So much more than a call center

As chief operating officer of Unbound, Andie Ewing’s calling in life took a dramatic turn 10 years ago when a supervisor at her former place of work asked her to lead global operations. She had never left the country before, but she felt compelled to seize the opportunity for travel and growth.

During her first trip to the Philippines, the view from her hotel room showed her a lush golf course, very modest homes and a skyline indicative of corporate success — all in the same frame. She was immediately struck by the disparity, and in that instant, she knew that the advisers in the call centers she was sent to open and monitor were likely dealing with the kinds of daily struggles that poverty brings.

It was then that Andie felt called to do more and how she found Unbound. When she joined the organization in 2022, she knew she wanted to create call centers near the communities Unbound serves. But it was the larger Unbound team surrounding her who helped her turn that dream into a reality.

More than two years later, in February 2025, Unbound held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to open its Unbound Experience Center under the Unbound Philippine Branch (UPB) office in Quezon City, Philippines. The momentous event marked the culmination of a journey aimed at creating meaningful career opportunities in communities challenged by poverty while also enhancing sponsor connections worldwide.

New employees and staff from the Kansas City headquarters and the Philippines attended the event celebrating the launch of Unbound’s second overseas call center that blends world-class business practices with Unbound’s tradition of compassion, empowerment and personal outreach. Unbound’s first global contact center opened in Colombia in 2022.

“Our global call centers have been a personal passion project for me and are about so much more than creating jobs,” Ewing said. “I realized when meeting and talking to the new staff that this is so much bigger than a call center. Hearing some of their personal challenges — homes swept away [in severe storms], broken families, no clear path out of poverty — showed me that this call center was not just giving some people good jobs. It was providing hope for their communities.”

In the Philippines, call center jobs are highly sought-after careers, often requiring a college degree and experience to join top-tier organizations. With this new call center, Unbound is breaking barriers by providing competitive career opportunities to individuals from communities where it works with individuals and families to overcome poverty.

Malou Navio, regional program director, and Rolly Agsunod, human relations manager, both of whom are based in the Philippines, were instrumental in getting the contact center off the ground. They worked diligently to scout the office space, secure the necessary documentation and government permits, and help outfit the space with appropriate cubicles, cables and fixtures.

“We are inspired as we see in this dream the opportunity and life-giving forces that can contribute to the success of Unbound as a whole,” Navio said.

Amy Smith, Unbound’s director of operations for sponsor support, was another integral part of not only ensuring the new contact center was a successful start-up for Unbound but that it could serve as a model other nonprofits could recreate in the future.

“We were blessed with the unique opportunity to not only expand our sponsor support services while hiring a team and building on their leadership skills,” Smith said, “but also to provide a safe and dignified workspace for the team — many of whom are Unbound alumni.”

The first Philippines call center staffer joined the team in July 2024. Jose Bryant “JB” Berganio, a former sponsored member when Unbound was CFCA and who’s now an experienced Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) professional, was hired as call center manager in July 2024.

Berganio and other Unbound international staff in the Philippines were instrumental in setting up an office space near Quezon City, where sponsors support many individuals and families. They also recruited the first two cohorts of sponsor advocates — team members who are either Unbound alumni or come from families of sponsored members.

The inaugural team of sponsor advocates began their journey in October 2024, undergoing a two-week immersion with Unbound community workers and program coordinators to deeply understand the mission and values of the organization. Today, the UPB Unbound Experience Center team includes seven sponsor advocates and two operations staff.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included remarks from Unbound leadership, a virtual tour of the call center and an opportunity to meet the dedicated team members who are transforming lives and enhancing the sponsor experience. This event highlighted Unbound’s commitment to fostering global connections, compassion and sustainable opportunities for families.

While many in the business arena may consider global call centers a way to improve efficiency and customer service, for Unbound it is so much more. It is about creating a beacon of hope for our staff, their families and their communities.

Unbound regional reporter Teejay Cabrera and Unbound Kansas City headquarters and Philippines staff contributed information and photos for this story.