“The global impact our clients are making to those in need is massive,” says David Meade.
“We work with them to develop ‘game-changing’ inspirational team experiences which really help people.”
The leading keynote speaker, mentalist and philanthropist is helping hundreds of thousands of people in the developing world through Lightbulb Teams.
It delivers immersive CSR-focused team building experiences – giving back and helping those less fortunate while teaching your team everything they need to be world class high performers.
And it’s turning the corporate team building world upside down – putting companies and their employees at the heart of an experience, directly helping those less fortunate, and leaving their own personal legacy behind.
So far, its Give a Hand initiative – building prosthetic limbs – has helped some 80,000 people, alongside its Water Works scheme, creating water filters, and its Toy for Life programme.
David’s constantly travelling around the globe– addressing rooms of thousands as a keynote speaker for some of the world’s biggest organisations.
Now, his company Lightbulb Teams is working with businesses of all shapes and sizes to rejuvenate CSR-focused corporate team building.
“Traditional team building has been a bit contrived,” David says.
“Rather than just getting people into a room to build a tower from spaghetti, they are building life changing prosthetic hands for patients in the developing world, for example. What they are doing really does matter to someone and there are such powerful elements within these programmes.
“This gives ownership and power to everyone inside the room and they soon realise the importance in what they are doing.”
During his travels around the globe as a leading public speaker, David spotted an opportunity.
He’d just come off stage after delivering a keynote speech in Arizona when he saw an event in the next room – with organisers trying to raise money and to help distribute prosthetic hands in the developing world.
“I sat down and thought – there must be something we can do with this,” David says.
“We began developing a supply chain of these spectacular, but simple products.
“We buy them in their unassembled form and then turn that into an activity which is fun, challenging and engaging.
“It’s also about linking that to an organisation’s own structure and goals – what matters to them, to make sure it’s not bolted on, and instead is a meaningful vehicle to help them achieve their own organisational goals, while also creating a powerful metaphor for the challenges they are overcoming as a team.
“It’s the perfect win win.”
Lightbulb Teams works alongside organisations such as the United Nations, Save the Children, Oxfam and UNESCO.
It also just won Gold at the M&IT Awards 2024 for Best Positive Impact/Event Legacy – award recognising how events can leave a positive, lasting legacy.
“It’s a perfect win-win – the charities get what they need for free and the client’s teams get amazing inspirational experiences.
“The legacy which this has is truly massive.”
That initial Give a Hand scheme has now delivered 80,000 prosthetic limbs since its incarnation.
But that initial idea, along with the connections and supply chain, has also borne fresh initiatives and programmes to help yet more people in need.
That includes Water Works – where corporate clients build and deliver life saving water filters to the developing world.
Teams can build these life saving water filters during their events and conferences. They learn about collaboration, team-work, problem solving and strategy – all while improving the life of someone in the world they haven’t even met yet.”
“By the end they have built a fresh water filter. It is truly lifesaving water for 300 people for two whole years,” David says.
And those who have helped build the filters will then receive a photograph of the actual device they have created – seeing it in the hands of the Ugandan recipient.
The Water Works programme recently hit 15,000 water filters, delivered to communities in need of safe drinking water.
Lightbulb Teams is also now developing its Toy for Life initiative. “We started to visit schools across Africa and realised they had sparse supplies to fire up the kids imagination. So, we designed our own toys from scratch.
“We wanted it to be something a child could build and then give down to their little brother, or sister, or pass onto someone else in their community.”
Lightbulb Teams is also now at the final stages of developing Baby Bundle. That will see teams getting the chance to build a crib, taking a baby from sleeping off the ground, along with everything they will need in their first year.
David says the Lightbulb Teams exercises and experiences allow people to step outside their day to day roles in order to work together to achieve their ultimate goal.
“With the work we are doing, people need to communicate with each other, step outside their comfort zones and work with others to achieve something,” David says.
“It’s emotional and motivational, and it stays with people. They take ownership of it. People are able to go back two months, or two years later, and there is still momentum and impact in what they have done.”
Lightbulb has worked with some of the largest firms in the UK, Ireland, and across the globe, including international giants such as Deloitte, Allstate and Apple.
“Being in the events space and doing so much travel allowed us to meet clients for which CSR really mattered,” David says.
“For many, CSR is a pillar which they have to do, and should do. But in the last three to five years, many truly do want to do it – it’s become such an important element in terms of employee retention, for example.
“We’ve come at this at a very good time. We are much bigger as an organisation elsewhere than at home. But we are so scalable and we want to make sure that we are doing as much of this work as we can, at home.”
Lightbulb Teams now has a waiting list for around 1,200 people requiring prosthetic limbs. “We have to build more, so we want to get involved with more teams and organisations.”
The organisation has delivered experiences to global industry giants, as well as small and micro businesses, many of which are family-owned.
“A lot of family firms in NI have great legacies and are involved in philanthropic work,” David says. “For smaller businesses it’s getting around to doing something like this – taking a bird’s eye view and looking at what really matters.”
And for those wanting to get involved, David says – regardless of the size of the company or organisation – to get in touch for a chat to see how Lightbulb Teams can best help and develop an experience.
“We need businesses for whom CSR matters – that believe in its importance. It’s about having a positive impact, and it’s a journey which we can’t do by ourselves.”
For more information please visit lightbulbteams.com