More Than A Number

One million guests who complete a day of volunteer work will be treated to a free day’s admission at Disney World. The programme titled ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ will give certified volunteers a one-day ticket to any Disneyland park in Anaheim, California or Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla next year.

Partnering HandsOn Network, Disney is attempting to connect people with projects and certify work done. The timely promotion aims to inspire one million people to volunteer in their communities , citing increased needs of non profits in the currently weak economy. The programme is also in line with President Obama’s national volunteering initiative.

The HandsOn Network has 70,000 affiliated agencies. Once a volunteer’s service is verified by HandsOn, they print out an online certificate which can be redeemed at a Disney park.

Kicking off the volunteer promotion last week Disney sent 1,000 volunteers, including employees from Disney and Southwest Airlines, to work on projects around the country. Volunteers must register online with Disney and be residents of the US, Canada or Puerto Rico to be eligible for the free admission. The work must be performed in 2010 and free admission is only granted upto December 15, 2010. Volunteers must be 18 or older to sign up for the programme, while work done by children aged 6-17 qualifies for a free ticket as if they are accompanied by an adult when volunteering. Any unused certificates would be donated to a charity desginated by Disney.
Duncan Dickson, teacher of theme park management at the University of Central Florida Rosen School of Hospitality Management, Orlando said the initiative was a very smart marketing move which would not only create a positive buzz for Disney for encouraging volunteerism, but also meant free publicity.