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THIS IS AN OLD VERSION OF THE WELCOME GUIDE.

Find the updated version here.

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Welcome Guide

B Corp 101

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B Corp Welcome Guide | Table of Contents

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Congratulations & Welcome!�About B Corps, the B Corp Movement, Global Partners, and B Lab U.S. & Canada

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First Steps

Establish your B Keepers and learn where to find help

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Engage Your Team�Involve all your employees, designate a B Keeper and form a B Team

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Announce Your Certification�Let your customers, suppliers, and the public know that you certified

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Connect with the Community�Make the most from connecting and collaborating with the community

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Improve and Recertify�Learn how to leverage the B Impact Assessment and your teams to improve your impact and score

Table of Contents

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Congratulations

& Welcome!

First things first: Congratulations on becoming a Certified B Corporation!

Certified B Corporations are part of a growing movement of people using business as a force for good. Across a variety of industries and around the world, these companies are putting people and the planet before profits and redefining what it means to be successful in business.

The “B” in “B Corporation” stands for Benefit for all. Becoming a B Corp means that your company meets high standards of social and environmental impact.

B Corp Certification does not mean that a company is perfect, nor that it has achieved its highest impact. It does show that it is part of a global community of business working collectively for economic systems change, and that in order to stay committed to this work it must meet rising standards for social and environmental performance.

We are mobilizing the B Corp movement to change our economic system to positively impact all stakeholders — workers, communities, customers, and the planet.

People want to work for, buy from, and invest in businesses they believe in. B Corp Certification is the most powerful way to build credibility, trust, and value for your business.

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The B Corp Community is constantly evolving and often surprising. Though B Corp Certification originated in the U.S., there are now more B Corps operating outside the U.S. And while many people are most familiar with B Corps that sell consumer product goods, the majority of the community is actually made up of B2B companies.

Across borders and cultures, these companies have all signed a commitment not just to do less harm, but to do more good, and they accelerate their positive impact by partnering with fellow B Corps.

Find more B Corp talking points.

6200+

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Certified B Corporations

2100+

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U.S. & Canada B Corps

1

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Unifying Goal

156

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Industries

84

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Countries

The B Corp Movement

B Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and we certify companies — known as B Corps — who are leading the way.

To date, our community includes 400,000 workers in over 6,000 B Corps across 80+ countries and 155+ industries, and more than 200,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Congratulations & Welcome!

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Global Partners

B Lab U.S. & Canada is one of six global partners of the global network. We foster and mobilize a growing community of people and businesses working towards a more fair and inclusive economy in the United States and Canada. More than 2,000 B Corps make up the U.S. & Canada community, supported by the nonprofit, B Lab U.S. & Canada.

Learn more about the U.S. & Canada network at usca.bcorporation.net.

Standards Trust

Operates and is governed independently to ensure objectivity and strict ruling on standards development and review

Global Partners

Operate by growing and engaging their local communities in order to ensure context appropriate service and personalised support

In addition to B Lab U.S. & Canada, B Lab has partners around the globe, helping us spread the movement. Global Partners help B Corps certify and recertify in their countries, organize summits, and spread the word about B Lab’s work.

Learn more about the other Global Partners.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Congratulations & Welcome!

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About B Lab U.S. & Canada

B Lab U.S. & Canada operates under the Global Theory of Change. Understanding that our region has specific circumstances that require special focus, we have developed our own vision, mission, theory of change, and impact statement.�

Our Vision is of an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet.
Our Mission is to cultivate, mobilize and amplify the collective impact of a community of credible, stakeholder-driven business leaders, in order to drive economic systems change for the benefit of all.

Our Theory of Change is that by mobilizing businesses around stakeholder governance, racial equity, and climate justice, we will move towards a more equitable and regenerative economic system that benefits all.

Our strategy includes recruiting credible companies that are already working in our three areas of focus, supporting our growing community of B Corps, fostering community amongst them, mobilizing the larger business community around our impact areas, and amplifying stories of business as a force for good. Learn more:

B Corp Welcome Guide | Congratulations & Welcome!

