Challenge
Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI) is an institute within Sinai Chicago. As the research arm of Sinai Chicago, SUHI has become a leader in collaboratively developing, implementing, evaluating, and scaling innovative solutions to reach health equity for underserved populations.
Over the past two decades, they have grown to include a multidisciplinary team of 70 epidemiologists, project managers, research assistants, and community health workers.
While SUHI’s programs and initiatives drive meaningful impact, they recognized the need for a clear, unified narrative to more effectively reach and engage with funders, stakeholders, and partners in support of the organization’s long-term goals.
SUHI had built a strong reputation through its community health worker initiatives, research on health disparities, and other community-based programs. However, with so many critical efforts operating simultaneously, it became increasingly difficult to clearly communicate the organization’s full scope and impact.
Limited marketing infrastructure and decentralized messaging made it challenging to maintain consistency across channels and audiences. Key stories and outcomes were spread across departments, flyers, and web pages—diluting the power of SUHI’s collective work.
To better reflect the strength of its programs and deepen engagement with funders, partners, and the communities it serves, SUHI recognized the need for a more unified brand and communication strategy.
SUHI’s leaders recognized that achieving their goals required more than a traditional communications plan. They needed an expert team to guide them through a comprehensive marketing and go-to-market (GTM) strategy specifically designed for mission-driven organizations, nonprofits, and hospitals operating in resource-limited environments.
The institute wanted a partner to create a holistic marketing roadmap. Their goal was to attract future donations by sharing their most exciting successes.
Support from VisualFizz
After connecting with VisualFizz, SUHI recognized the agency’s proven expertise in nonprofit and healthcare marketing. They stood out as the ideal partner to unify multiple programs under one strategic narrative.
Passionate about strengthening the reach of Chicago-based organizations, VisualFizz offered a data-driven approach that would streamline SUHI’s broad scope into a clear, cohesive brand message.
VisualFizz began by performing a needs analysis that leveraged SUHI’s existing internal assessment, then expanded it into a deeper organizational SWOT.
The goal was to capture every aspect of SUHI’s broad programming while balancing the reality of budget and resource constraints.
This process involved:
- Clarity and Consolidation
- Mapping out SUHI’s broad community-based and research services —community-based health interventions, educational programs, and philanthropic efforts—to identify the most impactful stories.
- Conducting interviews with SUHI’s committees and leadership to understand specific challenges like website usability, social media presence, and brand awareness.
- Delivering a strategic report to consolidate key insights across the institute and establish a foundation for clearer and more consistent messaging.
- Strategic Roadmap Development
- Creating a marketing and GTM plan focused on immediate visibility improvements (Ex. social media and website optimization) while building scalable foundations for long-term outreach.
- Aligning brand messaging with Sinai Chicago while maintaining SUHI’s unique identity as a leader in health equity.
- Collaborative and Efficient Project Management
- Working side-by-side with SUHI’s internal team—both research experts and administrative stakeholders—to shape user flows, refine messaging, and schedule deliverables in a manageable, budget-friendly manner.
- Tailoring every recommendation to SUHI’s day-to-day reality, ensuring no “cookie-cutter” solutions would impede staff capacity or overshadow other priorities.
Implementation
VisualFizz guided the creation of a long-term marketing roadmap for SUHI’s leadership to implement at their own pace. The roadmap included:
- Brand Review and Harmonization: VisualFizz completed a big-picture review of SUHI’s brand elements—logos, tone of voice, and visual guidelines—to ensure alignment with Sinai Chicago’s hospital brand. The team then developed new brand assets where needed, maintaining a consistently professional look.
- GTM Strategy and Digital Presence:
- VisualFizz established a 12-month social media calendar, emphasizing platforms that would reach future funders, such as LinkedIn.
- The team developed a “best practices” guide for optimizing SUHI’s newsletters to improve audience engagement and streamline content development and delivery.
- Website user experience recommendations helped SUHI better organize content, making it easier for stakeholders to understand the breadth of the nonprofit’s work.
- Story-Driven Content and Data Integration:
- VisualFizz worked with SUHI to capture impactful patient and community success stories, aligning each with the need for potential grant-seeking.
- The VisualFizz team wove metrics, including program reach and research outcomes, into SUHI’s messaging to highlight their measurable impact—an essential component when courting funders in a resource-tight environment.
- Live and Virtual Engagements:
- As SUHI moved into its 25th-anniversary phase, VisualFizz developed guidelines for monthly webinars and celebratory events. The messaging, content structure, and promotional strategies all followed the newly developed marketing roadmap.
Results
By collaborating with VisualFizz, SUHI secured a unified marketing strategy that continues to shape its growth. The roadmap:
- Unified a Complex Organization: SUHI’s wide-ranging work is now supported by a cohesive strategic plan designed for nonprofits and hospital systems, making it easier to communicate how each program advances the institute’s overarching mission.
- Enhanced Fundraising Potential: With a polished brand identity and data-focused stories, SUHI is better positioned to seek funding and other support for new initiatives. Their success stories now resonate with donors and supporters who see measurable results.
- Boosted Digital Presence: Enhancements to SUHI’s digital presence, LinkedIn in particular, skyrocketed visibility among prospective funders and partners. The follower count rose by 102%, directly supporting SUHI’s efforts to demonstrate its impact and maintain credibility with prospective donors.
- Ongoing Implementation: VisualFizz developed a flexible roadmap for SUHI to manage day-to-day. Monthly webinars and the 25th-anniversary initiatives run smoothly using guidelines that streamline marketing tasks without demanding excessive staff time or resources.
Nonprofits operating in Chicago often juggle broad scopes, tight budgets, and countless stakeholders. VisualFizz’s partnership with Sinai Urban Health Institute demonstrates how a customized marketing and GTM strategy can unify diverse programs, define brand identity, and cultivate new streams of funding.
SUHI’s story is one of transformation—from a fragmented online presence to a cohesive, data-driven strategy that resonates with donors, partners, and the communities it serves.
Even as internal teams manage ongoing efforts today, VisualFizz’s foundational roadmap and brand guidelines continue to guide pivotal decisions, ensuring SUHI’s influence and impact only grow stronger.
Ready to Strengthen Your Organization’s Reach?
VisualFizz delivers tailored marketing and GTM strategies for nonprofits, hospitals, and socially driven organizations, especially for brands balancing tight budgets and broad missions.
Request a proposal to see how a customized roadmap can clarify your mission, attract funding, and propel your organization toward sustainable growth.
