Third Party Fundraising

Help Us Help Families

Thank you for choosing to organize a Fundraising Campaign or Event to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois (RMHC-EIWI). We truly appreciate your efforts to keep families close to each other and the care they need, when they need it most.

Through the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City and Family Rooms in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, we help remove the barriers that separate families while they receive treatment for a critically ill or injured child. We’re more than just a place to stay—our House and Family Rooms provide the essential comforts of home: warm beds, hot showers, home-cooked meals, kitchen and laundry facilities, and more.

Families from all backgrounds are welcome and guests are never turned away due to an inability to contribute toward their stay.

RMHC-EIWI welcomes our community’s initiatives to help further promote awareness of our programs. However, due to limited staff time, RMHC-EIWI must commit its resources to the number of internal fundraising events already being offered to sustain services. The nature of third-party events limits us because we cannot schedule, budget, nor predict a reliable source of revenue from such events. By taking on a fundraiser campaign or event, the third party assumes the responsibility of creating a successful event without a significant level of assistance from RMHC-EIWI.

Thank you for your support!

Let’s get started helping families

The first step is to get your fundraising activity approved by RMHC-EIWI. Before you begin fundraising or promoting your event or campaign, please complete these steps:

Review the Third-Party Fundraiser Policies & Guidelines document.
Fill out the Community Fundraiser Application
Upon approval you may begin fundraising.

Here are some resources to help you get started.

Consult with RMHC-EIWI development staff if you have questions or need advice along the way!

Jessica VanDenBerg, Development Coordinator

(319) 356-8302

jvandenberg@rmhc-eiwi.org

Heather Croskrey, Development Director

(319) 384-5852

hcroskrey@rmhc-eiwi.org

Need a little inspiration to help you start your third-party fundraiser? Look to Cale and Jamie Henderson, who together with their friends have raised more than $100,000 for the House in the last six years—all by shaving a few beards!

Not-So-Hairy & the Hendersons

After their daughter Tatum was born with a rare heart condition, the Hendersons began a journey that brought them to the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City. Here, they quickly realized it takes an entire community to make an organization like RMHC-EIWI so impactful.

The Hendersons were inspired to do what they could to make sure the House would always be around to families who need it. No matter how much they could afford to give on their own, they knew they could magnify their impact by getting others involved. Wondering what he could do to encourage his friends to contribute to the cause, Cale remembered how much they liked to tease him about his new beard. He told them: “If you want the beard gone, give me $20 and show up to this event.”

The Beard Extravaganza

Cale’s friends did not disappoint. They showed up in numbers, and as promised, Cale parted with his beard. The first Beard Extravaganza was a huge success, and guests left excited to participate the next year.

Now in its seventh year, Beard Extravaganza continues to draw bigger crowds and new participants, who spend the entire year growing their beards out for RMHC-EIWI. Each participant collects donations from sponsors who want to see them clean-shaven, and a friend or spouse gets the honor of buzzing off the beard during the event. At the end of the night, participants present checks to RMHC-EIWI following a heart-felt speech from Cale and Jamie.