How McDonald’s Exploits Philanthropy and Targets Children
http://www.alternet.org/food/how-mcdonalds-exploits-philanthropy-and-targets-children
Pop quiz: Who do you think funds the hundreds of Ronald McDonald Houses around the nation? McDonalds right? Sort of, but not really. While McDonalds gets 100 percent of the brand benefit from Ronald McDonald House Charities, the burger giant only provides about 20 percent of its funding globally. At the local level, its closer to ten percent, with some of that money coming from donation boxes at McDonalds outlets, that is, from customers.
Confused? Wondering how a corporation that raked in $27 billion last year can be so stingy with its own charity? Youre not alone. In my new report, Clowning Around with Charity: How McDonalds Exploits Philanthropy and Targets Children, I show how McDonalds enjoys a huge public relations and marketing boost relative to how little money it donates. In fact, Ronald McDonald Houses report that the name causes many people to assume that McDonalds provides 100 percent of the charitys funds and that this common misperception is absolutely confusing. In other words, the McDonalds brand may be more of a liability than its worth.
Little could be more important than giving families a comforting place to stay together during such stressful times. The causes importance, and the extent to which McDonalds is serving versus exploiting that cause, is all the more reason for gaining a better understanding of the corporations involvement.
Despite McDonalds claims of philanthropic generosity, the reality doesnt match the rhetoric. The reports findings include how McDonalds philanthropic giving is 33 percent lower than leading corporations and that McDonalds spends almost 25 times as much on advertising as on charitable donations.