United Way Welcomes First Class of Brand Ambassadors

Alexandria, VA (September 24, 2019) – United Way today introduced seven individuals as the inaugural class of United Way Brand Ambassadors. These volunteers, accomplished in their fields and active in their communities, will serve as digital influencers and leverage their social media platforms to help advance the mission and goals of United Way. The group includes men and women from around the world who will support United Way’s work by engaging the next generation of community leaders and philanthropists through social media. The United Way Brand Ambassadors include:

• Demario Davis, philanthropist and linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL)
• Brigitte Truong, multimedia host and producer
• Harrison Craig, 2013 winner of “The Voice Australia”
• Rachel Awtrey, podcast and social media expert
• Meghan Yuri Young, writer, producer and Canadian TV correspondent
• Hannah Shell, 2018 Student United Way award winner
• Alysha January, marketing and development manager and “Discover Charm City” blogger.

Following a pilot micro-influencer campaign conducted in 2018, the seven Brand Ambassadors selected demonstrated high engagement and a strong level of commitment to United Way’s mission. These individuals have a wide range of backgrounds and diverse set of passion areas including mental health, youth at-risk, girls and women’s empowerment and support for basic needs.

“Bringing people together to build stronger communities has been at the core of United Way’s DNA for more than 130 years,” said Lisa Bowman, Chief Marketing Officer, United Way Worldwide. “Over the next year, the United Way Brand Ambassadors will leverage their digital spheres of influence to support our fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community.”

Leveraging Instagram as their primary communication channel, United Way’s Brand Ambassadors will further this work by empowering their audiences to drive social impact in local communities around the world through digital calls to action and hands-on involvement.

In May, the United Way Brand Ambassadors gathered in Toronto, Canada at United Way’s CLIC event for a fellowship to deepen their knowledge of United Way This included discussions with United Way leadership and opportunities to provide counsel on how to best engage the next generation through social platforms. The group also spent time at an early childhood development center to witness firsthand United Way’s impact in the community by reading and singing to young children.

To see the full list of United Way Brand Ambassadors and to read their bios visit unitedway.org.

About United Way Worldwide
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.8 million volunteers, 8.3 million donors worldwide, and more than $4.6 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.