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First Steps

Establish Your B Keepers

We’ve learned from experience that the most important roles to establish for freshly certified B Corps are your B Keepers. Your B Keeper’s primary responsibility is to leverage your certification, communicate essential information, share resources with the right folks on your team, and be the point person between your organization and B Lab U.S. & Canada.

Depending on the size of your company, you might have one or multiple B Keepers. As much as possible, we recommend engaging employees across your company to adjust practices, measure impact, and tell your story.

Get to know some B Keepers.

Basic B Keeper Duties:

Attend an Onboarding Webinar
Download the onboarding checklist
Complete your public profile for the B Corp Directory
Update your Directory & Marketplace information regularly
Engage on the B Hive
Create a B Team with members of operations, marketing, legal etc.
Communicate relevant services and opportunities to your team
Own impact improvement, recertification, and legal requirement fulfillment

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Know Where to Find Help

The B Hive

The first place to look for answers is the B Hive, our internal platform for B Corps. The Articles & Resources tab has a number of resources, covering everything from marketing & communications to impact improvement.

We highly encourage you to leverage the B Corp community by asking questions in the main feed of the B Hive or finding a group that might specialize in the area of your question. Other B Corps have been in your same position, so they often have the best advice!

Our Support Team

B Lab has a team of powerful front-line agents who answer hundreds of questions, supporting thousands of B Corps, every day.

Our ticketing system is the best way to get support.

Please direct your questions to the following emails:

Standards-related issues: support@bcorporation.net

U.S. & Canada Engagement: community@bcorporation.net

Marketing & Communications: marcomm@bcorporation.net

Recertification: recertification@usca.bcorporation.net

Certification: certify@bcorporation.net

B Corp Welcome Guide | First Steps

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Know Where to Find Help

B Corp 101 Course

The B Corp 101 online course is a free, self-paced course designed for employees of new B Corps, new employees of current B Corps, and everyone else who would like a refresher on B Corp Basics.

This course covers what it means to be a B Corp, the certification process, how to connect with the community, engage in collective action, and stay in touch with B Lab U.S. & Canada.

B Keepers should check out the course to make sure they have mastered this information and then share it with the rest of their company. Members of human resources teams could make it part of the onboarding process of their new staff members. Anyone who has taken the course can also use it for reference when they have questions.

Sign up for the course here.

B Corp Welcome Guide | First Steps

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B Corp Welcome Guide | First Steps

Briana Humes

Marketing & Communications

Femmy Fatondji

Customer Satisfaction Manager

Jaime Coyle

Community Engagement

Keriann Reeves

New Certification & Pending Bs

Carson Bolding

Community Engagement

Alexander LeFebvre

Recertification & Renewals

Meet Our Support Team

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The Importance of Employee Engagement

B Corp Certification demonstrates to your current and future employees that your company walks the talk and gives them tools for continuous improvement.

Engaging your employees around your B Corp Certification can help connect your employees and your mission to a larger movement, reinforce employee pride, and expand your company’s impact.

Engage Your Team

Helpful Resources

Employee Engagement Toolkit that explains how to engage
B Keeper Deck to customize and present to employees
B Corp Talking Points to share with employees
Share the B Lab Official video to explain certification

The B Keepers

Achieving and maintaining B Corp Certification is a team effort! As you engage your employees, we encourage you to find additional B Keepers across your company to support your certification.

These roles include:

Billing Contact
B Impact Assessment Lead
Sales/Business Development Lead
B Corp Engagement Lead
B Corp Policy Lead
JEDI Lead

Please tell us who your B Keepers are in the Directory & Marketplace Update.

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B Corp Welcome Guide | Engage Your Team

The B Team

Improving impact and growing the B Movement is a difficult and important task. We recommend finding allies in different teams and forming a B Team. This team can have regular meetings on best practices, engaging stakeholders, and preparing for recertification.

As a small company, you might be a small yet mighty team. At a larger company, some key people are:

Role	B Team Responsibilities
Human Resources	Make sure that new hires learn about certification, implement best practices regarding hiring, salaries, benefits, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), and posting openings on B Work.
Legal	Meet the legal requirement, include brands and subsidiaries in certification, and identify opportunities for impact improvement.
Finance Supply Chain Facilities/ Operations	Learn about and implement best practices, measure impact, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Sustainability/ CSR	Get familiar with the B Impact Assessment, learn about and implement best practices, measure impact, and identify opportunities for improvement. Be ready for recertification.

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Empower: Create leadership opportunities, improve your impact, and maintain a healthy certification, by encouraging your employees to join a B Local in their region or a Network that fits their role, identity, or interest.

Announce: Share the good news of certification via email, videos, or hold an event! Or purchase B Corp swag for your teams.

Examples: Legacy Vacation Resorts video, Diamond View video, Fetzer B Day Celebration

Inform: Include the B Corp Certification in your employee onboarding process to make sure new employees understand the value of your certification.

Stay up-to-date by signing up for our newsletters, subscribing to B the Change, and following us on social media @bcorpuscan.

Connect: Encourage employees to share their expertise with other B Corps, ask for help from like-minded professionals, access discounts, and find resources on the B Hive. Be sure to log in using your company email address.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Engage Your Team

Ways to Engage Your Employees

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Announce Your Certification

First Things First: Publish Your Public Profile

Your public profile is a short page highlighting your company and its impact. It appears on the B Lab Global Directory and on the B Hive Directory and Marketplace, and it’s a required part of fulfilling the transparency requirement of your certification.

To publish or make edits to your public profile, log into your B Impact Assessment and:

Click the B Corporation Certification navigation item on the left-hand side of the page.

NOTE: You will not be given the option to publish your profile until after your company has become a Certified B Corporation.

From the ensuing drop down menu, click PUBLIC PROFILE
Complete all fields - take note of the requirements for each field.

NOTE: Your company description must be in third person.

Use the SAVE button to save your work
Select PUBLISH PROFILE when your content is ready to go live.

Publishing a profile or making edits to an existing profile will be visible on the B Corporation Directory within 2-3 hours.

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Let the World Know!

It’s important to purposefully address your customers, suppliers, community, and the general public. Becoming a B Corp is something to be proud of! Here are some resources to get you started:

B Corp Logos and Brand Guidelines. Use these to guide you on how to use the logos in your marketing materials, packaging, and more. You can also find other campaign and branding assets and inspiration.

Public Relations. Telling the story about your certification is a great way to engage media. Get in touch with us if you’d like a quote from B Lab or review of your press release.

Storytelling. Crafting your story as a new B Corp is key to leveraging your certification, and this Storytelling 101 deck can help. B the Change is our blog that informs and inspires people who have a passion for using business as a force for good in the world.
Follow B the Change on Medium
Become a contributor

We offer a $350 stipend for contributors that identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color.

Social Media. Social media is a great platform to announce your certification, talk about what being a B Corp means to you and engage with different audiences. Be sure to tag us @bcorpuscan. We share certification announcements every Friday for New B Fridays!

Your certificate can be downloaded from your B Hive profile in the Directory.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Announce Your Certification

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Connect With the Community

Join the Community

One great value of certification is joining a community of companies using businesses as a force for good. So, how can you connect and collaborate with other B Corps? There are opportunities for you to meet in person and online, and we encourage you to do both!

Experiencing our community come together is a truly unique experience many in the B Corp community look forward to. Here are some ways in which you can connect with the community:

Join the B Hive, our online platform for Certified B Corporations.
Sign up for our Newsletters.
Keep an eye on the B Hive Events Calendar to hear about upcoming events hosted by B Lab USCA and the community.
Find a Network, a self-organized group aligned on impact, industry, role, region, or identity, that you identify with.
Connect with your B Local, a place-based community of people using business as a force for good.
Attend Champions Retreat, the marquee in-person gathering of the B Corp Community in the U.S. & Canada. (The next one will be in Spring 2024 in Vancouver, so stay tuned for details!)
Join a B Corp Leadership Development Conference (BLD). Hosted by B Locals, BLD events provide an avenue for employees of Certified B Corps and others interested in the movement to network, collaborate, and share best practices for strong business and maximum positive impact.

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The B Hive is the online platform for B Corps to connect and find resources to improve impact. Every B Corp employee can join the community with their work email. To get started, check out the B Hive Guide for B Corps and this video tutorial.

