Discovery has come up with a new spin on giving. In “You Pick, We Give”, discovery+ users determine how Discovery will donate this holiday season. For every pick made, discovery+ will help to provide up to two million meals to kids in need in the U.S. through No Kid Hungry, or up to 400,000 education supplies to underserved students around the world through Save the Children. Jessica Beatus, Group VP of Standards and Social Good, Discovery, explains how – and why – the approach works.
How is discovery+’s approach to giving different from other corporate initiatives?
As a purpose-driven company Discovery focuses on making a direct impact. It goes beyond philanthropy and one-off initiatives; we target areas of real need where we can move the needle by leveraging all of our platforms and people with key goals. And we’re uniquely positioned to connect our audiences with opportunities to turn their compassion into impact with trusted non-profit partners who specialize in tackling the most important issues that affect all of us. We believe our initiatives add additional value for our audiences across all platforms and this approach is the differentiator.Â
What is the strategy behind the “You Pick, We Give” approach to giving?
We want our audiences to join us in making a direct impact on important, timely social issues. It’s who we are as a company. With all that is going on in the world today, it can be difficult to know how one person can help – and how to help. The You Pick, We Give campaign is a great example of how we give our viewers a way to take action and have a direct, meaningful impact. And it also serves as a way for Discovery to thank our audience while helping provide vital resources to families in need this holiday season.
Is there a demographic you think will be especially engaged?
Our users are interested and excited to make an impact while enjoying our content. Overwhelmingly, all demos across our platforms find an element of choice appealing; it’s a reason many come to discovery+ and remain loyal to the service. Our social good programs are popular with our younger audiences and particularly appealing to Millennial and Gen Z viewers; No Kid Hungry and Save The Children also ranked among the highest in terms of which organizations they would like to donate to. So we are excited to be able to help even more this holiday.Â
How did you select the charities?
Both No Kid Hungry and Save the Children are long-standing key partners core to our impact strategy and RISE (Reducing inequality and Supporting Empowerment) program. In 2019, we launched “Turn Up! Fight Hunger” in partnership with No Kid Hungry with a five-year goal to help provide one billion meals to kids living with hunger – we reached that goal in just 8 months in June. Save The Children, the world leader in providing access to basic human needs for 100 years, has a presence in over 120 countries including many where Discovery employees and our audiences live and work. We launched RISE in partnership with Save The Children in 2019 to increase opportunities for underserved populations around the world. We are grateful to have so many partners who help us make a lasting impact in the lives of so many around the world.
