In today’s world, it’s important to shine a light on positive impact. Sun Life U.S. is committed to making an impact in our communities – shown through our dedication to volunteerism and community involvement, with the power of collective action by our very own employees. By sharing stories of positive change, we hope to be a source of inspiration to keep kindness going.
Our objective was to create a video series to capture the real (and vulnerable) stories of our employees making a difference in their communities. By sharing the heartfelt contributions of individuals like Tammi, Samantha, and Jen, who dedicated their time to causes that resonated most with them, we aimed to inspire others to get involved and contribute within their own communities.
A key focus of the series was to highlight Sun Life's "You Give We Give" program – a initiative that empowers employees by allocating funds that they can utilize to support their communities in diverse ways – through traditional donation matches, contributions for volunteer time and more. The specific goal was to communicate the impact of this program and how it provides hundreds of thousands of dollars annually and thousands of volunteer hours to uplift and support local communities.
Our focus was to share real stories featuring our employees and our commitment to make a positive impact and diversity, equity and inclusion known as the Sun Life Charitable Giving and Volunteer stories. We strived to inspire not only our own employees, but a broader audience by sharing these stories across our various social media platforms to recognize the power of giving back.
We created a flexible approach to ensure we could reach employees where they were most comfortable, whether in the office or within their local communities. By leveraging the expertise of our Multimedia team, who played a crucial role in capturing and editing this series, we were able to bring this vision to life. The team filmed Tammi, Samantha, and Jen’s experiences as they shared where they were volunteering in their local communities or participating in Sun Life-sponsored initiatives. Our Sponsorship and Philanthropy team helped prep our participants for their on-screen appearances – reflecting their individual experiences and Sun Life's commitment to community involvement.
Tammi, Samantha, and Jen shared their stories of their personal and unique experiences while volunteering. This not only provided a platform for employees to share their passion for community service, but also showcased the variety of causes that resonated within our diverse workforce.
The challenge we faced was how to choose the right candidates to convey our message about our community impact in way that would provide meaning and depth to the causes supported. Our Sponsorship and Philanthropy team aimed to place an emphasis on real experiences, and the diversity of causes supported make this series a unique and powerful testament to our commitment to giving back.
The results of this initiative exceeded our team’s objectives in promoting Sun Life's commitment to community involvement, volunteerism and employee giving.
Tammi Wortham's involvement with the Florida Mission of Mercy showcased the power of community involvement, with over 7,000 volunteer hours dedicated last year to providing professional dental care to those in need.
Samantha Breen's participation in the United Way's Board Connection Program exemplified her dedication to volunteerism, empowering employees to gain valuable leadership experience and contribute meaningfully to nonprofit organizations.
Jen Wahl's fundraising efforts for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, in addition to the generosity of Sun Life employees through matching gifts, raised almost $200,000 since 2014.
In addition to this, through Sun Life’s You Give We Give program, we reached the following results in 2023:
Most importantly, this program fosters a culture where employees are encouraged to give and actively participate (no matter how big or small) in creating positive change within their communities.
