Arby’s Shares Its Strength
Posted by Kate Atwood on Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Editor’s Note: As a first year partner, Arby’s — along with its charitable arm, the Arby’s Foundation and its franchisees — has already raised $2 million dollars to help our fight to end childhood hunger. Kate Atwood, Executive Director at Arby’s Foundation, explains how partnering with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign has made an impact in a remarkably short amount of time.
As Executive Director for the Arby’s Foundation, I’m in the business of helping our employees, franchisees, suppliers and our customers do something good for their communities as a part of the Arby’s experience.
At Arby’s, we believe it’s our responsibility to be actively involved in improving the quality of life of our customers and the communities we serve. So when the time came earlier this year to evaluate our cause alliance, we knew it was time to share our strengths with the No Kid Hungry Campaign.
Arby’s has a rich history working to help youth, and we wanted to continue that work by addressing a pressing problem in our nation that resonates with our customers: childhood hunger. We embarked upon our partnership with No Kid Hungry earlier this year, giving us the opportunity to align with an organization that we trust will lead us to a solution to the problem.
While we knew it was a bold statement for a quick-serve restaurant chain to join the fight to end childhood hunger, we have always seen this as a huge opportunity to make a difference. With 3,500 restaurants spread throughout the U.S., we knew we could immediately raise awareness in new communities who were unfamiliar with the problem, while raising funds to help fight childhood hunger.
To kick off our commitment as a brand, we first introduced a new kids menu with more nutritious options. From there, we launched a national fundraiser in-store and online, asking customers to donate. We also hosted a Foursquare challenge, donating $1 for every customer “check-in” at an Arby’s restaurant, and we posted a meter on Facebook and Twitter allowing fans to monitor their fundraising success.
Partnering to support the No Kid Hungry Campaign has created an exciting opportunity for our employees and team members as well. One team member in the Los Angeles area sold more than 500 pin-ups (wall decals that represented a customer donation) herself during November. This partnership has given our employees a renewed sense of purpose and empowered them to feel they can make a difference in their communities.
From a business standpoint, we found that our commitment to the cause also held the potential to impact our bottom line. For example, our Foursquare Check-in for Charity Campaign yielded twice as many check-ins that month than in previous months, demonstrating that the support of the No Kid Hungry Campaign is driving traffic to our restaurants, and that is a win-win.
Arby’s is grounded in the belief that every individual has the power to make a difference. We’re passionate about ending childhood hunger, and we believe that given this opportunity to unite our employees, our brand, and our customers, together, we can work to ensure all children in America have access to the healthy food they need to learn, play and grow. We are blown away by the success of this partnership in our first year and look ahead to 2012 to make an even bigger difference.
December 21, 2011 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: arbys, foursquare, fundraising, no kid hungry
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