PPB July 2018

FIVE MINUTES WITH Sally Rhoden Retired foundation director for Cobb Hospital and Medical Center Cultivating Connections How one promotional products partnership grew support for a horticulture therapy garden This “Five Minutes With” is the final installment of a series of Q&As with buyers who shared how they use promotional products and why. This month’s Q&A is with Sally Rhoden, retired foundation director for Cobb Hospital and Medical Center, who has worked with Marsha Londe, owner of Tango Partners in Atlanta, Georgia. PPB In what industry/company were you employed when you worked with Marsha Londe, and what was your role? Rhoden I first began working with Marsha in the late 1980s, when I was employed as Community Relations Director at Ridgeview Institute in Smyrna, Georgia. I left Ridgeview in 1991 to begin a foundation at Cobb Hospital and Medical Center. This is where the majority of my work with Marsha occurred. PPB What were your impressions of how promotional products could be used before you began working with Marsha? Rhoden Before I experienced Marsha (and she is an experience), I never really understood how promotional products could affect the success of a project. Before I became involved in trying to raise money for the hospital, I had only used promotional products as giveaways for employees or volunteers, as a “thank you” or for name recognition. PPB What have you learned about the impact of items in delivering your message? Rhoden I saw firsthand through Marsha’s experience and creativity how promotional products can absolutely give a project focus and “life,” and exposure. PPB What have been some of your favorite products/programs, and why? Rhoden The biggest and most successful project I have done was with Marsha, and it was called “Bring a Garden to Life.” It carried the double meaning of creating a garden that would bring pleasure to the lives of patients, family and staff. If my memory serves me, Marsha came up with the whole concept, as I was raising money to build a horticulture therapy garden at the hospital as the first real project of the foundation. From that initial concept, pins that read “I helped bring a garden to life” were worn by employee donors all over the hospital, and larger donors received framed prints of the garden with personalized plaques indicating annual gifts to the garden for the coming years. When we had our big opening in 1993, we had other items, such as sun visors and gardening aprons, printed with “I helped bring a garden to life.” Today, some 25 years later, brain-injured and post-stroke patients are still doing horticulture therapy in raised beds in this beautiful spot. PPB How have the recipients of your products (as giveaways or thank-you gifts) responded? Rhoden It became “the thing to do” to have a framed print of the garden hanging in your office, or having a pin to wear on your uniform at the hospital, which translated into more dollars to pay for the garden. This was a very popular campaign, and one that people could really relate to. PPB What advice would you give to another organization or business that’s considering working with a consultant? Rhoden I am now a huge believer in working hand in hand with a promotional products professional. A real pro will see “the big picture” and introduce aspects of a coordinated campaign that you might never think of. | JULY 2018 | 63 THINK