Season 12, Ep12: The Evolution of Coca-Cola & USO’s 81-Year Partnership

The podcast is taking a summer vacation after today’s episode and will be back in August!

In today’s episode, EFG’s Alli Murphy is joined by Carla Deegan, Sr. Manager of Community Marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, and Ian Wright, Global Gaming Community Manager for the USO to talk about their long history of partnership and most recent peer-to-peer gaming fundraisers.

In 1941, the USO and The Coca-Cola Company became partners during WWII. Since then, the ways in which they support service members have changed, but their goals have not. The trio dive into how their partnership started, how it’s evolved over time and what’s led to their recent P2P fundraisers.

Since Military Appreciation Month in May of 2021, they’ve partnered together on three peer-to-peer gaming fundraisers that have raised $400,000. $200,000 of that from fundraising and $200,00 through Coca-Cola’s dollar-for-dollar match.

In today’s episode, we’ll explore:

  • How their gaming platform is both a fundraiser and a mission delivery tool for USO
  • How Coca-Cola’s involvement grew from a simple match & logo into a true partner in this initiative
  • Why the partners choose to work with smaller influencers as opposed to large creators
  • 4 things to do when you work with creators
  • How gaming fits into Coca-Cola’s CSR and business goals
  • How this is all elevating Coca-Cola’s brand presence

Mentioned Links
Coca-Cola Website
USO Website
USO Gaming

Elevate Your Social Impact
Sign up for Engage for Good’s newsletter
Check out past Cause Talk Radio episodes
Access free resources
Check out our monthly webinars
Let Alli know what you think of the show!

Guests

Meet The Host

Follow

Don’t miss an episode of the podcast! Use the buttons below to subscribe so you’ll get the latest
episodes instantly.

Check Out More Episodes

Podcast

Season 15, Ep7: From Idea to Impact: JetBlue’s Journey In Social Responsibility

Discover how JetBlue for Good and the JetBlue Foundation are driving positive change through CSR, and gain insights from Icema...
Podcast

Season 15, Ep8: Empowering Children’s Health Innovators With The Morgan Stanley Foundation

The Morgan Stanley Foundation’s Joan Steinberg drops by to talk about the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health &...
Podcast

Season 15, Ep9: Breaking Barriers With Barbie: Behind The Scenes Of The Blockbuster Campaign

Save the Children’s Dan Peirce and Mattel’s Nancy Molenda drop by to discuss their collaboration on the global blockbuster film...
Podcast

Season 15, Ep10: Helping Homebound Heroes With The Home Depot Foundation & Meals on Wheels America

The Home Depot Foundation’s Sean Vissar & Meals on Wheels America’s Kelly Trimyer drop by to discuss the Helping Homebound...

Even More for Engage for Good Members

Some of our best resources are available for Engage for Good Members: extended case studies, premium guides and templates, members-only webinars, and deeper dives you won't find anywhere else. If you're ready for more actionable tools and a community of peers to learn with, membership is the next step.