Comments on: Can startups afford to be socially responsible?

By: Voucherry

Voucherry — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:27:06 +0000

What is Social Responsibility? Is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. This is Voucherry. Voucherry, connects cause supporters with excellent service merchants to generate more sales and more contributions. In short, for every purchase our users make we donate a portion to their favorite charity and the same portion is returned in their Voucherry account too.

By: ShelHorowitzGreenMkt

ShelHorowitzGreenMkt — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:46:27 +0000

A better question would be: can startups afford NOT to be socially responsible, and I think the answer to that is no. Social responsibility, when built into corporate DNA, provides a much more sustainable way to think about–and achieve–growth. If you want long-term customers who will not commoditize your offering in a race to the bottom, social responsibility should be deeply embedded in your strategy. This is something I’ve written and spoken about a lot over the years, particularly in my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green.

A commitment to social responsibility doesn’t mean you have to jump out and go after B-corp certification, though. There are plenty of easier and cheaper ways to show you walk your talk. I was in business more than 30 years before I became the first business ever to achieve gold-level certification from Green America last year. The certification didn’t make my company socially responsible, but it proves to others that I walk my talk.

By: Camille Rose

Camille Rose — Sat, 26 May 2012 21:16:19 +0000

Any company attempting to have social impact should explore b corp certification. The B Lab impact assessment is a useful tool to gauge a company’s performance on all sorts of things – things that managers and CEOs might not think to evaluate. Start-ups can use the assessment tool to develop a list of areas where they wish to improve.

The assessment tool is free for any company to use, regardless if it plan to apply for certification or not. You can find it here: http://www.bcorporation.net/become/BRS

By: Craig Everett

Craig Everett — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:31:48 +0000

As of May 17, 2012 there are eight states that have adopted benefit corporation legislation and 94 firms that have incorporated as such. Updated research info at http://craigeverett.com/benefit-corporations.html

By: Ki Mae Heussner

Ki Mae Heussner — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:08:45 +0000

Thank you for the note, Ryan. I’ve corrected the story.

By: Ryan Anderson

Ryan Anderson — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:30:34 +0000

Patagonia wasn’t certified as a B Corporation until January 2012. You can find a TRUE list of founding B-Corp members here: http://www.bcorporation.net/community/founders

By: Paul Walsh

Paul Walsh — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:49:04 +0000

Yes. Everyone can afford to be socially responsible. You just don’t need to spend time, resource or money applying for certifications to tell the world that you care. Just do it. And of course… we will all be appreciative. I wrote a post on it too http://paulfwalsh.com/can-startups-afford-to-be-socially-responsible/

By: plerudulier

plerudulier — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:49:22 +0000

Reblogged this on Things I grab, motley collection .