In Ronald McDonald House’s 40th Anniversary year they faced an economic environment that could threaten their operations. Corporate donations in Canada were down 28%, one of the charity’s largest and most vital sources of funding. In addition, Ronald McDonald House faced a problem unique to them: people wrongly assume they’re fully funded by their namesake - McDonald’s - when, in fact, only around 20% of the annual funds to run the house are covered through their partnership. This meant the brief was clear, appeal to a new array of businesses to support the charity to ensure it keeps its doors open for families with seriously sick children.

To rewrite people’s misconceptions and attract an unfair share of support from businesses in a year when donations were shrinking we looked beyond the category, to the world of pro sports. An industry that has no problem attracting sponsorship and where teams emblazon the names and logos of the sponsors that fund them across their chests, meaning we turned the charity into RMH United - a pro sports team complete with their own jersey. Displaying logos on the jersey not only incentivized support beyond altruism, it galvanized the charity and the families they help by showcasing all of those standing behind them.

We decided creating a personal connection with key decision makers would be essential for success. But the interest of our target audience of CEOs, CMOs and business decision makers, is notoriously hard to win - with many other charities also vying for their attention - so, while they may choose to donate completely altruistically we also wanted to offer a value exchange to help sweeten the deal. So, we asked for their financial support in exchange for a placement of their logo on our jersey - which meant we were not only able to offer them something of value through exposure, but it also helped signal to other brands that we were open to donors beyond just McDonald’s.

The lynch pin of the campaign was the creation of the RMH United jersey, which was launched at the charity’s annual gala. We sent out personalized jerseys to CEOs and CMOs as a call for sponsorship, directing people to a landing page that introduced the new team through a stunning launch video and visualized our jersey, with each new logo added as more and more businesses joined as sponsors. The direct approach was complemented by an integrated campaign across digital, TV and PR.

Businesses clamoured for a spot on RMH United's jersey, from globally known brands to local Canadian icons. In a challenging year, where donations were on the decline, $4.3 million was raised funding 28,362 nights of accommodation at the house. Through the logo-filled jersey, the campaign also showed it takes more than one company - the Golden Arches - to keep the doors of Ronald McDonald House open for families with seriously sick children. Plus, by attracting over 266 new corporate donors it ensured the charity would be supported by an entire roster of new companies, not just for this year, but for years to come.