Tamarisk

What Tamarisk does

Tamarisk, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 15531 Central Avenue NE, Ham Lake, Minnesota, that delivers free, volunteer-led companion care to individuals and families navigating terminal illness. Founded in 1993 by Gretchen Hanson after the death of her father to cancer, the organization is built on a community hospice philosophy Hanson studied in England, supplemented by a master's degree in human development with a specialization in end-of-life care. Its primary service offering is the Volunteer Caregiver Companionship program, in which trained volunteers provide non-medical support including conversation, light meal preparation, errands, reading, and social outings, as well as respite for family caregivers and bereavement support. Tamarisk also operates a 12-hour Volunteer Training Program delivered through required in-person sessions and supplementary YouTube-based training video content covering the grieving process, family dynamics, hospice philosophy, and spiritual aspects of death and dying.

The organization has served more than 1,600 families and delivered over 62,000 hours of volunteer service since inception. Service delivery is geographically bounded to Anoka County, Northwest Ramsey County, and Northeast Hennepin in Minnesota. The revenue model is entirely donation-based, encompassing memorial donations, honorary donations, the 'Friends of Tamarisk' recurring donor program, community fundraisers, and an annual holiday candy sale partnership with See's Candies conducted through the YumRaising platform. All services are provided at no cost to families.

Operationally, Tamarisk is governed by a board of directors chaired by Karen Ho, with Laura Hollingsworth as Treasurer and additional members Stephanie Ayala, Diana Hunter, and Mary Welte. The paid leadership team consists of Program Director Shelly Palashewski and Bereavement Coordinator Jenny Song, with the founder Gretchen Hanson and Ambassador Kathy Dahl providing additional organizational leadership. The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no disclosed API or integrations, and relies on its website, email, and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn) for community engagement and donor outreach. Customer reach is generated through word-of-mouth, faith community partnerships, referrals from area pastors, hospice and grief counselor networks, and community events including potlucks, small group connections, and an annual volunteer picnic.

Name

Tamarisk

Legal name

Tamarisk, Inc.

Website

https://tamarisk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tamarisk is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, volunteer-delivered companion care, respite, and bereavement support to families navigating terminal illness in Anoka County and surrounding Twin Cities communities, funded entirely through charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

End-of-Life Care Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Volunteer & Companion Support Services (Hospice Volunteer Programs) (HSABAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• End-of-life care
• Volunteer companion services
• Hospice support
• Caregiver respite
• Bereavement support

Headquarters

HQ city

Anoka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Tamarisk generates revenue through charitable donations including memorial donations, honorary donations, and membership in the 'Friends of Tamarisk' program. The organization also conducts fundraisers such as the See's Candies holiday sale partnership. All services are provided free of charge to families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tamarisk is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free, volunteer-delivered companion care to individuals and families facing terminal illness in Anoka County, Northwest Ramsey County, and Northeast Hennepin, Minnesota. Trained volunteers visit families in their homes to offer presence, conversation, respite for caregivers, light meal preparation, errands, reading companionship, and bereavement support. All services are provided at no cost to recipients and are funded through charitable donations and fundraising.

Product overview

Tamarisk is a nonprofit organization (not a technology company) that operates as a single, unified service model offering volunteer caregiver companionship to individuals and families facing terminal illness. The core offering consists of trained volunteer companions who provide non-medical support including conversation, activities, anderrands. Supporting programs include a comprehensive volunteer training curriculum, educational video content on YouTube, and donor engagement programs (Friends of Tamarisk, memorial donations, and honorary donations). The organization does not offer a software product, platform, or technology-based modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteer Caregiver Companionship Services Tamarisk's primary service offering in which trained volunteers provide comfort, companionship, and non-medical support to individuals and families navigating terminal illness. Services include conversation, activities, light meal preparation, errands, reading companionship, respite support for caregivers, and grief and bereavement support. Provided free of charge to families in Anoka County, Northwest Ramsey County, and Northeast Hennepin, Minnesota.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,600 families served and 62,000 hours of volunteer service since 1993

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• See's CandiesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024Tamarisk partners with See's Candies for an annual holiday fundraiser. See's Candies sells candy through Tamarisk's fundraising page, with proceeds supporting Tamarisk's free care services for families facing terminal illness.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Amedisys Hospice: One of the largest US hospice and home health providers, offering clinical hospice services nationwide. Comparable in hospice/end-of-life care mission; differs by being a large, paid clinical provider rather than a volunteer-driven nonprofit companion-care organization.
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: National industry association representing hospice and palliative care providers. Comparable in end-of-life care focus and serves as the broader umbrella under which community hospice volunteer programs like Tamarisk operate and are credentialed.
• Hospice Foundation of America: National nonprofit focused on end-of-life education, caregiver support, and public engagement. Comparable in mission around supporting families through terminal illness and in promoting the companion/volunteer role in hospice care.

Direct peers

• M Health Fairview Hospice: Greater Twin Cities hospice provider serving the same Minnesota counties as Tamarisk. Comparable end-of-life care mission and referral overlap; Tamarisk is positioned as the non-medical companion layer alongside clinical hospice providers like M Health Fairview.
• Transitions LifeCare: Community-based nonprofit hospice and palliative care organization providing end-of-life support, caregiver respite, and bereavement services. Directly comparable mission of volunteer-delivered companion and family support services for those facing terminal illness.
• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota: Faith-based nonprofit providing aging, family, and community services statewide in Minnesota. Comparable in volunteer-driven, community-rooted model supporting families during vulnerable life events, including senior and end-of-life support.
• Big Bend Hospice: Community-based nonprofit hospice serving a rural Florida region with volunteer companion and bereavement support. Comparable community-rooted, volunteer-driven model delivering free non-medical end-of-life care through local fundraising and trained volunteers.
• Visiting Nurse Association of America: National nonprofit network of visiting nurse agencies delivering in-home non-medical and supportive services. Comparable because both organizations deliver volunteer-driven, in-home companion and supportive services to patients and families in community settings.
• Meals on Wheels America: National nonprofit coordinating volunteer-delivered non-medical support (meals, companionship) to vulnerable seniors and their families. Directly comparable operating model: free, volunteer-driven, community-based, in-home service to families facing difficult life circumstances.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Faith-based nonprofit delivering social services to vulnerable populations across the Twin Cities. Highly comparable to Tamarisk in mission, faith-community partnership model, and Minnesota geography; services overlap in caregiver support and end-of-life family assistance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tamariskmn
• Facebookfacebook.com/TamariskInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tamarisk-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tamarisk