Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa

What Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa does

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa (RMHCCI) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 1981 in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides temporary lodging and support services to families of critically ill children receiving treatment at local pediatric hospitals. The organization operates two purpose-built facilities: an 18-bedroom House near Blank Children's Hospital (1441 Pleasant St.) and a 17-bedroom House located on the 4th floor of MercyOne Children's Hospital (1111 6th St.), for a combined 35 bedrooms. The service model delivers private bedrooms and bathrooms, shared kitchens and dining rooms, laundry, toy rooms, and volunteer-prepared dinners nightly at 6:00pm; families are asked for a suggested $10 per night donation while the true operating cost is more than $100 per night, and no family is turned away for inability to pay. Beyond lodging, RMHCCI runs in-kind wish-list drives, a pop-tab recycling program (averaging roughly $3,000–$4,400 per year), a vehicle donation program through CARS, Inc., a branded t-shirt partnership with RAYGUN, and a 2026 Restaurant Pass program with media partners Local 5 News and CW Iowa 23. Annual event fundraising (Golf Outing, Sporting Clays, Fall Gala, and others) is supplemented by cause-marketing programs through local McDonald's owner-operators, whose 2025 contributions included Happy Meal 365 ($20,117), canister donations ($28,130), Shamrock Shakes ($25,422), and Round-Up RMHC ($97,780). RMHCCI is led by CEO Paige Moore (appointed June 17, 2024) with a staff of roughly 20 full-time employees and 70+ volunteers; the Board of Directors is drawn from regional business, healthcare, and McDonald's franchise leadership. The organization delivered over 8,000 overnight stays and served more than 1,100 families annually across Central Iowa, with cumulative reach extending to families from 96 Iowa counties, 27 other U.S. states, and every livable continent. The underlying "technology" is essentially physical infrastructure (purpose-built housing co-located with pediatric hospitals) supported by a community-funded operating model in which 96% of operating income comes from individual donors, corporate sponsors, event participants, and McDonald's system partners.

Name

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa

Legal name

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa

Website

https://rmhdesmoines.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa is a Des Moines-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates two 35-bedroom Houses co-located with Blank Children's and MercyOne Children's hospitals, providing temporary lodging and support services to families of critically ill children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct monetary donations from individuals and community members supporting families with critically ill children
2. Corporate Sponsorships: House sponsorships, event sponsorships, and adopt-a-room programs from corporate partners
3. McDonald's System Support: Cause-related marketing promotions, in-store donation boxes, Shamrock Shakes, Happy Meal programs, Round-Up RMHC campaigns
4. Pop Tab Recycling Program: Collection and recycling of aluminum pop tabs generating approximately $3,000 per year on average
5. Vehicle Donations: Vehicle donation program through CARS, Inc. generating proceeds from sale of donated vehicles
6. Merchandise Sales: Partnership with RAYGUN for t-shirt sales where $10 of each $25 shirt is donated
7. Restaurant Pass Program: Restaurant pass sales offering 20% off at local restaurants with portion donated to the House
8. In-Kind Donations: Wish list drives collecting essential items, produce from Iowa 4-H, and other in-kind contributions
9. Third-Party Fundraisers: Community-organized fundraising events including pop tab collections, Giving Tree programs, and independent fundraisers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

No source content was provided in the input to extract a core offering description from.

