The Doorways

What The Doorways does

The Doorways is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit healthcare hospitality house founded in 1983 (originally as the MCV/VCU Hospital Hospitality House, rebranded in April 2015) and headquartered at 612 East Marshall Street in Richmond, Virginia. The organization operates a 117-room facility five blocks from VCU Medical Center, providing temporary lodging and support services to medical patients and their families or caregivers who are referred by partner hospitals and live at least 30 miles outside the Richmond area. It is open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and serves nearly 10,000 guests and nearly 60,000 nights of lodging annually, supported by 500+ volunteers contributing 6,000+ hours per year. Guests are asked for a suggested $15 per night donation (with a $30 refundable security deposit) against a true cost of approximately $125 per night; no guest is turned away for inability to pay, and over 53% of guests contribute nothing. The service offering is purely physical hospitality: private rooms, four communal kitchens stocked with donated food, free laundry, free shuttle to VCU Health, on-site social workers, pet therapy, a fitness room, library, and outdoor garden — there is no technology product, software platform, or AI component.

The business model is donation-dependent. Revenue is sourced from individual giving, corporate and foundation sponsorships, in-kind goods, and a small set of high-leverage annual fundraising events — most notably the SAVOR gala (which raised over $300,000 in 2025) and the Gilbane Restaurant Walk. Access to services is gated exclusively through hospital referral agreements with eight healthcare partners: VCU Health, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Sheltering Arms Institute, Sheltering Arms, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Virginia Treatment Center for Children, The Coleman Institute, and World Pediatrics. The stated daily operating cost is $10,000, implying an annual operating budget of approximately $3.65M; no venture, debt, or institutional funding rounds are disclosed. Marketing is conducted through the website, email newsletters, organic social media, community partnerships, and the recurring flagship events, with newer channels including a Kroger Community Rewards program and a podcast appearance by the Chief Philanthropy Officer.

Name

The Doorways

Legal name

The Doorways

Website

https://thedoorways.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Doorways is a Richmond, Virginia nonprofit operating a 117-room healthcare hospitality house that provides free or low-cost lodging and support services to nearly 10,000 medical patients and families per year, accessed exclusively through hospital referrals and funded entirely by donations, volunteers, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Hospitality Services

NAICS

Other Traveler Accommodation (72119), Accommodation (721)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical & Healthcare Travel Housing (Travel Nurses, Locums, Patient/Family) (THAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Patient family lodging
• Healthcare hospitality house
• Nonprofit lodging services
• Hospital patient support
• Charity hospitality services

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute tax-deductible gifts to support lodging and support services for guests. Over 53% of guests are unable to make the suggested $15 per night donation, making donor support critical to operations.
2. Corporate and Foundation Sponsorships: Corporate partners and foundations provide financial support, event sponsorships, and in-kind donations. Featured partner RiverFront Investment Group contributed $25,000 as 2023 Charitable Giving Partner.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including SAVOR (gala), Gilbane Restaurant Walk, and community fundraisers generate significant revenue. SAVOR 2025 raised more than $300,000.
4. Guest Donations: Suggested donation of $15 per guest per night with a $30 refundable security deposit. Cost to provide a room is approximately $125 per night. No guest is turned away for inability to pay.
5. In-Kind Goods Donations: Community donates goods including food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and Amazon Wishlist items to stock pantries and support guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Doorways is a nonprofit healthcare hospitality house operating a 117-room facility in Richmond, VA, providing temporary lodging and support services for patients and their families who must be near Richmond-area hospitals for medical treatment. Guests access services exclusively through referrals from partner hospitals and are asked (but not required) to contribute a suggested $15 per night donation, with no one turned away for inability to pay. The organization supplements lodging with meals, transportation, laundry facilities, social worker support, and volunteer-driven amenities.

