Rising Together — Reflections from the 2025 B1G1 Business for Good Conference

by Masami Sato

There are events — and then there are moments in time.

Moments in time that remind us what’s possible when people come together with shared intention, heart, and belief.

The B1G1 Business for Good Conference 2025 in Bali was one of those moments. And while we already had high expectations for this event (based on our past conferences and how great they all were), this ‘Time to Rise’ Conference in Bali absolutely exceeded all our expectations.

For many, it wasn’t “just a conference.”

It felt like a homecoming — a place where business owners, team members, Worthy Causes, speakers and community leaders came together not just as attendees, but as co-creators of something much bigger.

Throughout the week, dozens of people shared something similar:

I didn’t know how much I needed this — until I walked into the room.

See what people said at the end of the conference here.

Why This Conference Felt So Different

This gathering wasn’t built around a stage and an audience — it was built on participation, contribution, and energy of people. In fact,

  • every speaker was a Member of the B1G1 Movement, who is walking the talk as a giving leader
  • all activities (they were extraordinary) were also led by Members and their team members and everyone was in the room all the time to engage in every action (which is so rare for conferences)
  • even the photographers, facilitators, giving auction contributors, goodie-bag sponsor, welcome dinner sponsor and even technical support came from our community
  • Worthy Cause leaders didn’t come to ‘pitch’ — they sat at tables among delegates, shared meals, learned together, bonded, and built friendships.

Instead of consuming content, we created meaning together.

And for those who want to experience what being part of this event was like or re-live the experience (because you were there), here’s the overview of the experience with all the special moments condensed into a single reel.

Key Highlights, Ideas and Takeaways

Although it’s hard to do so, let me try to describe some of the most profound moments experienced, the lessons embraced, the smiles shared and the connections created throughout the event.

Highlight 1: The Spirit of Giving Creates Belonging

From the giving auction to volunteering roles, beach clean-ups to breakout facilitation — it became clear:

The more every one of us contributed and shared,
the more deeply we all felt part of the Movement.

We saw generosity take many forms: time, talent, creativity, laughter, encouragement,  not just money.

Every delegate at this event was a giver.

Many Members contributed items of extraordinary value to the Giving Auction as well. It featured incredibly special artworks, high-value business programs and unique opportunities.

One evening alone generated nearly half a million impacts and support towards the B1G1 Movement. This one night will result in so many more lives being uplifted — joyfully as well..

Highlight 2: Businesses Thrive When Purpose Leads

Member-led keynote sessions explored:

  • How AI can support meaning-driven innovation
  • The power of brand storytelling and aligned marketing
  • Building culture rooted in purpose and alignment, not pressure
  • Leadership that amplifies humanity through courage, authenticity and habitual actions

It reminded us that business growth and global good are not separate paths — they strengthen each other.

And truly, we understood “Being Business for Good is Great for Business and for the World”.


Highlight 3: Impact is Not Numbers — It’s People

Hearing firsthand from our Worthy Cause leaders brought the real impact on-the-ground to life:

  • Tanya Armstrong from Classroom of Hope showed how plastic waste is turning into schools, dreams and futures for children in Indonesia.
  • Martin Wilcox from ChildAid shared the reality (and the resilience) of communities in and around Ukraine.
  • Binita Adhikari from Antardrishti moved the entire room to tears with stories of courage, dignity, and freedom from Nepal.

And then — we physically experienced profound impact activities together:

  • A beach clean-up at sunrise where more than 400kg of waste was collected by the delegates in just over one hour. We were blown away by how we ended up with a wait list of people who wanted to participate in this early morning labour at 5:45am!
  • A field visit to the John Fawcett Foundation mobile eye clinic where business owners watched hundreds of villagers come out to the free eye-screening to receive free pairs of glasses and even have their sight restored with cataract surgery in a state-of-the-art mobile surgery van one person at a time.

These moments grounded us in the truth:

One uplifted life carries ripple effects for generations.

Highlight 4: The Power of Community Is More Important Than Ever

Many delegates shared that this conference felt like stepping into a new kind of leadership — one that is collaborative, inclusive and rooted in deep care.

Some mentioned that they stepped out of the experience as different human beings.

New friendships were formed.

Old friends reconnected.

Partnerships emerged.

Ideas were born.

And our renewed commitment ignited the aspiration and alignment of our Members:

We are here to rise together toward one billion impacts — as fast as we can.

A Community Moment We Will Never Forget

We laughed. We cried.

We learned. We created.

We connected — deeply.

And long after the closing ceremony, there was a quiet knowing that something had fundamentally shifted in us, and in what’s possible from here.

This may be perceived as the end of a great conference but we see it as the beginning of our next chapter as the global movement.

And if you were there, we hope these memories continue to remind you of the shared commitment we made. And if you missed it, we hope you make sure you will be there at the next possible opportunity.

Small acts — when done together — really can and do change the world.

Thank you to every single person who made this event real.

The speakers, facilitators, volunteers, Worthy Cause members, delegates, sponsors and the extraordinary B1G1 team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

We are deeply grateful and excited to drive the impact together, so much more than ever before.

Looking forward to seeing you at the next event!


With so much love and gratitude,
Masami, Paul and the entire B1G1 Team

P.S. Do let us know about your experience and takeaways by tagging us (@B1G1) on your LinkedIn post so we can react and respond to your posts as well!

And if you're interested to learn more about the B1G1 global movement, register to join a NOW YOU CAN session today!