Product overview

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa operates two Ronald McDonald House facilities providing temporary housing for families of critically ill children receiving medical treatment in Des Moines, Iowa. The core offering consists of the 18-bedroom House near Blank Children's Hospital and the 17-bedroom House inside MercyOne Children's Hospital. These facilities provide not just lodging but comprehensive support including meal programs with volunteer-cooked dinners, wish list donation programs for in-kind essentials, pop tab recycling for fundraising, vehicle donation acceptance, and extensive volunteer opportunities. The organization also hosts five annual fundraising events. Families receive private bedrooms with bathrooms, access to shared kitchens, dining rooms, playrooms, and laundry facilities at little to no cost, with no family turned away for inability to pay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 overnight stays per year served
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Local 5 News and CW Iowa 23minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 February 2026Media partnership for 2026 Restaurant Pass promotion, offering 20% off at 19 local restaurants with portion donated to RMHCCI.
• Johnston Alternative Gift MarketminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 December 202310th annual event where 100% of proceeds go to local nonprofits including RMH. Raised $375 at 2023 event.
• Christopher's Fine JewelryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2023Season of Giving program dedicated first week of December to community partners including RMHC. 10% of sales donated totaling $1,045.
• Adventureland ResortminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 November 2023Partnered on Giving Tuesday 2023; for every season pass purchased, a day pass was donated to RMH. Total of 223 passes donated.
• RAYGUNminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 February 2022T-shirt partnership selling merchandise at $25 with $10 donated to RMHC.
• Blank Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Presenting sponsor for 2021 Fall Gala; host hospital for RMH near Blank Children's Hospital.
• MercyOne Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Presenting sponsor for 2021 Fall Gala; host hospital for RMH inside MercyOne Children's Hospital.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2021Global parent organization supporting local chapters with resources and brand.
• Des Moines University (DMU) Pediatrics ClubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2020DMU students deliver groceries for families at both Ronald McDonald Houses.
• McDonald's (Local Owner/Operators)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal McDonald's cooperative including McSoifer's Inc., J&D Restaurants, Raccoon Valley Partners LLC, US McOpCo - Central District, and Jo Industries provides ongoing support through cause-related marketing, in-store donation boxes, Shamrock Shakes, Happy Meal programs, and Round-Up RMHC. Total 2025 support: Happy Meal 365 ($20,117), Canister Donations ($28,130), Shamrock Shakes ($25,422), Round-Up RMHC ($97,780).
• Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter providing beverage products and donations to RMHC of Central Iowa.
• Coca-Cola USAmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate beverage partner supporting RMHC operations.
• Keurig Dr. PeppermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate beverage partner providing products for RMHC families.
• Martin BrowermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMcDonald's supply chain partner supporting RMHC of Central Iowa.
• Georgia Pacific Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing paper products and supplies.
• Iowa 4-HminorGTM or Marketing Partner4-H youth donate produce from horticulture projects to Ronald McDonald House; over 100 pounds of fresh produce donated.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ronald McDonald House Charities (Global): The global parent organization of the Ronald McDonald House network, operating 390+ Houses in 48 countries. Directly comparable as the umbrella brand and operational/financial support system for the Central Iowa chapter.

Others

• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: National nonprofit raising funds for children's hospitals, including many of the same system partners (Blank Children's, MercyOne). Compares as a thematically related pediatric healthcare nonprofit sharing hospital partnerships and donor bases.

Direct peers

• Fisher House Foundation: Provides free lodging for families of veterans and military service members receiving care at VA medical centers. Closely comparable mission,运营 model (donation-funded family lodging near hospitals), and family-support services.
• Hope Lodge (American Cancer Society): Provides free lodging for cancer patients and caregivers near major treatment centers. Directly comparable as a nonprofit family/patient lodging program co-located with healthcare facilities.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa: Peer regional RMHC chapter serving Eastern Iowa. Direct peer with the same brand, mission, and family lodging services, sharing geographic and donor overlap with Central Iowa.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City: Another regional RMHC chapter serving families of critically ill children in the Kansas City area. Directly comparable as a peer chapter with the same brand, mission, and operating model.
• Healthcare Hospitality Network: National association of nonprofit hospitality houses providing lodging and support services to patients and families near medical facilities. Directly comparable industry trade association with overlapping member organizations.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison: Regional RMHC chapter serving families in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Direct peer chapter with identical mission, brand, and family lodging service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RMHDesMoines
• Facebookfacebook.com/rmhdesmoines
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rmhdesmoines
• Instagraminstagram.com/rmhdesmoines

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa