RMHC OF EASTERN IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS

What RMHC OF EASTERN IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS does

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (RMHC-EIWI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 and headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa. It operates a 31-room Ronald McDonald House on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, plus two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms located inside UnityPoint Health St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids and UI Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City. The organization also runs an oncology food pantry, a hotel discount guide for families turned away at capacity, pull-tab recycling, and a vehicle donation program. Its sole technical infrastructure is standard hospitality and facility management combined with in-house commercial kitchens; no proprietary software, AI, or digital platform is operated.

The organization serves families living 20+ miles away with a child age 21 or younger receiving pediatric medical care — primarily NICU, PICU, PCICU, and oncology patients at the two partner hospitals. Services (private rooms, meals, laundry, transportation, showers, and emotional support) are provided free of charge, with no family turned away for inability to pay. Distribution of services occurs directly through the three physical locations on a hospital-referral and waitlist basis, with the hotel guide serving overflow demand.

RMHC-EIWI is 100% privately supported. Approximately 87% of funding comes from individual donors, with additional revenue from corporate partnerships (McDonald's owner/operators and Donation Boxes are the largest corporate channel), signature events (Red Shoe Run & Walk 5K, Golf Gala, Governor's Charity Steer Show, Red Shoe Open), planned giving, vehicle donations, Facebook fundraisers, and pull-tab recycling. The core team is 9 full-time staff supported by 19 part-time associates; leadership comprises CEO Shannon Greene, Chief Development Officer Jennifer Rubel, and Chief Operations Officer Constance Mithelman. RMHC-EIWI is an affiliate of the global Ronald McDonald House Charities network but is independently governed and operated, and holds 5 consecutive Charity Navigator 4-star ratings.

Name

RMHC OF EASTERN IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS

Legal name

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois

Website

https://rmhc-eiwi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RMHC-EIWI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 31-room Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City and two in-hospital Family Rooms in Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois, providing free lodging, meals, and support to families of children receiving pediatric medical care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Pediatric Family Lodging Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (62399)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursing Homes (Non-SNF) (HLAFAFAC)

Keywords

• Family support services
• Charitable lodging services
• Pediatric family lodging
• Nonprofit family services
• Hospital hospitality programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Iowa City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Cash donations from individuals, including one-time and recurring monthly gifts. Tax-deductible (Tax ID: 42-1189783).
2. Corporate Partnerships: Gifts from McDonald's owner/operators and customer donations via RMHC Donation Boxes in McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's is the largest corporate donor.
3. Special Events: Revenue from hosted events including Red Shoe Run & Walk 5K, Golf Gala, Governor's Charity Steer Show, Red Shoe Open, and third-party fundraisers.
4. Vehicle Donation Program: Donated vehicles accepted through OneCarHelpsRMHC.com
5. Legacy Planning: Estate gifts and planned giving, including IRA/401K charitable distributions
6. Facebook Fundraisers: 100% of funds raised through Meta platform come back to RMHC-EIWI
7. Pull Tab Recycling: Pull tabs collected and recycled at Marion Iron Company; revenue based on aluminum weight

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RMHC-EIWI provides free home-away-from-home lodging, meals, laundry, transportation, and family support services to families with children age 21 or younger receiving medical treatment at hospitals in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. The organization operates a 31-room house in Iowa City and two hospital-based Family Rooms serving NICU, PICU, pediatric, and adolescent psych unit families, plus an oncology food pantry and partner-hotel backup program.

Product overview

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois operates a network of family support programs centered around three main facilities: the 31-room Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City serving as a home-away-from-home for families traveling for pediatric medical care; two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms located within UnityPoint Health St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids and University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City; and a Ronald McDonald Food Pantry program at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. The organization also operates a Hotel Guide program, Pull Tab recycling program, and various volunteer and meal preparation programs. All services are provided free of charge to eligible families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City: The main 31-room house providing accommodations for families with children age 21 and under undergoing medical treatment at local hospitals. Located at 730 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52246.
• Ronald McDonald Family Room at UnityPoint Health, St. Luke's Hospital
• Ronald McDonald Family Room at University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital

Products and services

• Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City A 31-room home-away-from-home offering private guest rooms with bathrooms, shared kitchens and dining, living areas, laundry, and transportation for families traveling 20+ miles with a child age 21 or younger in medical care at area hospitals. Families access via hospital referral and a waitlist-based reservation system, free of charge.
• Ronald McDonald Family Room at UnityPoint Health, St. Luke's Hospital An in-hospital respite area featuring sleeping rooms, shower suites, laundry, kitchen, dining, living area, and self-serve meals for families of children admitted to the NICU, Pediatric Unit, or Child/Adolescent Psych Unit at St. Luke's Hospital.
• Ronald McDonald Family Room at University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital A 24/7 on-site family room on Level 3 serving PCICU and PICU families, featuring a kitchenette, dining area, living room, shower suite, and private sleep room.
• Ronald McDonald Food Pantry (Snacks on the House) Free food pantry items stocked across pediatric care areas at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital, including shelf-stable meals and snacks for oncology families on Floor 11. Provides immediate nutritional support to families during hospital stays.
• RMHC Hotel Guide A password-protected hotel booking program providing discounted rates ($50-$75/night) at partner hotels for families placed on the Ronald McDonald House waitlist when no rooms are available. Connects overflow families to vetted local accommodations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 families served annually at the Ronald McDonald House
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Iowa / University of Iowa Stead Family Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMHC-EIWI is not part of the University of Iowa but has maintained a strong relationship since 1983. The Ronald McDonald House is located on UI campus, three blocks from UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. A Ronald McDonald Family Room operates within the hospital's PCICU/PICU (3rd floor).
• University of Iowa Dance MarathoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDance Marathon provides funding to offset costs for oncology patients and families staying at the House, and funds the Oncology Food Pantry (Floor 11) with shelf-stable meals and snacks.
• UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide Ronald McDonald Family Room on 2nd floor of Helen G. Nassif Center for Women's and Children's Health. Serves families of children in NICU, Pediatric Unit, and Child/Adolescent Psych Unit.
• McDonald's Restaurants (Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMcDonald's is the largest corporate donor. Owner/operators and customers (via Donation Boxes) contribute funds that benefit RMHC-EIWI. RMHC-EIWI is independently owned and operated, not owned by McDonald's.
• Marion Iron CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccepts pull tabs on behalf of RMHC-EIWI and sends proceeds based on aluminum weight. Allows donors to skip delivery to the House and drop tabs directly at Marion Iron, noting it is for RMHC-EIWI.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Make-A-Wish Foundation: National nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Comparable to RMHC-EIWI in mission (serving families of critically ill children), donor base (individual giving), and event-driven fundraising model, though operating model is wish-granting rather than lodging.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: National nonprofit raising funds for pediatric hospitals, including University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, one of RMHC-EIWI's core hospital partners. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, sharing fundraising channels and donor overlap.
• March of Dimes: National nonprofit focused on maternal and infant health, including NICU support programs. Adjacent peer sharing pediatric/NICU family support mission and individual-donor-driven funding model with RMHC-EIWI's NICU-focused Family Room service line.

Direct peers

• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa: Regional RMHC chapter serving Central Iowa families with hospitalized children at Des Moines-area hospitals (Blank Children's). Same operational footprint, programs (House + Family Rooms), and McDonald's partnership structure as RMHC-EIWI.
• Hospitality Homes of Boston: Nonprofit providing free short-term housing in donated private homes and apartments for patients and families traveling to Boston for medical care. Directly comparable to RMHC-EIWI's free lodging-for-medical-travel model, although operating through a home-share model rather than a dedicated facility.
• Fisher House Foundation: Operates a network of free lodging houses near military and VA medical centers for families of hospitalized service members and veterans. Closely comparable operating model to RMHC-EIWI: donated lodging near hospital partner sites, free to families, charity-funded.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison: A nearby regional RMHC chapter serving families of pediatric patients at Madison-area hospitals (including American Family Children's Hospital). Nearly identical mission, brand, operating model, and donor base to RMHC-EIWI; provides a directly comparable benchmark for performance and scale.
• Joe's House: National nonprofit that maintains a searchable directory of discounted lodging near hospitals for cancer patients and their families. Closely comparable to RMHC-EIWI's RMHC Hotel Guide overflow model and core lodging mission, focused on oncology travel.
• Healthcare Hospitality Network: Industry association of nonprofit hospitality houses serving patients and families traveling for medical care. Directly comparable mission and operating model to RMHC-EIWI's residential lodging programs and Family Rooms.

Broad incumbents

• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Global parent network of more than 300 Ronald McDonald Houses in over 60 countries. RMHC-EIWI is an independently governed chapter within this network, sharing mission, brand, and many corporate partners (notably McDonald's owner/operators).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvrbjw2dXOxorsNww3X1jHw
• Facebookfacebook.com/rmhc.eiwi
• Instagraminstagram.com/rmhc.eiwi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rmhceiwi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 RMHC OF EASTERN IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS