget. It costs $6,200 a day to operate the facility, and it serves about 7,000 guests a year.
Donations account for about 60 percent of the budget, and the rest comes from funds received from participating hospitals and contributions for guests during their stay.
Participating local hospitals include Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, the Hunter Homes McGuire VA Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, among several others.
While HHH is the city’s largest hospital guest house, it is not the only one. Last month Bon Secours opened the Evelyn D. Reinhart Guest House on Libbie Avenue as a place for out-of-town families to stay while a relative is treated at St. Mary’s Hospital.