How to B-Come a B Corp

Sharing the Lessons of our B Corp Journey

Do You Envision Your Organization As a B Corp? Tips to Get Started Below

As a recently Certified B Corporation , iF is fired up about finding new ways to drive intentional learning, equitable solutioning, and collective action through our work. We love tackling big, complex problems, yet we recognize that our footprint is small and the impact we can have is limited. We believe in the power of many to drive equitable and lasting change at scale. Our previous iF Insight on outlines why the world urgently needs more companies to become B Corps, and busts three common misconceptions about what it means to be a B Corporation. “The Time to B Better Is Now”

In the spirit of encouraging others to join the movement, we’re sharing what we learned in hopes that it may inspire you to seek B Corp Certification. What follows is advice for any company that is curious about pursuing the path to B Corp, but is unsure how to get started:

When in doubt, project manage it. The core of the B Corp application process is achieving a minimum of 80 points on the and there are many avenues to get there. Treat your assessment like any other project. Organization matters, and it will save your company time and money to effectively project manage this workstream from day one. B Impact Assessment

• Assign a project manager and provide them sufficient time to lead this work
• Create a project plan and timeline based on the priority operational improvements from the B Impact Assessment
• Determine and approve an internal budget
• Dedicate data and content management resources and tools to organize and track assessment progress

Keep the inner circle small, and keep everyone in the loop. We found that having a few layers of internal stakeholders helped keep things moving, while ensuring we got the right input at the right times.

• Engage leadership team throughout the process to ensure stewards for major workstreams.
• Provide regular updates to the company and stakeholders.
• Get input from all directions. It is critical that you actively recruit diverse perspectives to inform the practices, processes, and tools that will help your company best serve its mission and activate greater positive impact.

Intentionally learn and seek feedback on an ongoing basis.

• Hold all-hands brainstorms to understand impact goals, projects that best demonstrate our ability to make a difference, and areas for growth. Hold open and honest debrief sessions with clients.
• Regularly survey your employee base to inform company goals and highlight areas of improvement- it garners honest feedback and strengthens your B Impact Assessment. Survey broader stakeholders on an annual basis to best inform future engagement with clients, alumni, friends, family, fans, and the community.

Connect with those who’ve done it before. Sometimes the best way to learn is to look to those who have paved the way. We would like to thank the following people for inspiring us to pursue a B Corp Certification, and for making the time to offer guidance and help along the way.

Don’t get discouraged — lean into your gaps. The B Impact Assessment can feel daunting at first, but it is an opportunity to look at your company through an objective lens to see how you can bolster what you already do and challenge yourself to be even better. As you go through the assessment, you may find there are some practices your company already does or used to do to some degree. The B Impact Assessment is the perfect time to document and improve your existing processes, implement new ones, and educate your employees on your shared commitments — ultimately strengthening your culture. There are many paths to achieve the 80-point threshold and all of them lead to being more sustainable and ethical in the long run. Achieving B Corp status has allowed iF to take our mindset, practices, and commitments to the next level. We hope you will join us!

Interested in chatting more?

Other things we’ve been working on…

• Tia , Alec , Ryker , Nolie , and Andew re-worked a series of Evidence-Based Teaching Practices that allowed their clients to live and share their mission in a more unified and impactful way. They are excited to continue this work by building a Microsite in the coming months.
• In a collaboration between our Education and Digital Strategy & Innovation teams, Alison , Gentry , Sam, and Ryker recently wrapped up a project that explored integrating AI as a coach for students to improve their writing skills, exploring the pros and cons of the different AI integration pathways as they seek to support their students nationwide.
• Christian is working hard to grow the Organization Design practice to optimize the processes and systems that allow your organization to thrive. He just kicked off the Culture Web Leadership Series, a webinar sequence geared towards leaders committed to driving meaningful results without compromising the employee experience. Interested? Sign up below.

(Note: this publication contains references to historical violence and abuse to black women throughout history.)

This press announcement captured my attention because it poses myriad unique opportunities, implications, and questions and when it comes to AI and news media. It seems to represent a step forward in providing users more accurate up-to-date information in GPT chat interfaces — though in a more ideal world, I’d like to see a broader range of outlets represented in these kinds of tools (and of course, paid in such arrangements). Who knows what the future holds in the age of artificial intelligence?

Whether you’re a current or former client, contractor, friend, or simply a fan, we’d love to hear from you in this brief survey. We are engaging our key stakeholders to gather feedback and ideas for creating more value for our people, our stakeholders, our communities, and our environment in the year ahead. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.