A year ago, we committed to help Meals on Wheels network of volunteers with the rides they needed to reach over 2 million seniors around the country every day. But we wanted to do more. Most charities raise 50% of their funds in only six weeks of the year - we wanted to create a way for Meals on Wheels to effectively raise funds and recruit volunteers all year round.

We wanted to create a solution that not only raised funds and awareness, but was true to both Meals on Wheels and Uber’s brands. A common truth we found was that both brands bring people together, whether over great distances, or over a meal. Enter Step Up to the Plate, a campaign that brought together artists and Meals on Wheels seniors to share a meal and create a set of plates to celebrate the moments that happen daily between Meals on Wheels volunteers and their more than 2 million clients.

In 2017, Uber donated a million dollars to help connect Meals on Wheels volunteers and seniors with just the tap of a button. And while this was great, charities survive on grass roots, so we were tasked with finding a way for Meals on Wheels to raise both funds and awareness for years to come. Our target audience was Uber users who have a history of tipping, and were more likely to participate in philanthropic campaigns.

The execution was simple but meaningful: bring together artists and Meals on Wheels seniors to share a meal and the senior’s story. From there, the artist would create a set of plates to honor the seniors by bringing their stories to life in a visual interesting keepsake. These hand-designed, limited edition plates would then be sold and the proceeds would directly benefit Meals on Wheels. Films and website went live on November 29th, 2018. A limited run of custom plates were sold through Meals on Wheels of America’s website from November 29th, 2018 through the end of 2018 year.

Step Up to the Plate joined traditional methods of marketing with a unique product that led to an overall campaign that beat the industry standard for engagement by 10x while selling hundreds of plates and raising over a million dollars for Meals on Wheels. The benefit to MoW extends far beyond this specific execution by creating a proven, replicable way for MoW to raise funds and awareness going forward.