How the Virgin Unite Constellation network has driven change and impact for 20 years
The Virgin Unite Constellation is a network of over 3,000 business leaders, frontline leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. They've come together in different ways over the past 20 years, with the aim of co-creating solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges.
Virgin Unite hosts several events each year where it brings new and existing community members together around a specific topic or cause, and fundraise both for Virgin Unite, its Global Leadership Initiatives, or other non-profit partners and issue areas.
Virgin Unite drives engagement through the Virgin Unite Constellation in a number of ways:
Highlighting specific issue areas and initiatives to this community through our in-person gatherings and events.
‘Matchmaking’ our community members and their resources (financial or in-kind support such as access to networks, mentorship, etc.) with leaders and organisations tackling global challenges.
Inspiring community members to embed impact and purpose within their companies, or by stepping up their philanthropy.
Curating engagement and discussion via different perspectives and challenges to create change.
Over the last 20 years, the Virgin Unite Constellation has raised £40m in funding for Virgin Unite projects. Some of these include:
Maverick 1000: Rehabilitating Threatened Marine Life - During Maverick 1000’s 2016 Leadership Gathering, the group committed to building an artificial reef on top of the Kodiak Queen—a former navy fuel barge and abandoned World War II ship that survived the attack on Pearl Harbour—that will help restore the local marine ecosystem for decades to come. The Kodiak Queen now doubles as a bed for coral growth and safe spawning ground for larger marine species. Since 2008, Virgin Unite and Maverick 1000 have partnered together on over a dozen experiences, raising over $2.6M for critical non-profit projects.
Anthony Ray Hinton: Showing that One Is Too Many - In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was falsely accused of double murder and was wrongly convicted, spending nearly 30 years on Alabama’s death row. One year after his release from prison, Hinton spoke at a Virgin Unite gathering and his participation led to incredible outcomes, including the creation of a film-based campaign to end the death penalty in the United States. The films have received over 12M views. To-date and over $1.2M in funding has been leveraged to support front line death penalty abolition organizations.
In December 2023, Virgin Unite hosted 18 Constellation community members on a trip to South Africa to learn about the country’s complex and inspiring history and meet some of the local organisations working in education, empowerment, and community support in both urban and rural areas. Community members spent time with leaders from the anti-apartheid movement, new leaders and entrepreneurs shaping South Africa’s political and economic future, and, as a result of the visit, provided financial and in-kind support to Pride N Purpose a, a rural community development project and Buskaid a music school located in Soweto.
In 2024, in partnership with Made by Dyslexia (MBD), Virgin Unite convened the first ever Dyslexic Thinking Celebration focused on changing education policies and perspectives on the power of dyslexic thinking. As a result of this convening, community members pledged $2.5m in funding to Made By Dyslexia and committed to take its training programmes back to their schools and businesses.
In 2024 the Constellation community continued to gather and engage on topics ranging from AI for good to health technology to criminal justice reform and by the end of 2024, Virgin Unite organised nine events or multi-day gatherings, which collectively generated nearly $1.5m in donations to fund frontline projects.