Your Peace, Our Purpose

To address these challenges, Emergence embarked on a thorough research process and conducted surveys, interviews with staff and board members, message testing, and brand positioning workshops. We sought to uncover the essence of HOP’s identity and understand how it could evolve while staying true to its mission.

By positioning HOP as a reliable stalwart of the community and speaking confidently and clearly on the subject of death and dying, we were able to develop a clean, accessible, and engaging new brand and bold new messaging guidelines that would resonate with stakeholders across the board, from long-serving team members to families new to hospice care.

To ensure that the brand became an integral part of HOP’s identity, ongoing staff and board engagement was critical. Guided by the positioning statement, manifesto, and brand personality: strong, present, purposeful, HOP re-launched with a brand that stood out among others and captured essence of the organization.

Updating a 40-year old brand required months of collaboration between the Emergence and HOP. All the digital and print materials needed to be refreshed to reflect the new brand and also the new messaging. Sub-brands were established to differentiate the many different services HOP offers. The website was also rebuilt to capture important data about visitors, and allow anyone inquiring about HOP services be easily directed to the right person. 

The new brand was the foundation for a deeper cultural shift within the organization. To ensure that the brand became an integral part of HOP’s identity, ongoing staff and board engagement was critical. After living with the new brand for two years, HOP leadership recognized the need to revisit their “Mission, Vision, and Values” based on feedback from staff and volunteers, who felt the current statements no did not accurately convey the organization’s commitment. Through a collaborative process, Emergence developed new Mission, Vision, and Values statements for HOP, strengthening their sense of purpose and deepening trust with HOP staff, allowing for continued collaboration.

HOP’s revitalized brand continues to open up new ways to connect with people on a deeper level, making it easier to share the importance of their work and encourage earlier conversations about hospice care.

To uncover the most effective ways to engage the community, we conducted in-depth research including case studies, interviews with HOP staff, and an analysis of current organizational events and education programs at HOP and beyond. The result was a diverse list of new opportunities for community engagement and a clear list of goals to guide HOP.

Additionally, Emergence created the “Community Impact Index” to help measure the impact of these programs and guide continuous improvement outside of their already existing KPIs. This process and resulting index helped align HOP’s community engagement efforts with their organizational goals, budget, and strategy.

In collaboration with HOP, we improved the format and messaging of existing events and helped create new initiatives to foster a warm and welcoming atmosphere and reach new members of the community. These initiatives include but are not limited to:

- Death Over Drafts: An event series encouraging open conversations about death in a relaxed environment.

- Fundraising Events: Annual events such as the 5K Race, Memorial Illumination, and Golf Classic, which provided opportunities for community education while raising vital funds to support HOP’s mission.

- Educational Support: Workshops and resources designed for HOP to help individuals and families navigate grief and prepare for end-of-life decisions.

HOP’s community engagement efforts have grown into a vital part of their mission, cultivating deeper human connections and providing spaces for individuals and staff to navigate topics they may otherwise avoid.

The Community Impact Index showed that increasing their investment in the community also resulted in growth in consumer referrals, volunteer participation, and the recruitment of death doula volunteers. Initiatives, like their speaker series and art installations, were created as a direct result of the index.

This approach to community has earned media coverage and strengthened trust in HOP as a compassionate partner, helping families navigate life’s most challenging moments.