Ronald McDonald House New York provides temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a strong, supportive, and caring environment which encourages and nurtures the development of child-to-child and parent-to-parent support systems.

Maintain the historical objective of RMH-NY to provide a “home away from home” for families and children impacted by pediatric cancer, and now to include NYC children and their families with other compatible pediatric illnesses. The mission of the House is now broadening. Our focus had been on servicing the pediatric oncology population targeted outside of NYC. Our new long-term strategy now includes leveling the playing field within NYC – with a goal to advance health equity for families with medically complex children. To do that, we are investing in the advancement of health equity by critically addressing social determinants of health throughout our New York City communities.

Source: Nonprofit submitted responses

Goal One: Growth: Enhance the house for families during and after their stay. Expand through a network of Respite Centers based on the need for services in offsite locations to support kids and families in NYC.

Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.

Goal Two: Evolution: Work with priority partners to refine the continuum of services, including establishing a “Virtual House” Platform.

Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.

Goal Three: Sustainability: Diversify funding sources. , through digital fundraising, grant procurement and other means focused on the organization's capacity to attend to the social determinants of health.

Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).

Describe an investment in leadership

100% of staff complete Clifton Strengths Assessment and receive introductory training and information. Leadership attend a 2-day workshop on Employee Engagement using Gallup’s framework. RMH-NY has an Internal Strengths/Development Coach working with new managers and emerging talent. RMH leadership participate in RMHC, global, educational series including courses and discussions on leadership and DEI. Leadership attend Internal training sessions including a leadership book club, DEI discussions, engagement and recognition. Leaders participate in AFP-NYC Professional Advancement presentations. RMH-NY has a Board of Associates as a non-policy making volunteer committee comprised of individuals in the community who have access to resources that further the House's mission. The BOA rely on their members’ passionate creativity to coordinate individual and team based projects that will assist with fundraising, service to families and mentoring relationships.

This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:

• Strategic Partnerships

• Networks of Collective Impact Efforts

• Thought Leadership

• Raising Awareness

• Community Building

What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?

RMH-NY works closely with our 16 partner hospitals to ensure that our services align with current protocols. As treatment protocols change, we adjust accordingly because RMH-NY is 100% focused on meeting the challenges and needs of the families. The House’s work extends to the community with our family rooms at Kings County Hospital and Elmhurst Hospital providing an oasis of support at the nation’s largest public hospital system. Our leadership participates with non profits in RMHC events on leadership and DEI. Presents at AFP Professional Advancement and Change for Good Leadership Conferences. Facebook All Hands group- Fireside Chat. Portfolio Summits Women in Institutional Investing. Publications: CEO Story- Innovating from Crisis to Recovery. Service Science Article: When Healthcare and Hospitality Clash. Cause marketing examples include point of sale at a register or an online promotion, creating a social media campaign that rewards clicks or views with a donation to RMH-NY.

The fear and uncertainty caused by the pandemic were disconcerting, but we soon realized that the House’s strong foundation had prepared us to navigate the new reality imposed by COVID-19. Although our Board had approved RMH-NY’s strategic plan before the pandemic, it provided us with two essentials for adjusting to life in the time of COVID-19: security and flexibility. Confronting each COVID-19 challenge with intention and creativity, we were pro-active in charting our way forward so that the House’s future would be decided by us instead of for us. Pivoting wasn’t always easy, but with some fine-tuning, the House continued to provide our families with a seamless circle of support. The RMH-NY team adapted to the demands of social distancing. From hosting our programs and events digitally instead of in person to providing our residents with COVID Care Kits, we implemented each change with the intention of easing the burden of the families we serve and keeping them safe. The pandemic also prompted RMH-NY to focus more intently on meeting the needs of a broader population, specifically families living in New York City. For example, we have eliminated the criteria that families must reside a minimum of 50 miles away to qualify for temporary lodging at the House. We have always nurtured strong relationships with our hospital partners, but in 2020 we reinforced RMH-NY’s status as valued partners in addressing the social determinants of health. By providing our partners with services that they were unable to offer during the pandemic. RMH-NY was recognized not only as a place to stay but an essential element of the treatment protocol for children with cancer.