Voluntourism and CSR initiatives are helping Southern planners deliver deeper value, for attendees and the places where they gather.
As corporate events evolve beyond boardrooms and ballrooms, a new trend is gaining momentum: integrating voluntourism and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities into the itinerary for meetings and conferences. More meeting planners are thinking beyond just venues and menus; they’re curating experiences that make a tangible impact on their host communities.
Today’s gatherings offer more than networking and keynote speeches—they provide opportunities to give back.
CSR and voluntourism—combining volunteer work with travel—add a human element to corporate events. Service-oriented opportunities are a great way for companies to leave a lasting impact and reinforce their commitment to social good. With professionals’ growing interest in purpose-driven work, these efforts are more relevant than ever.
In a region known for its hospitality, more CVBs and venues in the South are offering diverse CSR initiatives that benefit local communities and align with the business goals and brand values of visiting groups. From planting trees to partnering with food banks, assisting in cleanup and preservation efforts of local attractions and cultural landmarks, serving at local shelters, and volunteering at local events, destinations and event planners are discovering the impact of service-oriented partnerships. Purpose-driven engagement enhances local communities, boosts attendee satisfaction, and strengthens team bonds.
Here, we explore practical tips for incorporating voluntourism and CSR opportunities into your next event in the South.
Purpose-driven ventures along the Florida coast
In Martin County, Fla., Explore Natural Martin offers a variety of programs to engage visitors and residents with the county’s natural areas and educate them about local ecosystems and surrounding wildlife. The ecotourism program started on Earth Day, April 22, 2023, to organize activities and events in the county’s multiple nature centers and five state parks. Now, year-round programming offers insight and education on stewardship: how both visitors and residents can protect and preserve the outdoors.
According to Emily Dark, senior environmental resources and ecotourism program manager for Martin County, beach cleanups are among the most popular choices for groups to engage in voluntourism. Explore Natural Martin hosts a site as part of the Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup, an 18-year-old event designed to clean up the region’s waterways. This year, the clean-up area included 125 miles of waterways in Martin, St. Lucie, and the Indian River counties. “Explore Natural Martin hosted a site in Martin County during the recent Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup, and the turnout was absolutely incredible!” Darks says. “We set up our booth, laid out our supplies, and met so many people from all walks of life. Visitors, residents, older couples, families, and everyone in between showed up—all eager to help pitch in to protect our paradise. We even saw some familiar faces and repeat volunteers from last year’s event, which is always really special.”
Since the event was established in 2008, Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup has gathered 15,523 volunteers and more than 3,350 vessels to remove 104.9 tons of trash from the waters of the Treasure Coast. The cleanup is open to all ages. Planners organizing meetings and events in the area during the cleanup can register groups through an online form on TCWaterwayCleanup.com. Teams are limited to 20 volunteers; however, larger groups may register multiple times. Participating attendees who register in advance will also receive a t-shirt as a memento from the day.
Martin County also works with Keep Martin Beautiful, a nonprofit, volunteer-based community action organization, to coordinate cleanup events and beautification initiatives to remove litter and debris from streets, parks, beaches, and waterways. Held on the third Saturday of September every year, Keep Martin Beautiful’s International Coastal Cleanup is the most recognized cleanup event in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people come from all over the world to remove the trash from the beach and waterways. In addition to helping protect marine life and birds against injuries caused by debris, the cleanup also helps to engage and educate people about poor waste-management practices and inspires them to keep the earth clean.
While Explore Martin County regularly works with local volunteers, Dark says there is growing interest from outside groups who wish to combine environmental service with tourism exploration. She encourages group and conference planners who want to add eco-volunteer elements to contact Explore Natural Martin directly. “We can help arrange something based on how many people they have, what they want to do, and what the timeframe is,” she explains, noting that sometimes her team can arrange something directly with the group or refer them to ongoing efforts like beach cleanups hosted by the Florida Oceanographic Society.
