Located in an underserved community in San Francisco, Hunters Point Family helps young people become thriving adults. Their focus is on youth enhancement and workforce development, changing lives through programs and services that provide academic support and culturally responsive enrichment activities.
Hunters Point Family (HPF) needed a partner to help them stock up on the day-to-day office and cleaning supplies that keep their organization moving, as well as the less frequent but important purchases like office furniture. They have found a perfect partnership in Quill.
Roslyn Bell has been the organization’s office manager for nearly eight years and Quill has been their go-to vendor since she started. So why does Hunters Point Family depend on Quill over other suppliers? When we spoke with Roslyn, she walked us through a few reasons why.
Sometimes it’s about hunting down just what you’re looking for.
When HPF’s first ever full-time Human Resources Manager came on board, she saw something she wanted in the office. It was their Controller’s high-quality wood desk. Roslyn tried to find the desk for their HR manager but wasn’t having any luck finding the same desk again.
So, Roslyn called Quill. After she connected with one of Quill’s furniture specialists, the search began. In what felt like no time, Quill was able to secure the exact desk for her.
Sometimes it’s about making the most of your budget.
Roslyn and her Quill account manager Chris Krauss have built a strong relationship over their time working together. When Chris saw a way HPF could be saving even more money on their orders, she made sure to let Roslyn know. Chris identified that Quill’s public sector and nonprofit contract with OMNIA Partners would give HPF custom pricing on over 150-line items at Quill. Roslyn was thrilled to learn about this solution and eager to get started with it.
And sometimes it’s about helping in a crisis, even if in just a small way.
When HPF saves up enough points to redeem an appealing reward from the Quill Rewards Center, they pay it forward. They either share these rewards directly with the kids in their programs and their families, or they use them to enhance their programs or operations in some way.
Unfortunately, there was a time one of the organization’s kitchens used for hosting some of their cooking classes was broken into and all the cookware was stolen. That’s when one small Quill reward ended up being a big help.
What made this event especially upsetting was that not only do these classes help teach valuable life skills, but the meals made also feed individuals who may not otherwise receive a hot meal that day. However, one bright spot in this dark moment was that HPF didn’t have to wait long or tap into their limited budget to replace the cookware. There was a small pot set they had been eyeing in the Quill Rewards Center. With enough points already saved up, they were able to redeem the reward right away and receive it with fast shipping.
But it’s always about the feeling you get.
In our conversation with Roslyn, one thought she kept coming back to was that “it’s just a whole different feeling” when she works with Quill.
Roslyn articulated various possible reasons for this, from the product assortment to the expert teams, to the rewards that make you feel like “you’re getting something a little extra for your hard-earned dollars.” But for her, it’s about more than these pieces individually – it’s about the overall feeling.
She acknowledged that other suppliers may have comparable offerings but said that ultimately “it’s just not the same.”
At Quill, we’re proud to know the care and personal attention we offer each and every customer makes all the difference.
This piece originally appeared on the Quill Blog.
OMNIA Partners & Quill
OMNIA Partners provides a way for procurement professionals to lower their costs and streamline their purchasing. For a nonprofit, it’s so important to make every dollar count. OMNIA has been and continues to be a great solution for HPF.
“Having OMNIA there, you get the extra discounts which definitely helps stretch the dollars,” Roslyn said. “And being a nonprofit, you need those dollars. You need the extra savings. Even if it’s only 50 cents that could apply somewhere else, it helps.”