Viral Videos and a Gala Home Run for Ronald McDonald House New York

Viral Videos and a Gala Home Run for Ronald McDonald House New York

  • $2.9

    Million Raised

  • 1

    Month of Production

  • 70,000+

    Virtual Reach

UNSDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

“The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. ” – United Nations

The Cause

Ronald McDonald House (RMH) is a global nonprofit dedicated to creating, finding, and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families.

To fulfill that mission, RMH runs 685 core programs in 65 countries, alongside specific local services including:

  • Ronald Mcdonald Houses: affordable, convenient, and supportive home environments for families tending to critically-sick children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals
  • Family Rooms: designated family spaces inside medical centers
  • Mobile medical and dental services: services for children and their families in vulnerable communities around the world

Our Partnership

In October 2020, VidMob Gives partnered with Ronald McDonald House New York to create a suite of video assets to drive attendance and donations for their 28th annual — and first ever virtual — fundraising Gala.

The goal of the Gala, due to be live-streamed in November, was to help raise the critical funds needed for RMH-NY: one of the few Houses to stay fully open during 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We went on a virtual journey for this gala.” – Caitlin Conklin, Director of Volunteers & Communications, RMH-NY

By hosting the gala online and working with celebrities to cross-promote the event, RMH-NY was able to reach a whole new audience of potential supporters while making the event accessible to everyone, including RMH-NY families and alumni.

The Result

In under a month, and in collaboration with VidMob, two production companies, and a host of celebrities, RMH-NY was able to convert raw video footage into a set of short, upbeat promotional assets. As noted by Director of Volunteers and Communications, Caitlin Conklin, “[We wanted to] get our mission out there in front of as many people as possible.”

These videos were used to build buzz for the event on a dedicated microsite, over email, and across RMH-NY’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels in tandem with partner digital properties. An outside donation also enabled the organization to run paid media campaigns on social as well.

Featuring and cross-promoted by actors and longtime supporters Chris Pratt, Sebastian Stan, and Anthonie Mackie, the promotional videos were a huge hit.

Sebastian Stan, for example, drove great brand awareness and attendance for RMH-NY by posting the Gala invite video of himself and Anthonie Mackie to Instagram which received:

  • 699,000 views
  • 296,000 likes
  • 2,542 comments

Outside of broadcasting live on RMH-NY’s digital properties, national news channel ABC 7 NY, and its related apps, the nonprofit also partnered with celebrities to co-stream the Gala across their social media.

While initially unsure what to expect in terms of attendance, especially given their digital pivot, the team at RMH-NY was overjoyed to reach over 70,000 viewers across the US.

As a result, the Gala helped to raise $2.9 million for RMH-NY, receiving its biggest ever share of donations from individuals and private donors. These donations will ensure the nonprofit can continue its essential support for local families into 2021.

Meanwhile, the experience of transitioning to virtual programming — including producing related marketing assets — has changed the way the team expects to manage future events.

“This experience opened up a new world for us.”
Caitlin Conklin
Director of Volunteers & Communications, Ronald McDonald House New York

The Creator Network

The VidMob Foundation is fueled by the active engagement of incredible freelance creative professionals on the VidMob platform. They’re some of the world’s most talented creators, and, time and again, have willingly dived in to offer their time and skills for charities around the world. No matter the size of the ask, or the significance of the cause, these creators believe in using creativity as a force for good, just as we do.