The Florida Oceanographic Oyster Restoration (FLOOR) program aims to restore the critically impacted global oyster population by recycling oyster shells collected from Martin County restaurants. Volunteers play a crucial role in constructing new reeds using these salvaged shells, which serve as the ideas substrate for baby oysters (“spat”) to attach and grow. To date, the FLOOR program has restored nearly 60,000 square feet of oyster reefs, thanks to 2,400 volunteers and the ongoing support of 20 restaurants.
Other CSR opportunities in the area promoted by Explore Natural Martin include The Nature Conservancy’s Blowing Rocks Preserve’s Stewardship Sundays. Groups can help remove invasive species and replace them with native plants around the preserve. Advance registration through Eventbrite is appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome.
For something less nature-focused, groups can volunteer with the Treasure Coast Food Bank, which provides nutritious food to individuals and families throughout Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties. The food bank procures, stores, and distributes food to a robust network of more than 300 partner agencies. Volunteer opportunities range from sorting and boxing food, distribution and home deliveries, administrative services, outreach, food drive pick-ups, event support, and more.
House of Hope, another nonprofit in the community, provides food, clothing, furniture, financial assistance, and other services to Martin County residents. Groups can volunteer with House of Hope by sorting donations of food or clothing, tending to plants at the organization’s farm or gardens, and gleaning the fields for any remaining produce after the fields have been professionally picked, among other activities.
Martin County is also recognized as one of the most important nesting areas in the world for Loggerhead sea turtles. Each nesting season, thousands of sea turtles return to this stretch of coastline, making it a critical habitat for the threatened species.
For planners looking to add an educational element, Explore Natural Martin focuses on education and outreach, all done under the guidelines of the marine turtle permit. In June, the organization hosted four nighttime nesting walks, giving visitors and locals a rare chance to witness sea turtles laying eggs in their natural environment. In July, Explore Natural Martin conducted Monday morning nest excavations; three days after hatching, researchers count eggs and document hatchling success rates. These events, led by a team of research and conservation professionals, offer hands-on insight into the lifecycle of sea turtles and the critical role the beaches play in their survival.
“The beaches are beautiful, but we have so much beyond that,” says Dark. “We have beautiful forests and trails, so we really try to diversify the locations and the topics. For example, we’ve done a variety of different birding programs in different settings, whether it’s birding along the estuary, in the forest, or in the wetlands area.”
Explore Natural Martin also offers a wildlife series with biologists leading group hikes to feature different wildlife, such as a native gopher or tortoise hike with Florida Fish and Wildlife. Explore Natural Martin also partners with Leave No Trace, promoting responsible outdoor ethics to protect natural environments. “If we’re doing a wildlife series, we’ll always make sure to incorporate how we can carefully and responsibly interact with wildlife and the things we can do to help protect them,” Dark explains.
Meeting spaces that give back
Sometimes, venues themselves coordinate opportunities for CSR events. For example, Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown in Tennessee pairs its nearly 29,000 square feet of meeting space with meaningful, locally inspired programming like the Strings for Hope workshop, a hands-on CSR experience blending creativity with purpose.
Strings for Hope, a Nashville-based nonprofit, uses secondhand musical strings to provide second chances for survivors of addiction, domestic violence, and sex trafficking. Through employment in the organization’s Work Development Program, survivors receive supplemental income and learn job skills while in transition. Strings for Hope employs those coming directly from transitional housing facilities, and most of the strings are donated by musicians and music stores throughout the local Nashville area.
The organization offers a number of activations and packages for a unique and memorable Nashville experience for planners and meeting attendees to take part in a sustainable way of giving back or contributing to the program. For an hourly rate, team members from Strings for Hope will guide guests through the process of making custom jewelry, up to three pieces per guest. Another package includes a permanent jewelry station, where Strings for Hope team members will pulse weld 14-karat gold-filled chains on guests’ wrists, with the choice to add up to two charms. A custom engraving package allows guests to select a piece of jewelry, and a team member will engrave a group or company name onto it. Sales from these packages go directly to funding Strings for Hope’s Work Development Program.
Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown hosts these jewelry-making workshops onsite, inviting meeting and group attendees to repurpose donated guitar strings into unique accessories, all while learning about the organization’s mission to support individuals in recovery from addiction, trafficking, and domestic violence. More than just a teambuilding activity, the experience fuels Strings for Hope’s Work Development Program, which provides job training, mentorship, and supplemental income for survivors as they rebuild their lives. It’s a tangible way for attendees to give back, learn about sustainability, and take home a music-inspired memento that makes an impact.
Planned with purpose
Visit Raleigh recently hosted the seventh-annual Meeting Professionals Summit (MPS) at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel. The event welcomed meeting planners and hospitality professionals from across the region for a full day of education, networking, and collaboration. With two dynamic keynote speakers, the event equipped meeting planners with strategies to adapt, innovate, and thrive in the meetings industry.
One of the most impactful moments of the day was Visit Raleigh’s Networking with a Purpose activity. As chairperson for the Alliance of Disability Advocates board of directors, MPS speaker Ali Ingersoll sparked the idea of partnering with the organization on a volunteer activity during the MPS event. Attendees came together to create personal care bags and baskets for the Alliance of Disability Advocates, which supports individuals with disabilities in the Raleigh area. Additionally, staff from the Alliance of Disability Advocates attended MPS to further share about its mission.
“The Meeting Professionals Summit continues to be a powerful platform for connection and impact, and this year’s Networking with a Purpose activity truly exemplified that spirit,” says Nicole Keshler, national sales manager for Visit Raleigh “Since its inception in 2019, MPS has grown into a signature event that brings together industry professionals in meaningful ways. As the producers of the event, Visit Raleigh was honored to partner with Ali Ingersoll and was inspired by her advocacy work with the Alliance of Disability Advocates to create 100 personal care bags and 100 baskets for individuals with disabilities in our community. The activity encouraged attendees to connect while highlighting the importance of inclusive engagement in the meetings and events industry.”
Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but impact
For planners seeking to add value beyond presentations and breakout sessions, Volunteer AO, part of Visit Auburn-Opelika in Alabama, offers many ways to integrate CSR activities into the agenda. These include the Exceptional Foundation of East Alabama, which provides continued education for adults with physical or mental disabilities, and the Easter Seals Achievement Center, which is focused on empowering adults through employment opportunities.
Travis Harrison, experience and marketing specialist for Visit Auburn-Opelika, says the tourism organization is always looking for opportunities to work with groups interested in CSR opportunities. “Of course, we want you to have a good time and enjoy our destination,” Harrison says. “But at the same time, how can we use that business to make sure that we are positively impacting our community?”
Whether it’s helping run a community event, working alongside locals on a project, or simply engaging with residents in meaningful ways, groups can tailor their involvement based on their time, interests, and values. “We ask them, ‘What are you looking to achieve or even get out of it yourselves?’” Harrison says. Then, he or his colleagues at Volunteer AO help arrange the logistics of the give-back experience.
The benefits of voluntourism aren’t just felt by the local community. As Harrison explains, these experiences can reshape team dynamics and leave a lasting impression on visiting professionals.
“It’s great for your team,” he says. “It makes attendees happy to be working and proud to be doing something positive. It builds camaraderie by giving them a shared experience—not just with the destination and its locals but also with each other.”
As the meetings and events industry continues to evolve, integrating voluntourism and corporate social responsibility isn’t just a trend—it’s a strategic shift toward more meaningful engagement.
By partnering with local nonprofits and incorporating hands-on volunteer activities, meeting professionals can elevate their events while leaving a positive impact on the places they visit. Voluntourism is a way to connect more deeply, build stronger teams, and create a more valuable destination experience. As Harrison puts it, “Attendees are not just enjoying the fruit of the host community; they’re actually helping cultivate that fruit.”
