Case study
DELIVERING A‘ HELPER’ S HIGH’ AND COMMUNITY CHANGE
We examine how agency BI WORLDWIDE has been helping employee benefits provider Unum UK drive community change through their incentives programmes
B
I WORLDWIDE( BIW) agency has been partnering with Unum UK to embed meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility( CSR) activities into the employee benefit provider’ s annual sales conferences for over 15 years. Their latest initiative in St Lucia revitalised a primary school, showcasing how thoughtful event design can inspire delegates and transform lives.
The far-reaching impact the Unum UK sales conference has had on local communities across the world is a clear demonstration of how events can inspire and drive measurable results, not only within the business, but also in the wider community.
Where it all began Each year, Unum UK’ s sales conferences don’ t just bring their top performers together to celebrate achievements, they make giving back the centrepiece of the experience. From refurbishing schools in St Lucia to supporting children’ s literacy programmes in Arizona, these events have consistently demonstrated the power of marrying business values with community impact.
These special conferences for Unum started in 2007 with an event in Zambia and Botswana where delegates joined forces to renovate a school and build goat enclosures, redirecting budgets typically spent on room gifts to fund local initiatives.
Not only were delegates moved, but the experience also sparked a deeper engagement with Unum’ s mission to help people when they need it most. Since then, CSR has become a cornerstone of the annual event, shaping everything from destination choice to programme design.
Highlights from Unum’ s CSR journey include: 2013, San Francisco: Packaging food parcels for the homeless. 2015, Cape Town: Refurbishing a hospice attached to a children’ s home. 2017, India: Providing school supplies and sharing a cricket match with local pupils. 2024, St Lucia: Revamping a primary school to create a more inspiring learning environment. Each project has been an immersive, hands-on experience fostering real connections. Delegates don’ t just
Above: BIW making a difference with Unum UK in Mexico donate, but get to meet the communities they’ re helping, creating powerful emotional bonds.
For instance, the 2019 project in Mexico supported a local workshop for families living in poverty, delivering over 2,000 healthy breakfasts to schoolchildren and kickstarting micro-entrepreneurship initiatives.
Glenn Thompson, chief distribution officer at Unum UK, says:“ Including CSR events at our annual sales conferences gives us the opportunity to nurture this special culture – supporting communities whilst developing team spirit and ultimately driving success.”
The Blueprint for meaningful conferences and events Acts of giving trigger the brain’ s reward system, flooding us with serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins – a phenomenon often called the‘ helper’ s high.’ This sense of wellbeing fuels individual motivation but creates a ripple effect, inspiring others to act. And more motivated employees mean better business results.
But creating an event that triggers‘ helper’ s high’ among employees starts with intention. To drive real community change, events must have purpose, and projects must authentically resonate with local communities. It’ s important also to collect feedback to understand the long-term benefits of your efforts.
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