Product overview

The Doorways is a nonprofit healthcare hospitality house in Richmond, VA that provides temporary lodging and support services for patients and their families who need to be near VCU Health and other Richmond-area hospitals. The organization operates a 117-room facility offering accommodations with common spaces, meals, transportation shuttle services, and volunteer support. The Doorways does not offer a technology product or software platform; rather, it delivers direct hospitality services including lodging, meals, laundry facilities, fitness areas, libraries, and social support to approximately 10,000 guests annually. The organization's primary offering is its residential hospitality services supplemented by volunteer coordination and fundraising events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guest Lodging Stays

Quantifiable outcome

• 223,000+ total guests served since 1983
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, featured, major and core partner.

• Gilbane Building CompanyflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Title sponsor for the 21st Annual Gilbane Restaurant Walk fundraiser. Multiple construction industry partners participate as event sponsors.
• HeloAirfeaturedGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Host sponsor for SAVOR 2025 event, providing aircraft hangar venue at Richmond International Airport.
• CoStar GroupmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Chef de Cuisine sponsor for SAVOR 2025 gala.
• UDigmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Chef de Cuisine sponsor for SAVOR 2025 gala.
• VCU Healthcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary hospital partner providing referrals for patients and families needing lodging during medical treatment. VCU Health provides free parking for patients at their Visitor/Patient Parking Deck and shuttle service to and from The Doorways.
• Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCUcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPediatric hospital partner providing referrals for families of young patients receiving care.
• Sheltering Arms Institutecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerRehabilitation hospital partner providing referrals for patients requiring extended recovery care.
• Sheltering Armscore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysical rehabilitation partner providing referrals for patients needing inpatient rehabilitation services.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairscore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerVA Medical Center partner providing referrals for veterans receiving medical care in Richmond.
• Virginia Treatment Center for Childrencore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health and behavioral treatment center partner providing referrals for pediatric patients.
• The Coleman Institutecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAddiction treatment partner providing referrals for patients undergoing substance abuse treatment programs.
• World Pediatricscore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational pediatric care partner providing referrals for children from other countries receiving specialized treatment in Richmond.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Healthcare Hospitality Network: Industry association representing nonprofit healthcare hospitality houses across the U.S. The Doorways would qualify as a member-type peer within this network; comparable as the trade body governing the same category of lodging-and-support nonprofit organizations.

Direct peers

• Fisher House Foundation: Operates a network of comfort homes where military and veterans' families can stay free of charge while loved ones receive medical care. Directly comparable mission to The Doorways (especially relevant given its VA Medical Center partnership), donation-funded model, and proximity-based hospital partnerships.
• Brent's Place: Nonprofit in Colorado providing Safe-Clean housing for immune-compromised patients (primarily pediatric bone marrow transplant families) and their caregivers. Comparable in mission (medical patient/family lodging), nonprofit donation-funded model, and referral-based access through partner hospitals.
• Joe's House: Nonprofit that coordinates lodging for cancer patients and their families traveling for treatment, including a directory of partner hospitality houses and discounted hotel rooms. Comparable as a patient/family lodging intermediary serving a similar medical travel use case via partnerships rather than owned properties.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: The largest and most recognized network of healthcare hospitality houses globally, providing lodging for families of seriously ill children receiving medical treatment. Directly comparable to The Doorways in core mission (patient family lodging near hospitals), donation-funded nonprofit model, and reliance on volunteers and community fundraising.
• Believe in Tomorrow Children's Foundation: Provides hospital and respite lodging facilities for critically ill children and their families. Comparable as a nonprofit hospitality house serving medical patients' families, donation-funded, with hospital referral channels.
• American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Program: Provides free lodging for cancer patients and caregivers during treatment in 30+ locations across the U.S. Comparable as a nonprofit hospitality house serving medical patients and families away from home, with similar referral-driven access, volunteer programs, and donation-funded operations.

Regional players

• Hospitality Homes of Boston: Boston-based nonprofit providing short-term housing in volunteer host homes and apartments for patients and families traveling to Boston for medical care. Comparable mission and target population as The Doorways but serves a different metro area via a host-home rather than purpose-built facility model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedoorwaysrva
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC/example
• Facebookfacebook.com/thedoorways
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-doorways
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedoorwaysrva

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The Doorways