McDonald’s McHappy Day Combines CSR Business Values with Fundraising

Some corporations demonstrate CSR business values by supporting a cause while others create their own foundations to fill a specific need. Fast food giant McDonald’s® is one of the companies that created their own nonprofit organization, Ronald McDonald House Charities(RMHC®). The RMHC® is a long-term commitment that McDonald’s® has made and continues to support through various store-level fundraising efforts.

Ronald McDonald House Charities® was created to provide a place for the families of seriously and terminally ill children to stay while they are in hospital. This is needed because often the care for these children is not available locally so they have to travel to receive it. When taking care of a sick child, having a place to stay is something that RMHC® believes families should not have to worry about. Parents should not have to divide the family during what is already a trying time. There are thirteen Ronald McDonald House® locations across Canada that house some ten thousand Canadian families each year. One of RMHC® goals for 2014 is to be able to house 465 families each night across the country, which would be more than double the amount they were able to achieve in 2010.

Image courtesy of facebook.com/McDonaldsCanada

In order to help support these facilities McDonald’s® is holding McHappy Day today, Wednesday May 2nd, 2012, at more than 1,400 of their locations across Canada. On McHappy Day, McDonald’s® will be donating one dollar from the sale of every “Big Mac® sandwich, Happy Meal® and hot McCafé® beverage” sold. “‘No event better illustrates our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and to helping Canadian children than McHappy Day,’ said John Betts, President and CEO of McDonald’s Canada. ‘On this day, we call on the millions of customers we serve each day to help us help kids.’”

This year marks the nineteenth McHappy Day that McDonald’s® has celebrated in support of RMHC®. The event was started in Canada by “George Cohon, founder of McDonald’s Canada and a past President and CEO,” and is now celebrated worldwide. Canadian consumers who can’t make it to a McDonald’s store or who want to do more, can text MCHAPPY to 30333 to make a onetime $5 donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (standard text messaging rates will apply).

McHappy Day is not the only way that McDonald’s® has supported RMHC®, as they have been donating ten cents from the sale of every happy meal to the charity since 2004. The ten cent donation has raised an astounding $36 million for the Canadian RMHC®.

Including the new hot McCafé® beverages in McHappy Day fundraising is an excellent way to appeal to a broader consumer base who may not want to have a Big Mac. It also encourages them change their daily routine that day and purchase their morning/afternoon/evening coffee from them band support a good cause.

McDonald’s® restaurants have long been a favorite of families, so it is wonderful to see them continuing their support of aiding families during a difficult time.

Ronald McDonald House Toronto Campaign Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e8uTzJZGVk[/youtube]

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional professional fundraising including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.