Develop a Roll-Out Strategy to Virtually Engage 4000 Committed Volunteers at RMHC Jax through 2021.

The Ronald McDonald House Charity of Jacksonville (RMHC Jax) serves as a “home away from home” for families who need to be near a hospital for their child’s medical treatment. At RMHC Jax, families are provided lodging, meals, transportation and a community of compassionate care.

RMHC Jax serves over 1500 families a year from 21 states and 14 foreign countries. In order to do so, the typically in-person volunteer base is critical to the operational success of the House. Volunteers also tend to be dedicated donors that organize offsite fundraisers and other types of awareness campaigns.

As a result of COVID-19, the RMHC Jax needs to develop several strategies to engage the 4000+ volunteers who have different demographics and engagement interests. This diverse network of volunteers is eager to serve when asked and can contribute through a variety of different ways.  Volunteers hail from local corporations, universities, high schools, friends of families that are receiving care, as well as the local Jacksonville community. Traditionally, these volunteers engage through meal prep, front desk operations, greeting, decorating, education, games and entertainment, facility maintenance and management, as well as fundraising.

For example, past volunteer engagements have included students from the University of North Florida who spent time baking, crafting, and playing sports with kids at the RMHC Jax.

Your objective through this engagement is to help the RMHC Jax craft a strategy to leverage and engage their network of virtual volunteers. Not only are they looking for good ideas for campaigns and events, but they are also looking for implementation strategies and ways they can measure success.

Since COVID-19, RMHC Jax has tried the following virtual engagement tactics as examples:

1. RMHC Jax is hosting their Annual “Light Up the House 5K”on Saturday, December 5th in a Virtual format for the first time ever. This event is being supported by the UNF Athletic Department. Their goal is to engage 1000 student athletes from UNF, in addition to their volunteer network.
2. RMHC Jax hopes to leverage the UNF Taylor Leadership Institute to engage in non-profit fundraising around the Light Up the House 5K.
3. RMHC Jax hosted their first-ever virtual cooking class with their in-house chef. There’s deep interest in further classes and RMHC Jax hopes to distribute the experience more widely with the help of local news networks.
4. RMHC Jax is engaging their corporate sponsors through their Deck the Doors Campaign, which they are facilitating virtually for the first time. The Deck the Doors Campaign is an opportunity for supporters to write short notes on paper lightbulbs that are used to decorate all of the doors throughout the House.
5. Additional tactics used by the RMHC Jax include bingo nights, book readings, and virtual scavenger hunts.

Helpful Resources:

1. RMHC Jax Annual Report
2. A video from Diane Boyle the RMHC Jax, Executive Director
3. Video montage of volunteer opportunities
4. The RMHC Jax Mission Video that takes a look inside the House, amenities and programs with interviews from the families.
5. Deck the Doors Guide
6. UNF Cross Sector Collaboration Video
7. CapSource IACBE Live Case Competition Rules