Our New Year’s Resolution: “B” a Force for Good

As a newly Certified B Corporation, Civilian is making a resolution this year to live up to the B Corp motto to “use business as a force for good.” We’re proud to join more than 2,600 B Corps around the world who have made the pledge to redefine success in business, including Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, Kickstarter, and Athleta.

Becoming a B Corp, which stands for the “benefit” a business creates in the world, takes more than good intentions: we had to meet rigorous social and environmental standards established by the not-for-profit B Lab. And maintaining our certification also involves setting annual goals and reporting our progress.

So, the start of 2019 is a fitting time to set resolutions and goals in three areas where we’re already making an impact: in the community, the environment, and our own culture. Highlights of our 2019 goals include:

Launch Volunteer Time Off and Achieve High Participation

• We just launched an official volunteer time off (VTO) program, which gives each employee one day per year of paid volunteer time to devote to a charity of their choice. Our goal is to achieve at least 75% VTO program participation.

 
Reduce Environmental Impact and Become “Carbon Neutral”

• Our most significant environmental sustainability goal is to become “carbon neutral”, meaning we have zero negative impact on climate change. We’ll do this by measuring and reducing the carbon we emit from our energy use, commuting, and business travel, and supporting efforts, like tree planting, that will take an equal amount of carbon out of the environment.

Mentor Foster Youth and College Students

• We will provide pro-bono service to our partner Just in Time for Foster Youth—which helps transition-age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency—by training the youth in content creation, storytelling, and social media.

• We will continue providing marketing communications career mentorship to at least 200 local college students in 2019.

 
Recommit to Diversity and Inclusion

• As a woman-owned business that works to communicate with underserved populations, we appreciate how a diverse and inclusive workplace is key to our success. As a recommitment to these values, we will measure the percent of women and other underrepresented populations in management and work to improve their representation.

 
Give Pro-Bono Service and Donations

• We will provide at least $50,000 of pro-bono service to not-for-profit community partners and clients and donate up to 1.0% of gross income to charity.

 
These initiatives are consistent with the kind of purpose-driven work we do with our clients. For example, we’re working with Best Buy to advance its community and environment initiatives focused on underserved youth and e-waste recycling. By creating goals and programs for our own company, we’re ensuring that we walk the talk and deliver on our purpose: to activate human potential for good.

If you haven’t made resolutions for your company this year, consider becoming a B Corp. It’s good for business and good for the world.