Fueling Change: The Success Of Dunkin' Ice Coffee Day

Dunkin' and the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation teamed up for the first-ever Dunkin' Ice Coffee Day on May 25, 2022. During this remarkable event, participating Dunkin' locations nationwide donated $1 from every iced coffee sold to the Foundation, resulting in an impressive total of $1.8 million raised. These funds were directed to local children's hospitals.

The campaign aimed to raise $1.5 million through a strategic blend of national and hyper-local marketing efforts, grant funding and volunteer programs. To achieve this goal, Dunkin’ collaborated with national and local media outlets, distributed press materials to local children’s hospitals, utilized Dunkin’s mobile sampling vehicles, distributed gift cards and seamlessly integrated digital strategies during sporting events to maximize engagement. 

The results were remarkable, with Dunkin's iced coffee sales experiencing a 10% increase on May 25 and stores seeing a sales volume rise of 4%. Moreover, the campaign surpassed its fundraising target by an impressive $300,000.

One of the key reasons this initiative was impactful is because it allowed Dunkin's charitable footprint to mirror its restaurant footprint, helping kids in the communities where Dunkin’ serves its guests. 

In today's episode, host Alli Murphy is joined by April McGonnigal, Director of the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, and Molly Rhea, President & Founder of For Momentum. Together, they dive into the inspiring collaboration between Dunkin' and its Foundation and spill the beans about the incredible success of the first-ever Ice Coffee Day - which took home the 2023 Best of the Best Halo Award.

In today’s episode, we’ll explore:

  • The essential ingredients that make for a “best-in-class” campaign
  • How Dunkin' rallied franchisee support (which took some time)
  • How to leverage authentic mission and brand alignment for impactful campaigns
  • April’s advice for developing successful corporate social impact campaigns
  • The campaign’s impressive marketing reach and why it was crucial for success
  • What’s brewing for future Ice Coffee Days

This episode is brought to you by For Momentum.

Links & Notes

Elevate Your Social Impact

  • (00:00) - Welcome to Engage for Good
  • (03:12) - A moment with Mollye Rhea
  • (05:12) - About the BOTB Award
  • (08:10) - What Makes a Best-in-Class Initiative?
  • (11:22) - What Made Dunkin' Stand Out?
  • (14:28) - Evolution of the Field
  • (18:31) - Introducing April McGonnigal
  • (19:50) - Initiative Overview
  • (20:30) - Franchisees & Hospital Partners
  • (26:49) - The Marketing Lens
  • (28:18) - The 2023 Iced Coffee Day Results
  • (29:36) - What's Next for Dunkin'?

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