Once you’re on the B Hive, start exploring! We recommend checking out:

Groups. Join the most relevant groups, starting by geographic location, role, and industry. Other interesting groups to join include Marketing, B2B, JEDI, Best Practices, and collective action groups.
Directory. This will allow you to find and connect with fellow B Corps you can collaborate with in business, impact, and marketing campaigns.
Discounts. The B Hive is the place to show off your company’s products and/or services by offering discounts to the community.
Ask & Offers. This is a space for B Corps to offer/request pro-bono services, free products, calls to action, and products or services of particular interest.
Articles. You will find support articles or opportunities to connect with others who can help you succeed in the B Corp Community.
Videos. This new feature includes videos about the Standards Evolution, certification, racial equity, climate justice, stakeholder governance, B Corp inspiration, B Corp essentials, and more.

Have questions? Email us at bhive@bcorporation.net.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Connect With the Community

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Industry-Based

B2B B Corps
B Tourism
B Corp Beauty Coalition
B Fashion
EOS + B Corp

Impact-Based

B Corp Climate Collective

Role-Based

B Corp Marketers
HR Professionals Network

Identity-Based

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Community
We The Change (For CEOs who identify as women)

B Corp Welcome Guide | Connect With the Community

Learn more about Networks

Learn more about B Locals

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About Recertification

B Corps need to recertify every three years. The recertification process serves to regularly measure and manage your company’s impact and helps maintain the credibility of the B Corp Certification.

Recertification is also an opportunity for companies to measure the improvements implemented over the last several years. Companies are encouraged to implement improvements, as our standards are updated every few years. We have a big update coming in 2024, so be sure to stay up to date on the evolving standards.

Recertification will take varying amounts of time, depending on the size, complexity and resources of your company. We recommend preparing 12 months in advance.

We have a number of resources to help you prepare for recertification:

Questions? Email recertification@usca.bcorporation.net.

Improve & Recertify

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Annual Checklist

To maintain your certification, it’s important that you keep your information updated. Here are some things to check in on once a year:

Pay your annual licensing fee
Fill out the annual revenue form (This will be sent to you via email.)
Update your key contacts in the Directory
Update your Marketplace information
Continue improving your impact

Questions? Email recertification@usca.bcorporation.net.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Improve & Recertify

1-3 MONTHS�Prepare for Submission

12 MONTHS�Get Started

1 MONTH�Submit for Recertification!

6-12 MONTHS�Improve Your Score

3-6 MONTHS�Complete the Assessment

Suggested Timeline

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You’ve Started Your Impact Journey

Certifying as a B Corporation isn’t the ultimate goal. It’s merely the baseline. The B Impact Assessment is an ongoing management tool to integrate your mission across departments and continue improving your impact.

As you look to improve your company’s impact over the next three years, we recommend that you:

Utilize the B Impact Assessment.

Use Reports. The impact and improvement reports help you identify opportunities to improve.
Check Out Educational Resources. Explanations, examples, and implementations related to the question.
Set Your Goals. For longer term or more substantial improvements, set goals in the B Impact Assessment.

Follow these best practices to improve your score:

In the Operations Section, focus on short-term improvements (<1 year)
In the Impact Business Models Section, focus on long-term improvements (>2 years)
Focus on improving current questions in the short term
Create an action plan with milestones for long-term improvement

Host Impact Hackathons, where staff members come together to ideate on best practices and improvements. You can involve employees from all levels (including your B Team) and use it as a team building experience. Check out our Impact Hackathon Guide.
Join a B Lab U.S. & Canada Learning Journey. These trainings will allow the B Corp community to strengthen its knowledge of racially equitable, inclusive, and climate justice-centered business practices.

B Corp Welcome Guide | Improve & Recertify

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Congratulations

Again!

We’re so excited to have you as part of the B Corp Community! We hope this Welcome Guide was a helpful overview of how to make the most of your certification.

Whether you’re a solopreneur or one B Keeper of many at your company, know that you’re not on this journey alone. Your B Team, the online community on the B Hive, and our B Lab U.S. & Canada team are all here to support you throughout your certification.

Have lingering questions? Reach out to community@bcorporation.net.

Resource Round-Up

Announce Your Certification

Connect With the Community

Recertification

About B Corps

Action Items

Engage Your Team