I’ve always loved traveling—especially to places off the beaten path. There’s something special about being in remote villages, far from city lights and commercial centers, where life moves to a different rhythm.
And yet, no matter how far I go—whether it’s a small island community, a rural village miles from the nearest paved road in Madagascar, or a dusty outpost in the middle of nowhere—Coca-Cola seems to be always there.
I’ve seen it stacked in tiny corner shops, handed out at roadside food stalls, and even sold in places where running water is scarce or electricity is unreliable. And every time I see that familiar red logo in a place where I’d least expect it, I wonder: How does Coca-Cola make it all the way to these remote places, when even basic healthcare or education doesn’t?
That question has stayed with me. Not because I’m a huge Coca-Cola drinker—but because of what their presence represents: a highly effective distribution system, a deep understanding of local economies, and a strategy that clearly works across cultures, languages, and geographies.
This has crossed my mind a few times now: If Coke can reach these places with a soft drink, why can’t life-saving products and services do the same? Melinda Gates explores this very question in one of her TED Talks, challenging us to consider what nonprofits might learn from the strategies of the biggest consumer brand in the world.
The first time I heard her ask that question, I was intrigued. At first glance, nonprofits and corporations seem to operate in entirely different universes. Nonprofits are rooted in mission, purpose, and public good, while corporations, especially global giants like Coke, are driven by profit, growth, and shareholder value.
Many nonprofits also don’t prioritize financial sustainability or operational efficiency in the same way corporations do. For-profit businesses like Coca-Cola rely on data, distribution, and branding to drive success—nonprofits, in contrast, often depend on grants and donations from big and small givers who put their trust in them, and may lack the systems to track impact in real time or scale efficiently.
Also, management is still associated with business. But that’s changing. Increasingly, mission-driven organizations are recognizing the need for strong management, measurable results, and strategic communication. Also AI is going to change workflows and help create a better infrastructure to measure success.
It’s an interesting case to me, because if we allow ourselves to look past the surface-level differences and explore the potential value in the contrast, there’s a lot to learn. This approach can help us reimagine how social good can be delivered more effectively.
In the section below, you’ll find the most important learnings Melinda Gates have given us in her Ted Talk, and what nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola.
What we can learn: 3 takeaways from Coca-Cola
Gates outlines three key lessons that nonprofits can adapt from Coca-Cola. These are the ones.
1) Take real-time data and use it to improve
Melinda suggests that one of the things Coca-Cola does really well is analyzing its sales trends and data in real-time. This feedback loops immediately back into their product and measures their progress as they go.
In nonprofits, evaluation of data typically comes at the end of a project, or the end of their fiscal year as they prepare to show their impact to their supporters.
Nonprofits can learn from Coke and make a plan to analyze their data as they go. This strategy will work to boost program impacts, as nonprofits will keep abreast of trends in their service areas and meet their community where they are needed.
VectorCam, developed by Dr. Soumya Acharya and his team at Johns Hopkins University, is a good example of how you can help fight malaria by turning real-time data into action. The smartphone app uses computer vision to instantly identify mosquito species from photos taken with a low-cost lens. Local health workers in Uganda can capture and send images with minimal training, allowing experts to quickly analyze the data and improve mosquito tracking, prevention, and response across the country.
At the Swart Foundation, our approach as a content initiative is rooted in that same spirit of learning as we go—by telling stories first, even before any funding comes in.
That means that we’re always listening—whether it’s through direct feedback from our readers, the conversations sparked by our stories, or the data that shows us what’s resonating and what isn’t. By paying close attention to this feedback, we’ll be able to understand people’s interests, concerns, and questions better and adjust our stories.
It’s a continuous cycle of listening, learning, and adapting that helps us grow alongside our community, making sure every step we take is informed and meaningful to the people we serve.
2) Tap into local entrepreneurial talent
Coca-Cola has found a way to employ locals in nearly every area of the world, which helps their brand reach an expanded audience that they wouldn’t otherwise reach.
Melinda proposes that nonprofit strategies should include a plan for leadership to keep abreast of local trends in their areas of service. Also, they need a plan to engage locals as employees, volunteers, donors, partners, etc. Locals know how to reach their neighbors; thus, can help your nonprofit expand its service base.
3) Aspirational and localized marketing
Coke creates localized and aspirational marketing campaigns that speak to each community’s values and dreams. As a result, people don’t just see Coca-Cola as a drink—they begin to associate it with the kind of life they want to live.
On the other hand, nonprofit marketing strategies often focus on avoidance –– not aspiration. I’ve noticed this many times by simply watching television. The commercials that would pass by were always focused on doom and gloom—washing hands, avoiding illness, or donating money in order to avoid young kids to die. It made quite an impression on me as a teenager.
What I love about Melinda Gates’ point is how she highlights the way Coca-Cola doesn’t just respond to a need—it creates one, and then builds desire around it. No one inherently needs a Coke to survive, yet people all over the world want one. That’s the power of strong, culturally attuned marketing—it taps into emotions, identity, and aspiration.
Now contrast that with something like a toilet. The need is obvious—sanitation saves lives, protects dignity, and improves public health. But just because the need exists doesn’t mean people are eager to use one, as we have seen, especially if it’s unfamiliar, stigmatized, or presented in a way that feels disconnected from their daily life.
That’s what makes Coca-Cola’s approach so powerful—and so instructive. They don’t just drop a product into a market and hope it sticks. They shape the story around it. They create a sense of desire, belonging, and even status. And I think that’s a big opportunity for nonprofits: to move beyond simply delivering solutions, and start thinking about how to build excitement, ownership, and wanting around them.
It’s true that nonprofits are trying to solve critical issues plaguing our world. However, by creating a space for celebration and unity in a marketing campaign, more people will be drawn to support the work. They are inspired to participate into the change you seek to make that is or has become important for them too, in order to make the world a better place.
I think it’s a lost opportunity when marketing is focused on doom and gloom, and it’s something I do differently with the Swart Foundation.
Actually, an important part of most non-profit projects is to mobilize the local communities and make them part of the plan. Therefore, we need non-profit marketing teams to listen to what people in the community they serve want, and market to that desire. When people understand how using a toilet (they never had) will benefit their lives, they will more likely use it and get others excited for it as well.
Final thought
In this article, I wanted to explore what Melinda Gates believes nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola—and what Coca-Cola might learn from nonprofits. More importantly, I wanted to highlight why looking to our opposites can reveal some of the most valuable lessons, not just in business or philanthropy, but in how we grow as leaders and organizations. That idea really resonates with me, because time and again I’ve found that some of my biggest insights have come from unexpected places, or from people who see the world in a totally different way.
